A Rumination on the Attempted Coloring of a Meerschaum

[Briar Lee]

Capitaliztion of titles. See Rule 9.

I got sort of downhearted not having a thousand dollar grade meerschaum, and feeling a bit sorry for myself, so I rummaged through my accumulation of pipes and felt a little better at the sight of five good, cased, genuine block meerschaum pipes, and I decided to try and color my cheapest one. It’s a half bent billiard, imported by SMS. I’ve owned it at least thirty years, and thought it was hard to color.

I got on the internet and saw on YouTube where you take artisan quality white beads of beeswax and melt those with a hair dryer on smooth cloth, then smoke your meerschaum holding it with the cloth.

I had a few blocks of real beeswax, the regular yellow grade, so I substituted that.

Bye and bye I skipped the cloth and started direct application of a hot pipe to the beeswax. It made it a very dark chocolate color brown, but then when it dried, it was cloudy.

I thought I might have ruined my pipe, but I’ve smoked it now all day long, and sure enough it has colored more in one day than all the years I’ve owned it.

But my intensive direct beeswax coloring project has shown every scratch on my pipe, too.

My pipe, has soaked up a lot of beeswax.

I think if I do buy me a thousand dollar meerschaum I want it pre waxed, because this attempt isn’t what I wanted, at all.

But is there some hope that eventually I’ll get my bent billiard looking like Lee Van Cleef’s in an old spaghetti Western?

 

[Merton]

Why not just smoke it the old fashioned way like people have done for a very long time? Delayed gratification is not a bad thing...

 

[Briar Lee]

Why not just smoke it the old fashioned way like people have done for a very long time? Delayed gratification is not a bad thing...

I’m learning that the hard way, but everything I’ve ever read about a meerschaum also mentioned beeswax.

It does work, as you can see.

There’s some trick about even coloring I’ve not learned yet.

 

[tobefrank]

That pipe probably looks more like the pipe Lee Van Cleef would have smoked than his actual pipe in the movie. Some nice normal wear and there on that pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

not having a thousand dollar grade meerschaum

Where are you seeing thousand dollar meerschaums? Even the artisan pieces average around $400.

I think if I do buy me a thousand dollar meerschaum I want it pre waxed

All modern meerschaum pipes are pre waxed.

But is there some hope that eventually I’ll get my bent billiard looking like Lee Van Cleef’s in an old spaghetti Western?

I doubt that one was colored from smoking. It looks calcined. Colored prior to sale with heat.



True meerschaum coloring starts at a pipe's heel and works its way out. The tan coloring seen from smoking a meerschaum a few times is the wax being discolored from heat and can be removed altogether by dipping it in melted wax or warmed with a heat gun.

This dark band is actual permanent coloring beginning.


This one hasn't began to color yet. Only the wax surface has discolored from use.


Rewaxing a pipe is also unnecessary. All it can do is make a pipe needlessly sticky.

 

[Chasing Embers]

There’s some trick about even coloring I’ve not learned yet.

No trick, just thousands of smokes.

 

[rmpeeps]

I had one like that and spent a patient hour and some 0000 steel wool. The final absence of marks told me I was done. Then I waxed it and started over.
I took it as a teaching moment and have appreciated the results.

 

[Ahi Ka]

The pipe looks good to me. Now smoke it exclusively for a month. The most beautiful meer that has passed through my collection was a beat up old Austrian bulldog.

Maybe consider a goudron or ox blood meer if you want a uniformed and “perfect” finish.

 

[OzPiper]

I've stated elsewhere in previous threads that I neither have the patience nor the time (I don't believe I'd still be smoking in 20years time) to colour a brand new, or even newish meer. Nor do I want to smoke 1 pipe exclusively for the next 1-2 years in order to achieve a nice patina.

The following 3 pipes are the cheat's way out.
1) buying an old, well-patinaed meer
2) buying a pre-coloured Goudron meer
3) buying a pre-coloured African meer

 

[chopper]

With all this ruminating going on I'm started to wonder if there's any need for concern.
Is it contagious? Does one with this affliction need to see a doctor?

Colouring a meerschaum takes time. If a watched pot never boils . . . . . .

 

[BrokenRecord]

Where are you seeing thousand dollar meerschaums? Even the artisan pieces average around $400.



All modern meerschaum pipes are pre waxed.



I doubt that one was colored from smoking. It looks calcined. Colored prior to sale with heat.

View attachment 97341

True meerschaum coloring starts at a pipe's heel and works its way out. The tan coloring seen from smoking a meerschaum a few times is the wax being discolored from heat and can be removed altogether by dipping it in melted wax or warmed with a heat gun.

This dark band is actual permanent coloring beginning.
View attachment 97339

This one hasn't began to color yet. Only the wax surface has discolored from use.
View attachment 97340

Rewaxing a pipe is also unnecessary. All it can do is make a pipe needlessly sticky.

I greatly appreciate the arrows. TY.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I greatly appreciate the arrows. TY.

?

In the first image I used the arrow just to show the difference between internal coloring at the heel versus the discolored wax extending back from it. In this wider shot you can see where that color is spreading from the heel and the coloring down the shank is just the wax changing color from the warmth of the smoke. Were I to dip the pipe in hot wax or heat it with a heat gun, that colored wax would be removed or lighten but the heel color would remain the same.

 

[OzPiper]

With all this ruminating going on I'm started to wonder if there's any need for concern.
Is it contagious ?View attachment 97351

 

[OzPiper]

I accidentally deleted my post.

Rumination is what (city) lawyers do. We have at least a couple of other lawyers (? small town) and they have not admitted to ruminating on this hobby of ours.

Perhaps rumination implies greater effort and more gravitas than "mere thinking". A two pipe or even three pipe endeavour.

I wonder if ruminating on a problem translates into a heftier fee for the client ? ?
I hasten to add this is all said in jest, before I get chastised by the moderators ?

 

[chopper]

No no no. To ruminate one needs to be in a type of focused meditative state. A heightened sense of awareness.
Effort is anathema to the practice of meditation.

A bit like smoking a pipe really. If that takes a 'greater effort' then one will not ever attain pipe smokers nirvana.

 

[condorlover1]

I have noticed a lot of 'Ruminating' going on in these threads of recent and that is not so far from a similar sounding ten letter word beginning with the letter 'M'!

 

[Briar Lee]

The pipe looks good to me. Now smoke it exclusively for a month. The most beautiful meer that has passed through my collection was a beat up old Austrian bulldog.

Maybe consider a goudron or ox blood meer if you want a uniformed and “perfect” finish.

This morning after a little 4/0 steel wool it looks a lot better.

Time to smoke it some more.

 

[DAR]

The main thing that strikes me about this thread (and others like it) is that it's a lot of fun to play around with your meerschaum pipes. After all, that's why we like pipes. It's not just the smoke. It's the fiddling about!

 

[condorlover1]

I am waiting for someone to say that before waxing your meerschaum its advisable run it over with a bench mounted wire brush, dip it in cold coffee, wax the surviving pipe and then smoke Clan in it!

 

[burleybreath]

I never enjoyed smoking a meerschaum until I said to hell with the coloring, and just smoked it as I would any other pipe. The only difference is that I'm slightly more careful with reaming the cake. And yes, I allow slight cake buildup. They do eventually color. [yawn]