A Theory About the Superiority of a Marxman

[Briar Lee]

Looking at my stash of Marxman pipes, I found several where I can hold them up to the light and see growth rings spaced a minuscule distance apart.

All Marx did was select incredibly dense imported briar.

Most of it likely was from the more arid regions of Algeria, where it grew slowly, but not necessarily.

Such briar had to be cured longer, and dried longer. It was soft, and carved easily.

It smokes so much better because of extreme density.

The grade Marx used had to be a century or more old, when dug.

Others didn’t use it because of lack of beautiful grain, and it was difficult to shape using machines.

 

[telescopes]

New thread idea, “Ruminations on Perseverations.”

 

[Briar Lee]

Another thing I ruminate about is Marx’s briar supplier in Algeria had to be someplace on November 1, 1954.

A century and a quarter of the French systematically murdering, torturing, starving, exploiting, neglecting and otherwise being sonsabitches to the Algerians came to a bloody reversal on that day.

Did the locals warn him, or kill him?

There had to be tons and tons of briar in warehouses aging.

Where did it go?

 

[didimauw]

Another thing I ruminate about is Marx’s briar supplier in Algeria had to be someplace on November 1, 1954.

A century and a quarter of the French systematically murdering, torturing, starving, exploiting, neglecting and otherwise being sonsabitches to the Algerians came to a bloody reversal on that day.

Did the locals warn him, or kill him?

There had to be tons and tons of briar in warehouses aging.

Where did it go?

That's a very interesting thought. My thoughts usually just consist of what pipe I want to smoke next.

 

[brian64]

New thread idea, “Ruminations on Perseverations.”

 

[telescopes]

Human beings, when allowed to have control over other humans, rarely, if ever, do so with generosity of heart and thoughtfulness of mind. Instead, it is generally a warped interaction that favors the ones in power - it is guided by a morality that is permitted and excused by a legal system that is blind to justice and favors an economics of transaction based on precepts that are neither fair or agreed upon by both parties. So, yeh, there it is. The violence that ensues is a result of the corrupting effect of power. It erodes and mocks everything that is good about a society and ultimately weakens the society so that in turn, the ones in powered are conquered and in turn victimized similarly.

 

[Briar Lee]

Algeria, large, predominantly Muslim country of North Africa. From the Mediterranean coast, along which most of its people live, Algeria extends southward deep into the heart of the Sahara, a forbidding desert where Earth’s hottest surface temperatures have been recorded and which constitutes more than four-fifths of the country’s area. The Sahara and its extreme climate dominate the country.
——

The climate in Algeria varies from a temperate zone in the north along the coast to the Sahara desert, one of the most inhospitable places on earth. There’s a mountain range that separates the temperate costal zone from the desert in the south.

Geography of Algeria - The Tell, High Plateaus, Sahara, Climate, and Terrain

—-

This morning I’m comparing my pre war Kaywoodies and early Lee pipes with my Marxmans.

The gorgeously grained 4 digit Kaywoodies have the best grain and the widest growth rings, although still tightly spaced. Then the plainer Lees have tighter growth rings and the Marxman pipes impossibly tiny spaces for growth rings.

Briar grown in Algeria wasn’t and isn’t generic to the country. It varied and Marx only bought the stuff that grew a tiny amount a year, probably from an arid, mountainous zone in the Atlas Mountains.

When the tables turned on the French, that briar all stayed in the mountains.

It’s still there.

 

[milk]

Algeria, large, predominantly Muslim country of North Africa. From the Mediterranean coast, along which most of its people live, Algeria extends southward deep into the heart of the Sahara, a forbidding desert where Earth’s hottest surface temperatures have been recorded and which constitutes more than four-fifths of the country’s area. The Sahara and its extreme climate dominate the country.
——

The climate in Algeria varies from a temperate zone in the north along the coast to the Sahara desert, one of the most inhospitable places on earth. There’s a mountain range that separates the temperate costal zone from the desert in the south.

Geography of Algeria - The Tell, High Plateaus, Sahara, Climate, and Terrain

—-

This morning I’m comparing my pre war Kaywoodies and early Lee pipes with my Marxmans.

The gorgeously grained 4 digit Kaywoodies have the best grain and the widest growth rings, although still tightly spaced. Then the plainer Lees have tighter growth rings and the Marxman pipes impossibly tiny spaces for growth rings.

Briar grown in Algeria wasn’t and isn’t generic to the country. It varied and Marx only bought the stuff that grew a tiny amount a year, probably from an arid, mountainous zone in the Atlas Mountains.

When the tables turned on the French, that briar all stayed in the mountains.

It’s still there.

I still wonder about Ropp’s new pipes labeled “Algerian,” supposedly from old stummels scooped up in their factories. I doubt I’ll buy one soon but I’m curious to know from someone who has one if they’re special.

 

[Briar Lee]

I still wonder about Ropp’s new pipes labeled “Algerian,” supposedly from old stummels scooped up in their factories. I doubt I’ll buy one soon but I’m curious to know from someone who has one if they’re special.

It might be like a gunstock made of “genuine Missouri black walnut”.

There are black walnut trees growing in river bottoms that are Missouri black walnut but that’s not what you want. They grow too fast.

You want one from where folks eat dinner at lunchtime and supper at dinner time and men in bib overalls go way up on hills and dig down all around a gnarly old black walnut and get the goodie part.

But Ropp might have good Pre 54 Algerian briar.

The Algerian War was like the eruption of Pompeii to the briar industry.

All those warehouses full of briar just sat there, with no way to market them.

 

[yaddy306]

It smokes so much better because of extreme density.

When you say "extreme density", do you mean that the briar they used is extremely heavy for its volume? Because I can't say that's something I look for in pipes I choose.

Or maybe "density" isn't the right word for what you are describing.

 

[Winnipeger]

Human beings, when allowed to have control over other humans, rarely, if ever, do so with generosity of heart and thoughtfulness of mind. Instead, it is generally a warped interaction that favors the ones in power - it is guided by a morality that is permitted and excused by a legal system that is blind to justice and favors an economics of transaction based on precepts that are neither fair or agreed upon by both parties. So, yeh, there it is. The violence that ensues is a result of the corrupting effect of power. It erodes and mocks everything that is good about a society and ultimately weakens the society so that in turn, the ones in powered are conquered and in turn victimized similarly.

Different Marx.

 

[telescopes]

Different Marx.

Having traveled over 1/5 of our planets countries, despotism seems to be a normal occurrence. Marx encouraged the cycle by condoning violent revolution. It never works and is a toxic remedy. But the observations I wrote about are ones I’ve seen and witnessed first hand. True liberation begins and ends with Love - inspired by Christ and cemented with forgiveness. I doubt humans have much appetite for that remedy.

 

[Winnipeger]

Having traveled over 1/5 of our planets countries, despotism seems to be a normal occurrence. Marx encouraged the cycle by condoning violent revolution. It never works and is a toxic remedy. But the observations I wrote about are ones I’ve seen and witnessed first hand. True liberation begins and ends with Love - inspired by Christ and cemented with forgiveness. I doubt humans have much appetite for that remedy.

 

[Piping Abe]

@Briar Lee can you please write for Pipedia? This information needs to be documented.

 

[Briar Lee]

When you say "extreme density", do you mean that the briar they used is extremely heavy for its volume? Because I can't say that's something I look for in pipes I choose.

Or maybe "density" isn't the right word for what you are describing.

No, they are light, or seem so to me.

But if there’s chatter on the rim, you can scrape briar off as easy as burned toast.

 

[sablebrush52]

Different Marx.

Zeppo?

 

[canucklehead]

Zeppo?

 

[Briar Lee]

This medium bent apple has extraordinary grain for a Marxman.

It’s so pretty it was graded a Royal end given a 1/40 14K rolled gold plate band, a $10 pipe in a world of fifty cents to a dollar pipes.




Look at the growth rings. That briar burl only grew an inch every few decades.



I’m looking at some of my other high grade pipes, and this $15 Lee Four Star has perfect, close grained birdseye. But look how much wider the growth rings.

Both those pipes were luxury items.

Both smoke well.

But the Marxman smokes better, like smoking a little thermos jug.

 

[Tate]

Marxman pipes are fantastic. Of the pipes I've had so far, they definitely my favorite briar pipe. Close second is the 1926 Dunhill I fixed up but I got that for a Marxman price on Ebay. I probably won't be getting any more of those for that price hahah

 

[Briar Lee]

Marxman pipes are fantastic. Of the pipes I've had so far, they definitely my favorite briar pipe. Close second is the 1926 Dunhill I fixed up but I got that for a Marxman price on Ebay. I probably won't be getting any more of those for that price hahah

The Dunhill and Marxman were both made of Algerian grade briar.

The Sahara desert is among the most desolate, uninhabitable places on earth.

The heath shrub grows all around the Mediterranean but only where the desert transitions to rugged steppes and mountains are there heath shrubs that just barely cling to life.

I would think such dense wood would be heavy, but it’s the opposite.

Also why is it so soft, with all those growth rings?

Smoking pipes made of Algerian briar will just spoil you for others.

Put one down and it stays lit far longer.

You just barely have to puff on one.

The ashes on top form an insulator and the walls are incredible insulators and it’s a perfect little portable furnace to smoke tobacco in.

It’s one of the best kept secrets in pipe smoking.