An Observation and Question regarding Estates

[lawmax3]

I have purchased several estate pipes. Most are cheap pipes from the 50s or 60s. Some smoke good some just don't. What I have noticed is that most of the ones that had obviously been smoked a lot and have had heavy cake and gunk buildup smoked very well after a good cleanup. Even better smokes occur after a few bowls to break in again.

My best guess is that because they were smoked a lot the briar became seasoned and now provide a great smoke.

What do you think causes this? Old briar, seasoning from years of smoking or just good pipes to begin with?

Also let me know if you have experienced this.

 

[sallow]

I agree that some older estates will have a well seasoned bowl and will smoke or taste better/unique. I have an old Peterson like that. Also note that older estates are self selecting for the good ones. The ones that smoke like crap get thrown out or not taken care of. If you find one with a lot of cake you know someone thought it was a good smoker.

 

[maxpeters]

Maybe I shouldn't say anything since I can't verify what I read, or where I read it, but they were talking about the life of a pipe. According to the folks who had written this, when a pipe has been smoked to the extent that the tars have permeated the entire thickness of the pipe bowl, the briar is unable to breathe, and will give a poor smoke. No way to bring it back. They recommended you dispose of that pipe when that occurs.

How much smoking it takes to accomplish this depends on the briar used, and of course the frequency of smoking. I wish I could remember where I read that, but that is something to keep in mind when buying estates I guess.

 

[mikestanley]

Do those pipes smoke better because of the heavy cake or, do they have a heavy cake because they were good smokers? I believe its the latter.
Mike S.

 

[mso489]

I'm inclined to go with mikestanley on this. Good smoking pipes get smoked a lot. I don't think you have to look

for cruddy pipes. Pipes that show a lot of wear but are kept fairly clean would show the same quality in my opinion.

Pipes that age but don't get smoked much are often just not great smokers that have lasted because they have been

lightly used. But there's no law. Sometimes the buyer just didn't take to smoking, and the pipe is great but mostly

unused. It's a case-by-case analysis. I'll put in my usual pitch for not building much cake. All you need is a good

layer of carbon, not a dime's thickness. You can wipe out the refuse after each smoke, and a pipe will age gracefully.

 

[bulldogbriar89]

I think is is just personal taste some 1 can like the taste given off by a well broken in pipe, and say it is the best smoker they own, But another person could say that that same pipe is garbage and they would clean it or trow it out.

 

[sablebrush52]

+1 with both mikestanley and mso489.
A pipe that provides a good smoke is more likely to see use than one that does not. But a pipe with signs of heavy use is no guarantee. Some smokers are, to put it plainly, total slobs. They don't bother to clean their pipes after use, or to let them dry out. When I buy an estate I look for signs of abuse, such as discoloration brought about by smoking the pipe too hot. If I suspect that a pipe has not been properly cared for, I don't buy it, even as a restoration project. Once a pipe is well and truly dead, it stays well and truly dead.

Maybe I shouldn't say anything since I can't verify what I read, or where I read it, but they were talking about the life of a pipe. According to the folks who had written this, when a pipe has been smoked to the extent that the tars have permeated the entire thickness of the pipe bowl, the briar is unable to breathe, and will give a poor smoke.

Rick Newcombe covers this topic in his book, In Search Of Pipe Dreams. The bottom line is that there is no consensus regarding the number of times a pipe can be used in its lifetime, but that the life expectancy of a pipe is a combination of a number of factors, including the quality of the materials and the maintenance that the pipe receives by its owner(s). Rick cites René Wagner, the owner of a high end pipe and tobacco shop in Zurich who said that the limit was between 1000, and 2000 bowls. And Rick also cites an American collector who still enjoys a Barling and a Sasieni 8 dot that he bought in 1941 and has smoked an estimated 10,000 times with no effect on their properties. But that collector scrupulously maintains his pipes.

 

[lawmax3]

Interesting things to consider.

I always like taking an old estate, cleaning it up and seeing what I have got.

Some of them have been real lousy smokers, but its nice when you get a really good one.

 

[mso489]

I'm not sure if pipes ever get permeated with tars or other tobacco products if they are maintained. Too much

cake causes an uneven burn and may produce burn-out, but I don't think it is saturation of the briar. I have several

old (thirty plus years) originally unfinished pipes that seem to breathe as well as ever. Not having a heavy finish, or

much of any finish, may contribute to continued freshness in smoking. Even some of my pipes with higher gloss

finishes seem to hold up well.

 

[maxpeters]

As far as a pipe bowl being permeated with tars, etc. there was a post not too long ago about some female destroying the posters pipes. The photo he showed of his pipes being broken up, also showed that the tars had started to soak into the bowl.

So I know that it happens. I asked how long he had smoked those particular pipes, but got no answer. I was interested, because I often wondered about how a pipe breathes. Since varnish/shellac on the outside can stop a pipe from breathing, can the tars soaking into the bowl from the inside do the same thing? Then when I read what I did about throwing away a pipe that has had the bowl completely permeated with tars, etc. it sort of made sense.

I'm not willing to saw my old estates in two to find out though. It was just a thought of what might cause one old estate to smoke good, while another may not.