Artificially Coloring a Meerschaum Stummel

[gnesiohamartolos]

Carl Avery Werner’s Tobaccoland (1922) is an often cited book from about a century ago. Chapter 38 deals with artificially coloring a meerschaum pipe stummel. I have not attempted to use this technique, almost certain will not ever do so and do not recommend it. I am reporting this merely as a matter of interest. Werner recommended that the meerschaum stummel with stem and fixtures removed be thoroughly cleaned with alcohol and chicken feathers. Then it is baked in an oven (no duration given) at 130 to 140̊ (doesn’t state whether Fahrenheit or Celsius). Then all scratches are to be removed with linseed oil and No. 0 pumice stone. The analine dye, ox blood or Soudan brown is mixed with linseed oil into a paste, rubbed carefully over the exterior of the meerschaum, evenly distributed. This is burned in with an alcohol lamp and polished with lightly rottenstone and water applied with flannel cloth.
Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Dang... if only I had some chicken feathers laying around. LOL
It's interesting to read how things were done in the past. Heck, sperm whale oil (spermaceti) was used for waxing meerschaum pipes in the early days of meerschaum pipes. Of course its very difficult to obtain spermaceti these days, so beeswax is the preferred method for waxing meerschaum pipes.

 

[robwoodall]

Oh!
Sperm WHALE oil.
I've been doing it wrong!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hah!!

 

[ryeguy]

Note to self: do not purchase estate meershaums from robwoodall.

 

[perdurabo]

Oh, SpermWale. I thought it was sperm. I've been doing this all wrong.
I was wondering why I couldn't get a shine on my meer.

 

[ryeguy]

. . . or from perdurabo.
On edit: Is that meant to be Latin? I'm getting some inter-thread duality from the FDA reg thread.