Been Smoking for a While, First Meerschuam Pipe, any Tips

[ArchaicFossil]

so i have been pipe smoking on and off now for a good ten years got back into the pipe more heavily in the last year or so and my girlfriend bought me a meerschuam pipe ive never had one before and theres alot of conflicting sources online so i joined this here forum to ask other pipe smokers for some beginers tips stuff maybe i dont know as ive only ever had briar or metal pipes never even a clay or ceramic this is my first pipe made of any kind of stone the smoking experiance i cannot attest to yet as it hasnt been broken in yet the big thing on my mind is maintenance some people say you have to wax it constatnly some once every few months others say once or twice a year so whats the true answer :P? how do i know if my pipes genuine block meerschuam and not pressed is it easy to damage or do i treat it like its made of glass? and one of my bigger questions do i let it form a cake or not some people say no cake whatsoever itl effect the patina and potentially crack teh rim others say it doesent matter ive definately seen pictures and videos of people smoking them with a cake in there and it does burn a tad hot so a cake would help that does it matter should i be trying to clean it constantly or at least let that not build up too much? and lastly does anyone have any recomendations on what types of tobaccos will give me good colouring or at least help to start the process of gettign a good patina also il upload some pictures of it thanks to anyone that has the time to read and give a newbie ( at least as far as meerschuam is concearned) any advice <3

 

[shanez]

First of all, nice bewbs.

Second of all, just load it and smoke it like any other pipe.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Treat it as you would any other pipe. Nothing mystical about them.

 

[condorlover1]

+100 @Chasing Embers : Yep treat your meerschaum like your women. Stuff the bowl and ride it to heaven every time!

 

[proteus]

Fantastic pipe!!! More important is what not to do. Don't get it soaking wet it's not wood and will get soft until dry again. Don't drop it. It will shatter. Don't scrape inside or ream it. Don't try to build up a cake. Don't worry if it turns darker colors. It's supposed to.

 

[ArchaicFossil]

Fantastic pipe!!! More important is what not to do. Don't get it soaking wet it's not wood and will get soft until dry again. Don't drop it. It will shatter. Don't scrape inside or ream it. Don't try to build up a cake. Don't worry if it turns darker colors. It's supposed to.

<3 thankyou so much .so does that apply to cleaning with alcohol as well give it time to dry out or itl be soft? and with the dont build up a cake am i aiming to get 0 cake or just make sure its at a reasonably low level of cake at all times?? how do i prevent cake forming without a reaming tool what should i do instead?

 

[ArchaicFossil]

First of all, nice bewbs.

Second of all, just load it and smoke it like any other pipe.

thankyou

 

[Chasing Embers]

Don't get it soaking wet it's not wood and will get soft until dry again.

I'm a fairly aggressive smoker and have never had that happen.

Don't scrape inside or ream it. Don't try to build up a cake.

How else do you remove carbon build-up?

Don't drop it. It will shatter.

I've seen briar do the same.

 

[Chasing Embers]

how do i prevent cake forming without a reaming tool what should i do instead?

You can wipe the chamber out with a paper towel but eventually they need to be reamed. Sandpaper or a sharp knife work well.

 

[Chasing Embers]

does that apply to cleaning with alcohol

Using Alcohol and Cotton Balls on Meerschaum :: Pipe Repair and Maintenance

To prevent polluting another thread with progress reports I'll start this one. Too much hearsay turns into the gospel and phobias among pipe smokers. In another thread a while back it was stated as fact that wiping a meerschaum down with alcohol would damage it. I did it to one and it neither...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[spearheadbill]

Don’t baby it! Smoke everyday unless you don’t want it to color

 

[proteus]

By soaking wet I mean don't douse it in a bucket of water. I use grain alcohol to clean out meers. After any smoke the bottom will be softer and easier to gouge so just be careful. Wet meer is always softer than dry. It's not a problem just be aware. There is always an edge case exception to everything though generally meers are more fragile than briar. Especially the carved ones. I've smoked meers for 30 plus years and never had cake buildup. I just wipe out with a 12 gauge bore swap or paper towel after every smoke. Alcohol clean every now and then. Scraping or reaming out meers will gouge the inside and remove more meer material if the person isn't careful using the right tool. Reaming a briar is a bit more forgiving. I wouldn't recommend reaming with a dull knife like some do with briar. Up to you. Hate to see a nice meer ruined. You could get el cheapo meer to mess with and see what you can discover about the material. Then apply it to your prize possession.

 

[VDL_Piper]

My advice would be always wear pants when smoking that one............temptation is a hell of a drug!

 

[Zamora]

My advice would be don't worry about the coloring process, there's tons of advice online of different tricks to make it color faster which are often rather bizarre and cumbersome. Just smoke it and let it color on its own time, all you need to know is the more often you smoke it the faster the color will set in.

Some people believe that different tobacco types will give meers different colors but there's too many variables to prove or disprove that, even ones in identical shapes with the same blends smoked in them can color differently because one might be more porous than the other

 

[dottlejockey]

Nice pipe. Cool gift from the gf. Fill it, smoke it, regular maintenance and you're good to go. Most of all...many happy smokes!

 

[Pooh-Bah]

I had cake build up in my meers, had some success roaming them, but that's so guarantee of future success.
I've also taken to rubbing the inner walls with my a finger for a few minutes after smoking, though I'm sure that's less effective than a paper towel.
Also use pipe cleaners dipped in brandy.


The best tobacco to color a meerschaum is your favorite, so that you'll smoke it more.
In my experience, the parts you handle the most will display coloration first. ...I use my naked lady meer's cleavage as a finger rest.

Waxing is optional, but it does seem to let you cheat the coloring process a little. Though I would be very hesitant to wax anything but a smooth meer, since you'll just end up with wax pooling in the crevices forever.

 

[FurCoat]

My advice would be always wear pants when smoking that one............temptation is a hell of a drug!

Yeah, no shit. I'm reminded of that every Christmas I have to shop for my six kids.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Yeah, no shit. I'm reminded of that every Christmas I have to shop for my six kids.

My advice is a little late for you

 

[didimauw]

Yeah, no shit. I'm reminded of that every Christmas I have to shop for my six kids.

They say, when you get it right the first time you don't try again.....

 

[FurCoat]

They say, when you get it right the first time you don't try again.....

I could have used that bit of advice years ago.