Bought a "Poisonous" Pipe This Weekend

[captainsousie]

I was at my cousin's antique mall in Cheyenne, WY this weekend and she had some pipes on display. After helping to identify one, she sent me home with another one, an old Medico, to repair. I looked through the rest of the pipes and found and old WDC that looked pretty nice but a bit too much for my budget right now as well as a couple more old Medicos. The last pipe I looked at was a pretty cool little pipe marked with "Breezewood". It was only $7 and it was a 4" long bulldog/rhodesian which is my favorite shape.
After buying it and taking it home, I decided to research it and found out here that Breezewood pipes were older and made out of Mountain Laurel which is a highly poisonous plant. Now I'm pretty sure from the amount of cake that the pipe is not poisonous but I don't think I'll take that chance just yet :wink: .

Edited to include smiley to show ironic statement.

 

[spartan]

Highly poisonous?
You Only Live Once

 

[tjameson]

I don't think you'll have any issue. There is a lot of ongoing debate regarding mountain laurel used as wood for pipes being dangerous but the conclusion that I came to is that yes in fact it is pousinus if ingested but it's quite fine as a pipe. Many of the companies that were using that wood stopped production because they didn't want the blowback associated with using a posinous wood. There is some good info about it on one of the pipe makers forums under alternative materials.

 

[mick]

I don't think you'll have any issue. There is a lot of ongoing debate regarding mountain laurel used as wood for pipes being dangerous but the conclusion that I came to is that yes in fact it is pousinus if ingested but it's quite fine as a pipe. Many of the companies that were using that wood stopped production because they didn't want the blowback associated with using a posinous wood.

When you have a bunch of other pipes to smoke and the pipe in question cost you $7, is it really worth ANY risk?

 

[lonestar]

Tjameson summed it up well. I dont know enough about it to tell you 100% that theres no issues, but I dont believe that it is dangerous as a pipe. What did the WDC look like ?

 

[captainsousie]

I don't remember much about the WDC only that it was a darker stained billiard and they wanted about $40 for it. If you want more info, I can get it in the next day or two.

 

[captainsousie]

By the way, I'm not really worried about the pipe being poisonous. I just thought it was an interesting bit of history that I stumbled upon.

 

[lonestar]

I don't remember much about the WDC only that it was a darker stained billiard and they wanted about $40 for it. If you want more info, I can get it in the next day or two.

Dont worry about it. I have a friend who loves old WDCs. Has to be really nice and rare to get his attention though :D

If you see any specific stamps on it let me know though.

 

[captainsousie]

I'll check what the stamping is tomorrow. I have a couple WDCs including a Milano Hesson Guard that are waiting to be fixed up so maybe I'll tackle them soon and see what the fuss is about.

 

[keith929]

Sir that pipe may be a possible bio-hazard. I suggest you pull on a pair of latex gloves, put it in a hermetically sealed box and send it to me for immediate decontamination. :mrgreen:

 

[baronsamedi]

Just don't sand the wood down, chop the dust into lines and snort it and you'll be fine.

 

[gmwolford]

Keith probably has an incantation to make it non-toxic, too. :rofl:

 

[cortezattic]

Let's start a rumor about corn cobs. :lol:

 

[bayoubreeze]

Taken from the U.S. Forestry Service website:
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Mountain-laurel's leaves, buds, flowers and fruits are poisonous and may be lethal to livestock and humans. However, white-tailed deer, eastern cotton tails, black bear, and ruffed grouse are known to utilize this species especially as winter forage or during years of food shortages.
OTHER USES:

Extracts from mountain-laurel have been used to treat diarrhea, upset stomach, skin irritations, and as a sedative.
WOOD PRODUCTS:

Mountain-laurel wood is heavy (green weight: 63 lbs/ft3), hard (1,790 lbf), and strong, but rather brittle, with a close straight grain. Mountain-laurel sapwood is yellow, while the heart wood is yellow-brown with red spots [4]. The wood of mountain-laurel has a long history of uses by native and Euro-Americans. It has been used in the manufacturing of pipes, wreaths, roping, furniture, bowls, utensils, and various other household goods and novelties. Economically, mountain-laurel is the most important member of the genus Kalmia. The species is sold commonly as an ornamental and the foliage is used in floral displays.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beekeepers know that honey derived from mountain laurel can make people sick, so they dispose of it. Mountain laurel is also called "sheep laurel" because the leaves will cause paralysis to young lambs that eat them. But, as you can see, extracts are also used for medicinal purposes.
Pipes made from mountain laurel were in heavy use on both sides during the Civil War, and it's use has been traced back to the American Indians. The wood used for pipes is taken from the root ball, and it seems that the harmful parts of the plant are the leaves & flowering parts. Apparently mountain laurel pipes got painted with a broad brush that labeled anything associated with the plant as being "poisonous." FWIW, I wouldn't hesitate to enjoy that pipe.

 

[spartan]

the leaves will cause paralysis to young lambs that eat them

"Baaaaaaaaa, I've fallen and I can't get up."
Awesome.

 

[bayoubreeze]

"Baaaaaaaaa, I've fallen and I can't get up."

:rofl:

 

[shawn]

You a funny man Spartan.

 

[nsfisher]

Loco Weed for Sheep.