Briar Curing?

[stacen]

hi all, was hoping some one could explain this concept? Just read an article that mentions curing, oil, air and kiln curing, I haven't come across much information on this subject. How is curing achieved, how long does the process take, is it done before or after the briar is drilled? What is the effect on the briar and quality of smoke? any comments greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[marmal4de]

I'm interested as well.

 

[pstlpkr]

It is my understanding that briar is "cured" or "aged" by a few companies around the world. The briar root is not cut until the curing is done. That can be anywhere from around 3 years to over 60 years. The quality depends on a number of factors. e.g. Location it was grown, sand content of the soil (preferably very high) and the part of the briar root that the block is cut from. My understanding is very cursory, I'm sure others have more accurate information.

 

[unclearthur]

http://www.rdfield.com/Articles/Curing.htm Here is a good article.

 

[cortezattic]

The article Uncle Arthur links to seems to be fairly authoritative, and covers air, kiln, and oil curing. There is also dead wood briar, which I'll leave to you as a research project. Pipedia has some info on the topic too.

 

[kcvet67]

Briar blocks are cured by boiling them for 12 to 24 hours to remove the sap and resin in the wood and then drying them. Generally speaking, kiln drying is used for cheaper pipes, better grade pipes are usually air-dried for months or even years.
Dunhill is credited with developing the oil curing process. After the boiling stage the blocks are soaked in oil, which is supposed to displace any remaining resin. They are then put in a low temperature oven for several weeks, each block being hand turned on a regular basis. After this they are air dried like normal.
Savinelli has some good pictures of the process:
http://www.savinelliusa.com/factory.htm

 

[pstlpkr]

Thank you Arthur, That was an interesting read. So my information about when a briar root was cut was incorrect. And, the curing time stated by Dunhill Ltd. is different than what I have been told by a couple of differnt "Artsies". :D

 

[stacen]

Thanks guys great information. much appreciated

 

[marmal4de]

Great article, and thanks for all the input! I feel much more educated on the subject.

 

[expatpipe]

I also feel much more educated on the subject. I also read the article there about Ashton pipes, damn what a great read that was, from start to finish. I now know why Ashton pipes command such a hefty price. Thanks!