Briar Quality and Weight. An Interesting Argument
- Thread starter gervais
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
All the information I can find on Erica arborea says they are hermaphrodite organisms, no sexual dimorphism. As briar blocks age, they become darker and more dense.
Density = Thermal Conductivity.
The lighter pipe will be more insulating, but the dense pipe will be more durable.
I'd take the higher density Briar.
The lighter pipe will be more insulating, but the dense pipe will be more durable.
I'd take the higher density Briar.
More dense? I think not. Harder I might agree with, but for something to become more dense, it must accumulate mass, or lose volume and .... wood doesn't do that.
Fresh from the mill, yes it does, but it reaches atmospheric equilibrium within a year or so, the time we might call "curing". After that it will fluctuate just a little, gaining and losing moisture depending on the relative humidity in the air. A 10 year old piece of briar is no more dry, nor any more dense, than a 2 year old piece.
It isn't difficult to turn briar blocks into balsa wood. Just boil it for a few hours in a pressure cooker filled with alcohol instead of water.
What's happening? A lot of the "filler stuff" embedded in the "fiber matrix" (them's scientific terms, rat thar) gets cooked/forced out.
Is the resulting briar suitable for a pipe? Unequivocally no. It's nice and light and still LOOKS like briar, but it burns like tinder.
A stummel's weight has more to do with how much it was "cooked" at the various stages of processing than anything else, I think. Different makers used different methods, but the MISSION is always the same---remove the exact amount of gunk that gives a finished pipe the desired balance of durability, taste, etc.
What's happening? A lot of the "filler stuff" embedded in the "fiber matrix" (them's scientific terms, rat thar) gets cooked/forced out.
Is the resulting briar suitable for a pipe? Unequivocally no. It's nice and light and still LOOKS like briar, but it burns like tinder.
A stummel's weight has more to do with how much it was "cooked" at the various stages of processing than anything else, I think. Different makers used different methods, but the MISSION is always the same---remove the exact amount of gunk that gives a finished pipe the desired balance of durability, taste, etc.
I WAS CORRECT! Gender fluid!
Silicate content embedded in the wood has a lot to do with its resistance to burning.
I've suspected this as well. I have worked a handful of incredibly light blocks from very reputable suppliers that felt almost "airy" like balsa wood and were incredibly soft to work with. I suspected that they may have been boiled too long maybe? They were also very light, almost white, in color. They were also very dry. The only pipe I've made that ever burned out (that I'm aware of) was made from one of these blocks and it burned out on the first smoke. The heel of the pipe practically fell off of the pipe. I stopped using blocks like that.
My mouth loves the feel of a good female, so I guess I can call my pipes "Jennifer", or whatever, haha, had some old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band playing and there it was. Smoking hot sounds too "kid" so I'll go with warm and glowing!
None of these drying too much or too little issues happening with cobs— toss em in a pile to dry for a season or three and light em up, boys.
More and more - I’m moving farther away from briars. The ghosting, the maintenance. Cobs are just great.
I’m off to paint White Spots on all of my .50 cent plastic stems… to assure a great smoke.
More and more - I’m moving farther away from briars. The ghosting, the maintenance. Cobs are just great.
I’m off to paint White Spots on all of my .50 cent plastic stems… to assure a great smoke.
Mostly made up ghost stories of briar too. Briar cutters know what they are doing, just like cob harvesters know what they are doing these days. That’s my stance.