Bruyere St. Claude Horn Stems At SPC

[Chasing Embers]

Saw SPC put these up yesterday. Grabbed this one for myself. The metal tenon and cork lined mortise with the horn stem sounded interesting.
http://m.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/bruyere-st-claude/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=193427

 

[davet]

Very nice, I was looking at the same but darker stem. I've resisted so far, still have two from the previous offerings that I haven't smoked yet.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Just wanted to try out a horn stem. At sixty bucks I couldn't say no!

 

[stvalentine]

I have a Lovat and a Bulldog of one of their previous offers and they are both very nice pipes. Of course they are a bit at the small side of pipes but this is what you expect from a pipe this age.

 

[jkrug]

Nice choice! I was checking them out too but decided to hold off. I got two of their earlier offerings and really like them but they are not horn stemmed. Nice little pipes though. ::

 

[gloucesterman]

Chasingembers, when you've had a chance to smoke it, give us an assessment of the horn stem. I've never smoked one either and am curious about the feel and comfort.

 

[mso489]

Very nice. French pipes offer a great deal for the Euro or dollar. With flake tobacco (plug, rope) you can get a fairly long smoke out of a medium to small bowl.

 

[okiescout]

Chasingembers, when you've had a chance to smoke it, give us an assessment of the horn stem. I've never smoked one either and am curious about the feel and comfort.
Ditto.
I had looked at these when they were listed in the earlier pipes, but was not sure how the horn would work with heat (cracking?)

The multi colored ones look really cool to me.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Chasingembers, when you've had a chance to smoke it, give us an assessment of the horn stem. I've never smoked one either and am curious about the feel and comfort.

Will do. Contacted SPC about the pipe, and was told that horn is similar in feel to acrylic, but prolonged exposure to sunlight can make it brittle like amber. I am still looking for information regarding the cork lined mortise. I am curious as to the proper way of removing the stem without damaging the cork, as well as whether or not the cork needs periodic application of lanolin like the cork in a gourd calabash.

 

[brass]

I would use some cork lubricant like Lanolin or perhaps the lubricant used for the cork on musical instruments, e.g. clarinets and saxophones. If they used premium cork, you can expect it to last 50 years or so. (Premium corks for wine bottles can last up to 50 years before needing recorked)

 

[friendlyneighborhood]

I see these selling like hotcakes. What's the draw, is it price point alone or are they known for being excellent pipes for the money?

 

[pylorns]

I snagged one the other day, so hoping to smoke it next week. Draw is price and old wood.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Mine should be here tomorrow, can't wait!

 

[buckaroo]

That curved tapered horn stem is stunning. I was tempted when I saw those. Keep us posted. Thx.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Just arrived! A bit larger than I imagined. The horn stem, feels every bit like acrylic, but there is a coolness to it. Clenching is comfortable, but the button is a bit narrow from side to side. Very open draw, and am still debating what to smoke in it. In the pic, I have a tin of Ayelsbury Luxury Flake, a Savinelli 904, and a pipe nail for size comparison. It arrived in a Ropp pipe bag. Did Ropp make these?
http://pipesmagazine.com/members/chasingembers/album/picture/18279