I'm breaking in a new estate pipe. A Vauen Luxus, straight apple. But I'm curious about the chamber, since it is slightly oval in its shape, a bit like an egg. Which makes the diameter less at the top and larger in the middle of the bowl. Could someone tell me what this type of chamber is called (if it is a specific type with a name); and perhaps what the idea behind it is? Would it be better suited for smoking a particular type of tobacco?
Chamber: what and why?
- Thread starter pipesolitude
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Since a drill couldn't make that shape, if I am understanding you correctly, I would assume that the chamber has caked more at the top of the chamber, giving it that shape. Or, someone has wallowed out the chamber in cleaning the pipe too aggressively.
Ok, you think? There is actually no extra layer of cake at the top. Just seems so strange that someone would make that shape reaming the pipe. Seems even difficult to manage to do so, unless you really intend to for some reason. But for all I known you could be right.
So this shape does not exist in the history of pipe manufacturing, even as an anomaly? I am interested to see if someone is of a different opinion.
So this shape does not exist in the history of pipe manufacturing, even as an anomaly? I am interested to see if someone is of a different opinion.
I actually have one more estate pipe with the same type of chamber. Another pipe that has been reamed down too aggressively perhaps? 
Ok, to make sure I understand, first. Is this the sort of chamber shape you mean?
seems totally possible to make that shape but scratching my head as to how it would be done in a factory pipe. The bottom half seems quite plausible but the top half is tricky. but the real question is how does it effect the experience of smoking the pipe?
It could even be that once the cake has been scraped out in the restoration of a pipe, that the zone of highest heat for a smoker had charred away the middle sections a tad, barrowing out the middle of the chamber some.
@georged , might have more insight. I am merely guessing. I am not a pipe restorer, nor have I handled many older estate pipes.
@georged , might have more insight. I am merely guessing. I am not a pipe restorer, nor have I handled many older estate pipes.
Maybe the previous owner used tools like Czech tool to scrape the chamber instead of straight blade.
Yes! I was looking for a picture myself, but could not find any. Thanks! Good to know what we are talking about.
But just to clarify, what I have in mind in this thread is not necessarily this oval type of shape. My other example is actually not so oval and more straight than curved. But the general principle I am after here is a chamber where the top is less wide in diameter than the middle, or bottom part of the chamber (the exact shape is secondary).
See, for a paddle bit or whatever bit the carver used to go in and come back up, there can't be an undercut, unless that carver wallowed it up a bit before raising it back out. Maybe the carver did. I'm not sure.
But the grey area would be the easiest chamber shape for the artists to cut without carefully moving the pipe about. And, then he risks making the chamber out of round or wallowing the chamber walls too thin.
But the grey area would be the easiest chamber shape for the artists to cut without carefully moving the pipe about. And, then he risks making the chamber out of round or wallowing the chamber walls too thin.
So this shape on your picture... Does it exist as a shape we know about, or did you make the picture yourself just for sake of discussion?
It is my own diagram for this discussion. The shape is my bastardization of the U-shaped chamber. There are only two shapes that are used in factory pipes that I know of, the U-shape and the cone shape chambers.So this shape on your picture... Does it exist as a shape we know about, or did you make the picture yourself just for sake of discussion?
Well, at least it is more difficult to char to get an even burn (unless perhaps you pack it all the way up, which I have not done yet bcs it fills a lot of tobacco). A bit too early for me to make a final judgment at this point. But I can tell it does not work well with flake fold and stuff. And yes, the difficulty mentioned above is not to its benefit.
Yes, it could be result of reasons mentioned above.
But if it is a manufactured shape, it might have been tested and proved not to function very well, who knows.
But that's a thing about buying estate pipes on ebay. Pictures does not reveal something like this. But I had some super good pipes on ebay too, so I think the universe is in balance...
But if it is a manufactured shape, it might have been tested and proved not to function very well, who knows.
But that's a thing about buying estate pipes on ebay. Pictures does not reveal something like this. But I had some super good pipes on ebay too, so I think the universe is in balance...
Yes you are right that happened to me as I tried to drill a chamber in a piece of briar held in my hand on the drill press with a paddle bit It wasn’t my intention anyways. But I can’t imagine that done in Vauen-factory.
Not sure. The opera seems to be oval not down in the chamber (as picture above) but oval "from above". If that makes sense (image google and you see what I mean).