Chipped Chamber NOS Kaywoodie, Is That An Issue?

[Alex.Jr]

Gents,

Just finished my first bowl on a new old stock kaywoodie and noticed a slightly chipped area in the chamber walls.

The pipe smoked cool, no weird taste, nothing, nada.

It’s not deep, but you can feel with the finger or nail. Doesn’t feel like a hole for sure, just a slight roughness.

It’s kind of white/grey because I wiped the bowl with a paper towel, before that it was black like the rest of the chamber. Bowl came without any coating.

I know there’s plenty of wood there, but is this a thing to be worried about?

I believe this is not from just 1 bowl, which smoked cool and dry.

Maybe came out of the factory like this? Carving defect?

I’d appreciate some input.

 

[Alex.Jr]

After one more bowl and another paper towel wiping.

 

[FLDRD]

I wish I could answer but I'm not sure. Mostly just piping up to give you a little bump so maybe your question will be seen more. Cheers

 

[Briar Lee]

Smoke that Kaywoodie and don’t worry about a blemish inside the bowl.

Notice the rough turning marks at the bottom. Your Kaywoodie was a later production where perfection inside the chamber wasn’t achieved. It will break in, form a thin cake, and you’ll not see those blemishes.

 

[mso489]

I don't think that is a burn-out process. Even if you don't build cake (depending on what your habit is) I think the carbon build up will seal off that spot. I have several Kaywoodie and they've been durable.

 

[Alex.Jr]

Smoke that Kaywoodie and don’t worry about a blemish inside the bowl.

Notice the rough turning marks at the bottom. Your Kaywoodie was a later production where perfection inside the chamber wasn’t achieved. It will break in, form a thin cake, and you’ll not see those blemishes.

It’s actually NOS from the 60s. But yeah, I’ll probably just keep smoking it.

But I’ve never seen another pipe with a similar thing. I’m not a carver, but my guess is that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Of course I’d love to hear from more experts on the matter.

 

[Alex.Jr]

I don't think that is a burn-out process. Even if you don't build cake (depending on what your habit is) I think the carbon build up will seal off that spot. I have several Kaywoodie and they've been durable.

I don’t like cake as I always wipe the chamber with a paper towel.

I really hope that it can be sealed by carbon as it is smoked.

Thank you for you feedback.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yeah, that's not going to cause any issue. Enjoy it as you would any pipe.

 

[Alex.Jr]

Yeah, that's not going to cause any issue. Enjoy it as you would any pipe.

Great to hear (or read) that!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Looks like you'll need to decide between your right thumb or your left middle finger!

 

[Briar Lee]

Kaywoodie pipes before World War Two, especially the late thirties, were truly the standard of the world for production pipes and we’ll not see that quality again.

For about five years during the war nobody could import briar to New York from the Mediterranean. After briar shipments resumed, inflation began with the costs of post war production.

A old friend of mine told how before the war his father worked for a dollar a day and was glad to find work. When he was in high school in 1948 he got a dollar an hour as a laborer during the summer building a new golf course.

The same labor cost dynamics hit Kaywoodie hard.

The first cost cutting Kaywoodie did was to shrink the size of the ball on the stinger. Then they drilled three holes instead of four in the ball. Gradually a hard varnish was used along with lots of stain, and by 1972 the classic Kaywoodie was a Kaywoodie in name only.

The same thing happened to Lee, except Lee shut down production, and disappeared.

By the 1960s a Flame Grain was still the same $10 as it was in 1937, but not close to the same in quality of finish.

They still smoke the same.

They just didn’t take time to finish the inside of the chamber.

 

[mikethompson]

I'm certainly no expert, but that wouldn't worry me one bit.

 

[anotherbob]

actually worst spot for a little hole. That's usually were all the flavor develops. It's going to get sucked into that hole and everything is going to taste bland.