Chronicling An AliExpress Pipe For Science 2.0: The Re-Chronicling

[OzPiper]

The wood was obviously not seasoned long enough to allow it to dry out sufficiently .
Hence the splits with heat.
Could have been spectacular if you had loaded it up and puffed away

 

[mikethompson]

No I don't think so. I will show the draft hole tomorrow, and the weird bowl coating

 

[Ahi Ka]

So the wood was not aged long time?

 

[mikethompson]

I think there may still have been leaves on it when it was carved.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Ah classic lost in translation. Yes pipe has been leaves long time.

 

[bent1]

Could it be called Flame Grain?

 

[mikethompson]

Photos of the aforementioned drilling. The skewer is going in straight. This is what we professionals call "not centered".



Why manufacturers use bowl coating always stumps me, but this weird flaky coating was on the inside of the bowl.

 

[mikethompson]

Reheating and reshaping a stem is something a normal stem goes through 9, maybe 10 times in its lifetime correct? How will this stem take to being heated and bent? Will it be able to withstand a simple reshaping?

Test #3: Stem Reshaping

Let's see if the stem can reshaped by something every pipe smoker has: a heat gun and a nail.

The before:



The after:



The result? I'm impressed again that the plastic stem didn't burst into flames or melted goo. The bubbling on the underside of the stem was the result of some direct heat to the bottom, but I think if you were careful this stem would take a reshape very well.

 

[OzPiper]

Reheating and reshaping a stem is something a normal stem goes through 9, maybe 10 times in its lifetime correct? How will this stem take to being heated and bent? Will it be able to withstand a simple reshaping?

Test #3: Stem Reshaping

Let's see if the stem can reshaped by something every pipe smoker has: a heat gun and a nail.

The before:

View attachment 287446

The after:

View attachment 287463

The result? I'm impressed again that the plastic stem didn't burst into flames or melted goo. The bubbling on the underside of the stem was the result of some direct heat to the bottom, but I think if you were careful this stem would take a reshape very well.

Mike,
No way am I sending you one of mine to be “touched up”

 

[mikethompson]

Haha! Actually with a light hand reshaping a stem doesn't appear to be that hard.

 

[didimauw]

Mike,
No way am I sending you one of mine to be “touched up”

Haha! Actually with a light hand reshaping a stem doesn't appear to be that hard.

Yeah Mike, maybe just send me back that Dunhill. I actually don't want it cleaned up, but thanks.

 

[Piping Abe]

Photos of the aforementioned drilling. The skewer is going in straight. This is what we professionals call "not centered".

View attachment 287378View attachment 287379

Why manufacturers use bowl coating always stumps me, but this weird flaky coating was on the inside of the bowl.

View attachment 287381

Must’ve been made in Dublin

 

[mikethompson]

Test #4: The Freeze Test

Can this cheap pipe survive the rigors of bring frozen solid in a block of ice for a week? Only one way to find out. The pipe was weighed before being put inside a container, then frozen. I will thaw it out next weekend to see if the pipe has the same weight and if there are any noticeable differences.

 

[bent1]

Careful Mike, it might crack the briar

 

[Piping Abe]

If your not gonna smoke it, I find this kind of pointless. You can do this stuff with any pipe. I still enjoy the thread though.

 

[bent1]

The knowledge ascertained during these tests, if not valuable, at least are highly entertainin.

 

[bent1]

Wonder is that bowl coating is able to protect the wood from thermal shock, especially after freezing? Thinking of those who enjoy a pipe in the middle of winter…..

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Well, note to self... don't send pipes to Mike. LOL
Like others have said, I appreciate the efforts to test this pipe, but I think the real test would have been to actually smoke it. A torture test is one thing, but to prove it's worth, one would have to smoke it to see if it's truly worthy of being called a pipe.

 

[sean.]

This poor pipe is being tortured. It didn't choose to be born the way it was!

 

[mikethompson]

The knowledge ascertained during these tests, if not valuable, at least are highly entertainin.

This guy gets it

Wonder is that bowl coating is able to protect the wood from thermal shock, especially after freezing? Thinking of those who enjoy a pipe in the middle of winter…..

Whatever this stuff was, it is much different than the dipstaining stuff that was on my Vauen or Peterson. Who knows what it is made of or can protect against.

Well, note to self... don't send pipes to Mike. LOL
Like others have said, I appreciate the efforts to test this pipe, but I think the real test would have been to actually smoke it

I actually have cleaned up a few pipes quite well over the past few years. But smoking this one was never an option, but if you'd like to try you are more than welcome to buy a similar one and test it out.