Chronicling an IDEA Pipe for Science and Posterity

[mikethompson]

Test #1 - The 6' Drop

Everyone at one point or another has dropped their pipe, whether while filling, outside doing chores, or looking at your customs charge on your latest order.

A good pipe must be able to withstand such a fall (I guess a meer is an exception). So how would this mid level Chinese pipe fare? To the lab!

No before pictures as it looks the same as above. I'm not quite sure if this was a result of the drops or not but there is a very slight dent in the bowl. The stem didn't break off or crack.

Looks like it passed its first test.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Yeah I grabbed one too. Tracking says it should arrive today so I can match your pipe test for test. Mine is a different model (but to be honest I can’t remember which one I chose). If it holds up to the heat gun, I will subject it to a bowl of either 79, warhorse or tombolaka ?

 

[olkofri]

The hole is probably at the 1 o'clock position, which is certainly not dead center, but not quite where I would expect it to be for a filtered pipe. I didn't mention that it takes a 9mm filter.

Then it's definitely drilled wrongly. Right, you didn't say anything about a 9 mm filter, but since they're ripping off Savinelli I assumed that it used a 6 mm balsa insert.

The drilling top or bottom of the mortise is not reserved for 9 mm filtered pipes, but for several others that use different inserts. If you look at your Brighams you're likely to see the hole at 12 o'clock, as it is on two of mine.

 

[jhowell]

I didn't take pics of that... actually... yeah, I do have one, I think:

View attachment 61100

The hole enters the chamber a wee bit to the side, so this one's drilling is indeed 'off'. It doesn't affect smoking, though.

I've no pics of the Quixx's chamber, but the hole doesn't enter said chamber above the heel, so it's OK.

My best smoking pipe is similarly drilled "off center". I believe the relationship to the bottom of the chamber from top to bottom is more important than side to side.

 

[mikethompson]

My best smoking pipe is similarly drilled "off center". I believe the relationship to the bottom of the chamber from top to bottom is more important than side to side.

The drilling isn't as bad as I've seen from some other brands on here.

 

[ashdigger]

The drilling isn't as bad as I've seen from some other brands on here.

You’re walking a fine line young man. Lol

 

[mikethompson]

You’re walking a fine line young man. Lol

Why Tim? Its not like I mentioned Peterson by name.

 

[Kottan]

The hole is probably at the 1 o'clock position, which is certainly not dead center, but not quite where I would expect it to be for a filtered pipe. I didn't mention that it takes a 9mm filter.




I didn't know that you got one as well, same style?



I thought you would.



I don't have that much faith in the stamping for sure.




A Capri is kind of a rough looking pipe right? I can see how the coarse sock would match it. This one has a smooth finish so i thought it was a bit odd. The idea of the sock is to protect the pipe from scratches, yet it is a scratchy material?




As @scloyd posted in another thread, here

my

The hole is probably at the 1 o'clock position, which is certainly not dead center, but not quite where I would expect it to be for a filtered pipe. I didn't mention that it takes a 9mm filter.




I didn't know that you got one as well, same style?



I thought you would.



I don't have that much faith in the stamping for sure.




A Capri is kind of a rough looking pipe right? I can see how the coarse sock would match it. This one has a smooth finish so i thought it was a bit odd. The idea of the sock is to protect the pipe from scratches, yet it is a scratchy material?




As @scloyd posted in another thread, here is my lab:

View attachment 61120

The hole is probably at the 1 o'clock position, which is certainly not dead center, but not quite where I would expect it to be for a filtered pipe. I didn't mention that it takes a 9mm filter.




I didn't know that you got one as well, same style?



I thought you would.



I don't have that much faith in the stamping for sure.




A Capri is kind of a rough looking pipe right? I can see how the coarse sock would match it. This one has a smooth finish so i thought it was a bit odd. The idea of the sock is to protect the pipe from scratches, yet it is a scratchy material?




As @scloyd posted in another thread, here is my lab:

 

[Kottan]

I thought you would.

Some passages of your last Sience live performance hit the level of Monty Python's flying circus.. How can you not be thrilled by that. And the best is, it's interactive with the audience and for free. Only science benefits from it.

Sorry for the post above, was a bit distracted.

 

[mikethompson]

Some passages of your last Sience live performance hit the level of Monty Python's flying circus.. How can you not be thrilled by that. And the best is, it's interactive with the audience and for free. Only science benefits from it.

Sorry for the post above, was a bit distracted.

I can only hope this thread will be as informative and enlightening.

 

[mikethompson]

Quality briar used for pipes is aged and dried to ensure that the bowl can withstand the fluctuations of heat. After all you are burning something in the bowl. But how many of us while lighting our pipes, have used a tremendous amount of heat on the outside of the bowl for an extended time? All of us I'm sure.

How would this pipe respond to such a test? I can tell from looking inside the shank that it is made of wood, not plastic or metal. But will it burst into flame? Blacken? Crack? Hiss from escaping steam? Only one way to find out. To the lab!

TEST 2: Heat Gun

I will use a heat gun on the highest setting to the side of the bowl and see what happens.

Before pictures:



After pictures:




The result after about a minute of intense heat was the blackening of the bowl, some minute surface cracks, but it did not burst into a mess of bubbling plastic. Turns out this is made from a briar of some kind. When I took it outside for the photo it started smoking and if I had to place the room note, I would say burning paper. Maybe that's the bowl coating?

Looks like it has survived the second test.

 

[canucklehead]

To be completely fair you should run this series of tests on a cob and a "standard" pipe like a mid-level Savinelli to see how they hold up. I bet a varnished cob would make a pretty big stink if you blasted it with the heat gun. On the other hand, this is probably a decent cleaning method for a clay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Alrighty, but in the name of science you have to have a "control" to see how much variance the test produces. So, now you need to take your best pipe and do the same to it to see whether the Idea Pipe is better or worse than the control sample.

I'll just wait here till you get it posted.

 

[mikethompson]

Don't you question my 'Scientertainment' Cosmic!

Do you want to see what happens with this Sav knockoff or not?

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

A control of some kind is needed for sure.

 

[mso489]

Hey, for science sake you'd have to scorch five hundred IDEA pipes and another five hundred Sav's or Grabows. I say the controls for this purpose are the 159 pipes the researcher has smoked in the past. Let's call it a trial run and not a work of science. It's sort of like a Motor Trend car review, just one example of the car, take it or leave it.

 

[niblicck]

Hmmn, very interesting and well, Well Done.

 

[mikethompson]

I will see if Mina can send me a few hundred more pipes LOL.

 

[olkofri]

Considering the pipe's provenance another useful test would be to see whether it survives 40 minutes in the autoclave.