I think this should do the job
Coloring Progress Over Time/No of Bowls in one Meerschaum Pipe
- Thread starter cshubhra
- Start date
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It has been a long time since the last update, so it’s time to post one more. As always I reamed the pipe gently and cleaned it with water thoroughly. I take photo outdoors for the most natural exposure. No photo edits except a tight crop to stay as close to true color as possible
1. Number of bowls smoked is now 271 (About 100 more since last update)
2. I have found translucent meerschaum to be extremely delicate. This pipe has multiple dings now, although I handle it as gently as my other meerschaum pipes some of which are from 2017. Point to note - It you want to maintain a pristine look you need to handle it extremely gently (Much more gently than a typical meerschaum)
3. Shank has darkened further - but shank was very vivid even during the last update
4. The entire bowl has turned distinctly colored with two bands of darker shade and a band of a lighter shade. Still long way to go to color it like the shank
5. The bottom of the bowl has a dramatic change - It is now moderately colored
1. Number of bowls smoked is now 271 (About 100 more since last update)
2. I have found translucent meerschaum to be extremely delicate. This pipe has multiple dings now, although I handle it as gently as my other meerschaum pipes some of which are from 2017. Point to note - It you want to maintain a pristine look you need to handle it extremely gently (Much more gently than a typical meerschaum)
3. Shank has darkened further - but shank was very vivid even during the last update
4. The entire bowl has turned distinctly colored with two bands of darker shade and a band of a lighter shade. Still long way to go to color it like the shank
5. The bottom of the bowl has a dramatic change - It is now moderately colored
The weight of the pipe is still 52 g. No change since I started weighing regularly, but about 4 g more as listed originally in the Altinay website
Awesome progress. Has this still been the only pipe you have smoked?
No. I smoked it exclusively for four months till September and then I started smoking my other pipes again. I still smoke this pipe more than half the time.
First off! I love this thread! @cshubhra, your translucent pipes looks AWESOME! Second, I’ve not tried the sixpence/washer thing yet, but I have tried the block meerschaum filters that Altinay has for sale. About a month ago I bought an antique estate meer that had the draft hole egged out, and it was much higher than the bowl floor. So, when I was buying a pipe from Altinay, I sent him (Said, I believe) pictures of the pipe, and asked him if the filters would help fix this pipe. He assured me it would, and it did!lol I don’t have enough bowls thru it yet to give my opinion on whether or not the filters would aid in coloring, but it might not be a bad idea to give it a try. Although, they’re as lil pricey due to the shipping being $22, but if you picked up an awesome meer tamper, it would make it worth it. I have one or two extra, if anybody would want to try them.
I'm looking at getting a new one for Christmas. Maybe I will join you on the year long adventure.
I'm finding the vintage ones superior to modern offerings.
Better fittings and more comfortable buttons.
Wider draw, larger chambers, more elaborate carving, the surface doesn't feel like plastic, shaping is more attractive, and can often be found under $100 both smoked and unsmoked.
If you wipe them out with a damp paper towel after each smoke, reaming becomes unnecessary.
i do that with all my pipes most of the time. i may never build cake.
but what is @cshubhra doing when he gently reams? penknife? Kleen Ream? Pip reamer? Special meer-stone chamber polisher with ruby-dust cutters? Inquiring minds want to know!
400 grit sandpaper works great on estate meerschaums with build up. Works great for briar and morta as well.
I use a pen knife type reamer - It is part of a tamper set.
I just softened some superficial scratching on one of my smooth IMPs by hand buffing with folded bathroom tissue if that helps.
You cannot go wrong with vintage in my opinion. Whilst this is just my opinion and YMMV I find @Chasing Embers views broadly mirror my own when it comes to vintage pipes. For some reason the French or Austrian meerschaum pipes even up to the 1950s were very well done. As an added bonus the amber stems were really well made and the tenons were done to a very high standard usually in steel. As a further added bonus it is not unusual to find a partially smoked example where the previous owner has done the heavy lifting of getting the coloring started for you. Once you get into the 1870-1910 era everything you find will have already been colored and smoked, although I have come across a few unsmoked pristine examples over the years. Again I have said on here before there is something about the quality of older meerschaum that seems to make it more suited to coloring and seems to give a better smoke.
