Cracked Pipe

[lunchynumkins]

Hello!
I took a flier on a basket pipe that caught my eye last week, and after its first damp wipe I noticed a fairly significant crack between the bowl and the shank. It was covered up by some stain that wiped right off with the slightest moisture. It looks to be a crack in some putty that was put in place to repair a more major flaw. I'm attaching some photos here

Anything I should be doing to preserve this pipe? I'm a huge fan of how it smokes so it's not like I'm going to throw it out. I mainly got this as a pipe to keep in my truck with me to preserve my nicer ones so I'm not to torn up about finding this, just a bit disappointed. Thanks for your input!

 

[seanv]

Without seeing photos I’d say you could smoke through it as long as you’re a dry slow smoker. Another option is to use some JB Weld and apply pressure for a while. Once it is set, sand the area using medium to high grit paper. You will probably need to strip the stain and reapply. There are many tutorials online about how to do that part. Post here with any questions and people will be sure to help.

 

[lunchynumkins]

Ah shoot the pictures didn't work. Let me try that again...

 

[seanv]

That looks fine to me. Keep smoking and keep an eye on it.

 

[didimauw]

It looks to me like it's the putty that is cracked. If it were me, I'd open it up more to really see the damage. But I'm kinda sick and twisted like that.

 

[davek]

I had a crack on a pipe I got in a bin of "trashed estates" which had a crack a little bigger than that in the bowl. I just smoked it and the crack got smaller and is hardly noticeable. I'm guessing the pipe was pretty dry? Yours looks structural, if it goes all the way through (mine did). Since you don't know if it is all the way through and there is no way to know, I would just smoke it and see what happens

.

 

[mikethompson]

I don't think it looks too bad really. Just keep an eye on it. Who knows? That crack could have been there for a long time with no ill effects.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Was this an unsmoked acquisition?

 

[lunchynumkins]

This was an unsmoked pipe. I too am very curious about what is under that putty. It blended in really well in the dim lighting pf the shop and until some of the stain wiped off. For now I’m just going to keep smoking it as is since the crack just seems to be in the patch. Aside from the crack it has fast become one of my favorite pipes. Smokes wonderfully and seems to fit both my mouth and hand just right.

 

[seanv]

I bough an estate Big Ben with a crack in the mortise. I have had no issues with it. Just keep an eye on it. You’ll know when something is wrong