Crystals In Older Unsmoked Pipe Bowls

[peregrinus]

Looking over a couple older unsmoked pipes (21 year old Ashton Sovereign, 32 year old Dunhill Bruyere) I notice small crystals that have formed on the inside walls of the bowls.
I am curious if these crystals are residual resins leaching from the briar or something else, i.e.: the residue of a briar curing treatment.
Any ideas or experiences with this?


Tried to take a photo. You can see some light diffraction but the crystals look mostly like dust in photo.

 

[rmpeeps]

That’s probably the unicorn oil that migrated from the specially cured briar.
Hit that with a match, and enjoy the glimmer.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Unsmoked?? I can't tell much from that photo. Any smell? Are they hardened? Can you scrape or wash it clean?

 

[peregrinus]

Unsmoked?? I can't tell much from that photo. Any smell? Are they hardened? Can you scrape or wash it clean?

Yes the two I mentioned are unsmoked pipes. They smell mostly like old wood.
Yes, the photo is of little to no help. Could be the lighting, I tried several shots but could not get a decent representation.
In the photo you can see some blue and green light refraction at the upper left but it mostly comes out looking like dust in the photo however, they look something like small pointed sugar crystals in person.
I am sure I could wash them out easily.
I was merely curious as what they are from.
I wondered if they residual resins or something that British pipe makers used in curing the strumels.
Not a big deal, just curiosity. ?

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Yes the two I mentioned are unsmoked pipes. They smell mostly like old wood.
Yes, the photo is of little to no help. Could be the lighting, I tried several shots but could not get a decent representation.
In the photo you can see some blue and green light refraction at the upper left but it mostly comes out looking like dust in the photo however, they look something like small pointed sugar crystals in person.
I am sure I could wash them out easily.
I was merely curious as what they are from.
I wondered if they residual resins or something that British pipe makers used in curing the strumels.
Not a big deal, just curiosity. ?

Maybe its from sandpaper.

 

[jpmcwjr]

That'd be my guess,- oil used in curing— and Mr.Peeps' too.

 

[peregrinus]

Maybe its from sandpaper.

That'd be my guess,- oil used in curing— and Mr.Peeps' too

probably the unicorn oil

Unicorn oil sounds good. ?
I’ve had these both for 20+ years and never smoked them, why I didn’t smoke either is another mystery.
The “crystals” were not there when I first acquired them. I think something, “Unicorn Oil”, leached from the strumels over time. I am sure I could easily wipe the bowels clean with a paper towel as the crystals appear fragile.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A softer tissue is recommended for that operation.

You could also scrape them out and send to the CIA for analysis. It might be whale oil!