Different pipe makers and the weight of their pipes

[hiplainsdrifter]

Ever notice that some pipe makers consistently make lighter pipes than others, regardless of dimensions? E.G. Ferndown or Cavicchi- love the look of their pipes, but they are consistently heavy, usually well over 50 grams. Compare to Brian Ruthenberg- even his large pipes are usually under 50 grams. I imagine the main variable here is the briar that they start with. Could those that make pipes lend their expertise here? In my opinion, 30-40 grams is the perfect weight for a clenchable pipe.

 

[bonehed]

Scottie Piersel makes some really lightweight pipes. My Russ Cook apple/prince is quite lean at ~27g.

 

[northernneil]

Personally, I tend to be drawn to light pipes, so yes, I have noticed that some makers tend to make lighter pipes. However, I also like smaller pipes, so I do not have much experience larger pipes that weight less that they look like they should.
Bonehead, I love that Russ Cook pipe. She is a real beauty!

 

[mso489]

I associate lighter weight for a given size with briar that has been aged longer, which is usually more expensive. Sevinelli seems to mostly keep its pipes light for their size, and Johs (Mogen Johansen) does some notably light weight pipes, especially some of his sandblast medium size pipes. I'm intrigued that some of the bigger name up-market pipes seem to make heavy pipes. However, neither my Ser Jacopo nor my Ferndown are particularly heavy for their size, although some pipes in those marques run heavy. I have some big-bowl heavier pipes, but I usually look for pipes less than 2 ounces.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

but I usually look for pipes less than 2 ounces.

There are pipes, and then there are crowbars for the jaw.

 

[mso489]

Weight may hardly seem relevant to young sprouts who have a complete set of teeth and no crowns, bridges, implants, or large fillings. When you have one or two molars chip up on you, your enthusiasm for heavyweight pipes decreases. Last spring I had two go out in a month, luckily both still able to be crowned. Go easy on the teeth you have. You don't have to be clenching with the dental work; just having the tension can cause teeth to get stressed. You might say the dentist got my PAD money. Love them light weight pipes. Genod does good small pipes with big bowls; see smokingpipes.com. Also, remember, you have to clench any pipe to light it, and if you have fragile dental work, that may be all it takes to do damage. You don't have to go hiking with a pipe in your mouth to do damage.

 

[bigpond]

Physics is what it is. It can be really difficult to judge thickness in the shank and stem when looking at photos online and this frequently is where much of the heavy weight lies on two pipes that appear similar in size.
One thing I've noticed is certain carvers tailor their pipes to the market in which they're sold. For example, when we think of a Cavicchi we usually imagine a pipe with a 7/8x1 7/8" chamber that falls in around 70g. Most of the pipes he sells to the far east are 40-50g with 20mm wide bowls.
Anyway, you can filter pipes by weight on several web vendors, SPC included. Most pipe makers are pretty accommodating, nature of the biz and all.

 

[lonestar]

I think it comes down to the wood used and the overall style the pipe maker tends toward. A lot of my pipes are quite light weight, but I tend to pare a pipe down without a lot of extra wood on the bowl and shank. Occasionally even a really chubby pipe will come in way under what I count on, and in that case it's all about the individual block of wood. I might make the next pipe the same chubby dimension and it would come out 10-15 grams heavier, and that can be wood from the same source, same age etc.

 

[sablebrush52]

Lee Von Erck's pipes are amazingly light, especially considering their sometimes considerable size. I believe that it's partly due to his oil curing process, which also produces a very sweet smoking pipe.

 

[gogosamgo]

Here's something I've wondered before and have been meaning to look into, does the weight of s pipe in any way alter its performance? As some mentioned above, the weight of pipe comes down to the selection of briar by the maker, so does longer aged briar (lighter pipes) smoke any differently than lesser a lesser aged briar (heavier pipes)?
I may be one of the odd few, but I actually like pipes that are more weighty. I've tried, but don't find clinching as enjoyable to me, so when I'm smoking, my pipe is always in hand. For this reason I like holding a pipe that has a bit of weight to it. I don't purchase pipes based off of weight, but I'm perfectly fine if I find one that weighs a bit more than average.

 

[mso489]

It occurs to me that pipe smokers who use lighters may have more options for heavier pipes since they can light a pipe one-handed, whereas matches require two hands. Since I always use matches, clenching is mandatory during the light-up. Hence, sub 2 ounce pipes appeal to me.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Here's something I've wondered before and have been meaning to look into, does the weight of s pipe in any way alter its performance? As some mentioned above, the weight of pipe comes down to the selection of briar by the maker, so does longer aged briar (lighter pipes) smoke any differently than lesser a lesser aged briar (heavier pipes)?

I am pretty sure that weight of the briar isn't so much a function of age but of conditions where and when it was grown; how dense the wood is at time of harvesting. Aging and drying certainly have a big role, but I wonder if someone in the business could illuminate?

 

[gogosamgo]

I am pretty sure that weight of the briar isn't so much a function of age but of conditions where and when it was grown; how dense the wood is at time of harvesting. Aging and drying certainly have a big role, but I wonder if someone in the business could illuminate?

Yeah I'm honestly not sure, I was just reiterating what someone earlier mentioned. I am though still curious if weight affects performance at all?

 

[mkelaw]

Lee Von Erck's pipes are amazingly light, especially considering their sometimes considerable size. I believe that it's partly due to his oil curing process, which also produces a very sweet smoking pipe.

Lee Erck has done some "before and after" weighing and found that his oil curing process lightens his pipes by an appreciable amount.

 

[ssjones]

Weight is a critical factor to me and my purchases.
For a straight pipe, 50 grams is the max with bents I can go to 55 grams.
For older Taylor Ashtons, this means 2X (XX) size pipes. Ferndowns should be 2 Stars, which are rarely offered. Both of mine are 3 stars but under 60 grams.
I'm puzzled that Castello only seems to make large pipes (4K Sea Rock, G & GG, etc.) Its rare to find a mid-grade Castello under 60 grams.

 

[dutch65]

When I first started collecting pipes, I bought what appealed to me visually, and didn't give too much consideration to pipe weight. Over the course of time though, I realized that I was reaching for my lighter weight pipes, usually in the 30 to 50 gram range.
Also, it takes more skill for a pipe carver to craft a smaller pipe, so to me, it makes me consider some of the lighter weight pipes in my collection to be real gems.

 

[hawke]

Let me weigh in on this. I'm a real newbie and no master by any means. But let me share something I read.

From an Interview with JT Cooke

The difference in a pre-cured block of wood and a post-cured block of wood is that I can drop the weight between the two between 6 and 9%. When I started actually weighing and charting the whole thing, I knew I was getting stuff out but it blew my mind that there was so much stuff in even the best block of wood. And it’s important because you want the block to be able to breathe. If you have a dry block that still has sap in it and over the years, the sap polymerizes. Once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it and it sets up like epoxy in the pores. The pipe will be heavy, not particularly absorbent.

What I believe this lighter or less dense pipe does is draw out more moisture from the combustion process and also will dry out or evaporate this moisture quicker than a more dense pipe.

sablebrush52 ...oil curing process

This process may dilute the resins in the briar and flush them out making those pipes lighter. I find it interesting that an aged pipe(which I used to think was always better) may not have had any attention paid to reducing these resins which would not be removed simply by aging the briar before carving the pipe. JT Cooke has a way he does this as stated in that article. I think sablebrush52/Lee Von Erck is on target here as well.

 

[lonestar]

Here is a perfect example, two pipes I just finished today.

They are both Italian wood from the same mill, a very similar cut, dried and cured in the same manner for the same length of time.

They are both thick walled and nearly identical to each other in height, length and girth.

6" length x 2.0" height.

BUT, one pipe is 42 grams and one pipe is 51 grams.

 

[hawke]

Great piece of info there lonestar!

 

[ssjones]

I say the black stained pipe is the heavier of the two. (and both gorgeous!)