Do Meerschaum pipes need to rest

[zonomo]

I have a small bowl meersch which I really like but am wondering if they need to rest like Briar wood pipes?

 

[shawn622]

I don't rest mine very much. In fact I almost exclusively use my meer anymore.

 

[sal57]

Never known one that had to take a rest but I do give it brake once in a while.

 

[kris]

Advice on this one is conflicted...
A lot of the guys on here say let it cool, wipe it out then it's ready to go again. However, site sponsor E.A. Carey's has on their website that a Meer should only br smoked once or maybe twice a day.
My problem at the moment is no matter how much I wipe it out, CAKE is building!!!

 

[baronsamedi]

Meers do need rest, just not as much as a briar. I will smoke the same Meer twice a day for weeks with only a dry cleaning between bowls. On the rare occasion that I smoke several back-to-back bowls, like when Imeet up with the other Texas guys at the B&M it will build up moisture and I will start getting a gurgle regardless of running a cleaner through. A more extensive dry cleaning and a couple of days are usually sufficient, though. Meers are very forgiving in terms of heavy smoking.
Most of the time my meers get rest because I want to smoke a briar for a while. I also go for a Meer about 80% of the time. Then I pick up a briar and go "Oh Yeah! I remember I like this, too!"

 

[zonomo]

Thank you. I learned something. I didnt know i needed to wipe the bowl! I'll do that from now on.

 

[pathfinder]

Good to know information, glad I stumbled through this topic. I'm an newbie when it comes to procedures of pipe smoking. So far a lot of these threads have been a big help, thanks guys!
- Josh

 

[zonomo]

This also tells me that perhaps different pipe materials have different methods. I have a lot to learn.

 

[kris]

That's why this place is SO great!

 

[topd]

I smoke a meerschaum bowl after bowl (cooling and cleaning between smokes), but after you feel a slight

heaviness (weight from retaining water/condensation) let it rest for several days.

 

[grizzly86]

I'm with TopD. All I do is let it cool between smokes.

 

[zonomo]

+1 Kris. I have enough pipes now where I dont have to smoke it constantly but I did wonder if it needed rest.

 

[gnatjulio]

Just smoked 3 bowls back to back to back. I'll let you know if my meer turns to dust.

 

[topd]

No problem gnatjulio.... if it turns to dust, press it back into a calabash bowl! :rofl:

 

[foggymountain]

They do need to rest, but unlike a briar, a few hours is usually enough.

 

[portascat]

Russ Ouelette agrees with me on the following, so it's good enough for me. It is the general belief (with some notable dissenters) that briar pipes should be rested for the number of days as the bowls smoked through it. So in other words, smoke a bowlful in a briar, rest that pipe at least a full 24 hours; smoke two bowlfuls, rest it 48 hours, and so on.
Although I understand the spirit of the advice, it actually makes no sense. The advice taken at face value, the only sensible thing is to only smoke one bowl, and let it rest for 24 hours. If you have to let it rest that long after one bowl, why ever smoke two bowls through it consecutively? If, at work, I smoke 3 bowls through the same pipe, which I often do over the course of 8 hours, I am over smoking it.
I would consider the amount of rest needed is more related to the type of tobacco, weather or ambient temp and humidity indoors, and what sort of after smoke cleaning you are doing to it. If you are smoking straight burley, wiping out the bowl and running a cleaner through it, and the environment is relatively dry, you could likely run bowls through it constantly as long as the pipe cooled well between bowls. Especially if you gave it a nice cleaning and day of rest every week or 10 days.
Smoke a heavy aro, be haphazard on your bowl and stem cleanouts, and smoke in a wet or humid environment, and I bet your pipe gets sour pretty quickly.

 

[seakayak]

My meers have shown me that they need no rest. Still, I place them in my regular rotation and treat them with utmost respect.

 

[topd]

I believe all the advice and differing opinions on resting pipes, both brier and meerschaum, is just a

beginners guide.

But it comes down to this:

If you smoke 8 bowls a day in a pipe, and one day you smoke 9 and the pipe goes sour,

then go back to just 8 bowls! You have found the maximum use for that pipe before resting.

That is an extreme example but it gets the point over. I smoke my meers over and over and have never had

any ill affects. I may smoke a brier 3 or 4 times before I get home to swap, but I'll rest the brier a

week or more after that. I never worry about resting a meer, I just like to switch pipes and it takes

care of itself.

 

[zonomo]

One of the reasons I asked this question is that I tend to carry my small bowl Meer a lot. I rarely have the time to smoke a full size bowl unless I am at home, which is not too often. I am giving this littler Meer quite a workout.