So like the title says, I bought an estate pipe on eBay. It’s a Jacono knight. Beautiful pipe but it looks like the bottom of the bowl is like chard and cracking?Like the wall on the steam side looks like weak almost. Like wall is gonna flake apart? Not sure how else to explain it. I’m still new at this so I’m not sure if this is normal. Just looking for other opinions.
Estate pipe damage?
- Thread starter Lou__ee
- Start date
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Tough call with just the photos. Obviously a lot of cake on the walls which isn't a bad thing or necessarily damage but to me, that bottom looks pretty charred from the photos. It would be much easier to assess pipe in hand, but from what I see in the photo I'd say the bottom looks pretty charred. if it is in fact charred, I'd send it back. See what the others say here.
You really can’t tell what’s going on without cleaning it. All that cake needs to be stripped. If you are unsure how to proceed or have reservations, send it back.
If that was sold as being clean, it is not.
If that was sold as being clean, it is not.
Looks charred to me but as others have said it's incredibly hard to tell from pics. I'd reach out to the seller and see what they have to say and go from there,
I ended up returning it. I’m still learning about how a good pipe looks on the the inside. I’m looking at an other pipe on eBay. Would love everyones thoughts?
It's a tough ask to post photos of any pipe you are interested in that others don't have the opportunity to examine in hand, so to speak. Maybe look at estates from Iwan Ries, for example - they'll send you good pics, they have legit descriptions and they'll actually talk to you or even SP where you get some good info and you can check in with them about more pics or questions. Pretty easy to find estate pipes in good shape and be able to verify they are in good shape (and plenty on here for sale most of the time) --- eBay can be a good place if you check reputable sellers that are willing to communicate and put up good pics but more of a crapshoot in so many ways. Having said that I've obtained some good quality estates off of there (don't really even look any more), but need to be picky and sometimes picky can mean more $. I find my money better spent on a commission from time to time and new pipes but fewer of them. Or just buy a new but relatively inexpensive pipe and have no worries about whether the bowl is damaged.
ebay can be a funny place to buy a pipe. Ive seen someone selling a peterson with a dr grabow stem, so caution is a must.
Is it charred wood or cake? Looks like the bowl was only partially cleared of cake with a reamer. Some one did the easy part. Now the bottom of the bowl needs the rest of the cake to get scraped out of there. Only then will you be able to see what you got.
To me it looks like a typical used pipe that needs to be thoroughly cleaned. In your case only the cylindrical walls of the bowl got reamed. I'm cleaning a couple pipes I bought off of ebay right now. One cleaned up easily, and the other is a bit tough - lots of old cake to remove. Bottom of the bowl can be difficult. Might need to get some sandpaper down there.
To me it looks like a typical used pipe that needs to be thoroughly cleaned. In your case only the cylindrical walls of the bowl got reamed. I'm cleaning a couple pipes I bought off of ebay right now. One cleaned up easily, and the other is a bit tough - lots of old cake to remove. Bottom of the bowl can be difficult. Might need to get some sandpaper down there.
Buying any used collectable is a risky business if you are new and not educated or experienced with the item. Be cautious! There are some very honest sellers on eBay and some others who are ignorant of the item or just plain dishonest. Some dishonest sellers are just waiting for a new guy to come along. Some sellers have no idea about the item themselves. Ask lots of questions and look at feedback for the seller. You can also ask here of a sellers reputation, someone here may be familiar with the seller, the pipe community is a small world. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Here is some knowledge and inspiration for you:
Beginners Guide to Cleaning Estate Pipes
Scroll down a bit in the page and the author shows before-after pics of a caked-up bowl. Explore that site, and happy learning. Every eBay pipe I acquired needed at least a bit of cleanup, often a lot of cleanup. It's the fun process of turning a sow's ear into a pearl.
Beginners Guide to Cleaning Estate Pipes
Scroll down a bit in the page and the author shows before-after pics of a caked-up bowl. Explore that site, and happy learning. Every eBay pipe I acquired needed at least a bit of cleanup, often a lot of cleanup. It's the fun process of turning a sow's ear into a pearl.
Many pipe sellers on ebay are not pipe people. They are selling grandpas pipes they found in the attic.