Help Identifying This Piece of the Pipe

[Milleniumsmoker]

Hello All,

I am considering the purchase of a pipe from Altinay. However, I noticed that some (not all) have this odd little clear plastic piece where the stem fits in. I am used to just seeing a hole carved out for the mortise in the shank where the tenon fits in. However here it looks like there is some clear plastic insert sticking out. I've seen a lot of pipes, but never seen this. Not all Altinay pipes have this, only some I have noticed on their site.

Is this an inferior design? Thanks for your help!

 

[Wuce Brayne]

Hello All,

I am considering the purchase of a pipe from Altinay. However, I noticed that some (not all) have this odd little clear plastic piece where the stem fits in. I am used to just seeing a hole carved out for the mortise in the shank where the tenon fits in. However here it looks like there is some clear plastic insert sticking out. I've seen a lot of pipes, but never seen this. Not all Altinay pipes have this, only some I have noticed on their site.

Is this an inferior design? Thanks for your help!

These are pretty standard in many of the meers I see online. It's just a mortise adapter, so the tenon doesn't have to plug straight into the material of the meerschaum.

 

[cachimbero]

That’s a 9mm filter adapter.

 

[jhowell]

^^^ This...

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

Oh haha, now I feel rather foolish! I was told when I bought my first pipe from literally an old school pipe blender (he has long since past but was around 78 when I met him) to never use a filter in a pipe. I actually brought my little Dr. Grabow into the shop which had a cheap filter in it and I asked him "What do I do with this?" He said "Here, I'll show you" and proceeded to take it out of the pipe, turned, and threw it in the trash, then handed it back to me without missing a beat.

Since then I never considered using a filter and didn't actually know that in some higher-end pipes a plastic filter insert was included.

Thanks!

 

[telescopes]

Oh haha, now I feel rather foolish! I was told when I bought my first pipe from literally an old school pipe blender (he has long since past but was around 78 when I met him) to never use a filter in a pipe. I actually brought my little Dr. Grabow into the shop which had a cheap filter in it and I asked him "What do I do with this?" He said "Here, I'll show you" and proceeded to take it out of the pipe, turned, and threw it in the trash, then handed it back to me without missing a beat.

Since then I never considered using a filter and didn't actually know that in some higher-end pipes a plastic filter insert was included.

Thanks!

Another myth bites the dust. I have pipes with filters and they smoke great with the filter. Take a look at the filter after a few smokes. The thought of putting sewage in your mouth should be enough to think about using one. YMMV.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

Another myth bites the dust. I have pipes with filters and they smoke great with the filter. Take a look at the filter after a few smokes. The thought of putting sewage in your mouth should be enough to think about using one. YMMV.

Haha, yes I know that's quite true. However I have always naturally had a disdain for filters. My first smoke was an unfiltered camel "stud" when I was about 14 or 15. Never looked back lol.

 

[anotherbob]

filters don't really do as much as people think they do. They catch smoke. They don't catch some part of the smoke just the smoke. Charcoal might be different but cotton or paper or wood is just going to trap some of the smoke and nothing more.

 

[lraisch]

Looks like a Delrin tenon. Probably a better solution than the old bone or plastic threaded fitting.

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

Looks like a Delrin tenon. Probably a better solution than the old bone or plastic threaded fitting.

Oh interesting, can you elaborate as to what a Delrin tenon is?

 

[Milleniumsmoker]

filters don't really do as much as people think they do. They catch smoke. They don't catch some part of the smoke just the smoke. Charcoal might be different but cotton or paper or wood is just going to trap some of the smoke and nothing more.

That was essentially what the "old man" at the pipe store said (everyone that worked there referred to him as that even in front of him, so I am in no way being disrespectful). I guess the way I looked at it was that if I am going to do an activity that has some risk involved I don't mind going all the way with it. The filters in cigarettes always impaired my ability to enjoy a good tasting tobacco which is what the old man said. All those oils and tars that get filtered out is what makes it taste so damn good!

I heard about charcoal filters leading to possible longevity in Japanese smokers, but to be honest with you I think it's more about their diet than anything else. I lived overseas a bit and can tell you that I am much healthier eating an Asian diet compared to an American one. Not that I dislike burgers or steaks or anything, it's just healthier eating more fish and fresh vegetables.

In China you can still smoke in most restaurants too, which is awesome. I swear we really lost something here by being so hard on smokers and tobacco.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Oh interesting, can you elaborate as to what a Delrin tenon is?

A tenon made of delrin. I've never seen one attached to the mortise and not the stem though.

 

[craig61a]

A reverse tenon. So called because it's reverse of the place it would normally be attached, which is the stem, As the head end of the stem pictured here is short, before saddle bend (thin part) it would not be able to accommodate a filter. Therefore the filter chamber is moved forward into the shank of the stummel.

Delrin is a trade name for a plastic that has certain properties like heat resistance, rigidity, etc. and is quite often used in pipemaking...

 

[cachimbero]

That's the way Altinay makes the 9mm filtered pipes. Non filtered Altinay pipes use the regular tenon construction. They both are, in my opinion, a big improvement over the old screw in types seen in meerschaum pipes of the past.

 

[cachimbero]

Just another comment: Altinay army mounts are an excellent alternative. They are very well made ant extend to the inside. The mouthpiece never touches the meerschaum.

 

[lraisch]

Delrin is a self lubricating plastic sometimes used as a tenon or used to replace a broken tenon on a vulcanite or acrylic stem. It seems to be an excellent choice as it is temperature stable and holds firmly while also being easy to insert or remove.