Horn Stems and Bone Stems. How Do You Know the Difference?

[scloyd]

I was reading the What Do You Clean Horn With? thread and it got me thinking. I didn't want to hijack that thread, so I'm asking here. How can you tell the difference between horn stems and bone stems? Do they look similar? Is it just experience or is there a way to test the material?

I have this Rhodesian that is stamped MADE IN FRANCE that has an unusual stem. I often wondered if it has a horn stem, bone or just plastic. I bought this pipe at a Tinder Box (basket) about 4 years and only smoked it 4-5 times. I don't like the feel of the bit.

Is there a way to determine what the stem is made of?

Thanks.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Looks like horn to me

 

[Chasing Embers]

Is there a way to determine what the stem is made of?

Rub it with your thumb until warm. If it smells like burnt hair it's horn.

 

[scloyd]

Rub it with your thumb until warm. If it smells like burnt hair it's horn.

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[mingc]

I remember reading a post by @georged that there's synthetic horn that is indistinguishable from real horn, so I don't know. I've a number of pipes with what looks like horn but I'm really not sure if they're actually plastic.

 

[scloyd]

It does have a faint smell of burning hair...very faint. I asked my wife to smell it too. Surprisingly, she did.
Here's a pic of the tenon, which looks like plastic.

 

[OzPiper]

Definitely cow horn.
They come in blond right through to full black and variegated.
Full bone stems are quite rare. They are most often found as shank accents .

 

[Skapie]

Definitely cow horn.
They come in blond right through to full black and variegated.
Full bone stems are quite rare. They are most often found as shank accents .

I had a pipe made of african black ivory wood with a warthog tusk piece as stem accent. It turned out to be a pretty poor smoker, which was a pity.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I had a pipe made of african black ivory wood with a warthog tusk piece as stem accent. It turned out to be a pretty poor smoker, which was a pity.

I've got a few with elephant ivory bands, one with mammoth ivory, and one with hippopotamus tooth accents that are some of the best briar pipes I own.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I have a small French pipe from the late '50s with a horn stem. It's a beautiful material. I often hear complaints of the slimy texture when smoking horn.

One of my Xikar cigar cutters has mammoth tusk sides—I absolutely love the idea that it's 10,000 years old.

 

[OzPiper]

I had a pipe made of african black ivory wood with a warthog tusk piece as stem accent. It turned out to be a pretty poor smoker, which was a pity.

Sounds like my Ivory pipe ? I keep it as a reminder of youthful folly.

Warthog ivory can look pretty stunning. I have this pocket knife made by French knife maker Manu Laplace.

 

[Skapie]

Sounds like my Ivory pipe ? I keep it as a reminder of youthful folly.

Warthog ivory can look pretty stunning. I have this pocket knife made by French knife maker Manu Laplace.View attachment 129682

Warthog tusk make for some very ergonomic knife handles!

 

[OzPiper]

There's a Sth African knife maker who uses a lot of warthog tusks for handles. Unfortunately he doesn't make folders.

 

[jonasclark]

Yes, yours has a lovely horn stem. Bone is always white or off-white, and feels rock-hard to the teeth. As in, it makes lucite seem like rubber by comparison. The only stems I know to have been made entirely from bone, at least on commercial pipes, were early Missouri Meerschaums and other similar corncob makers. MM made pipes with both longer and shorter bone bits. Their "Pony Express" style was one of the short ones. Horn is very easy on one's teeth (and much, MUCH prettier with its wide variance of stripey tans and browns). A lot of the NOS Ropps Smokingpipes.com is selling have genuine horn stems. I have a wonderful antique carved briar claw-and-egg with a bent horn stem.

 

[Donb1972]

Ropp does a couple lines with horn stems ~ that stem of yours is definitely horn!