I Want to Paint a Meerschaum Pipe (Possible Heresy Incoming)

[Scotty Piper]

I have been interested in picking up this meerschaum pipe, it is carved into Cthulhu's head, but I think he should be green. Would painting the pipe ruin it in a way that goes beyond just being in bad taste? I can't find very much on it, and the only thing I could find was a suggestion to use some type of fingernail paint. Has anyone done this before?

 

[Briarcutter]

I have been interested in picking up this meerschaum pipe, it is carved into Cthulhu's head, but I think he should be green. Would painting the pipe ruin it in a way that goes beyond just being in bad taste? I can't find very much on it, and the only thing I could find was a suggestion to use some type of fingernail paint. Has anyone done this before?

I sure wouldn't do it but it's your pipe. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Scotty Piper]

Normally I wouldn't, but it's Cthulhu and it just seems he should be green. Is it perhaps his madness driving me to do this?

 

[xrundog]

If you want it colored, dye would probably work better. Paint might look nice at first, but heat might screw it up.

 

[Briarcutter]

Well, IMO it's not a great idea. One thing it has a wax coating, not something paint or dye likes to stick to. You could sand it all down first, probably loose some details. I think dye would be a better choice but IMO, you'd still need to sand off the wax. Or......just smoke it.

 

[Scotty Piper]

Well, IMO it's not a great idea. One thing it has a wax coating, not something paint likes to stick to. You could sand it all down first, probably loose some details. Or......just smoke it.

I hadn't considered that, you're probably right. I guess this is why there is no information on it. I'm still probably gonna get the pip tho it's cool.

 

[captainsousie]

You might be able to message the carver and get one like it dyed green.

 

[Scottmi]

love the idea and pipe! interesting challenge. if you must, I would look into putting an appropriate dye in beeswax and treat it with that.

 

[Scotty Piper]

That sounds reasonable! I think I have a spare meershaum bowl for a small dinky calabash I have, maybe I'll experiment with that

 

[bassbug]

If you do dye it or paint it, what's it going to look like as the meerschaum colours over time?

 

[mortonbriar]

I struggle to think how this could be done in a way that would age gracefully...

 

[xrundog]

Asking the maker to dye the pipe is a good idea. They are already dying pipes shades of brown. So they know how to do it.

 

[Briarcutter]

It would be interesting to see how the green would mix the the brown natural coloring over time.

 

[captainsousie]

Maybe @TheIronMonkey would do a mock up if we asked him nicely.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

There are plenty of oxblood coloured pipes from the late 19th–early 20th Century, but I’m sure they were coloured before any wax was applied. Sanding the existing wax off of your pipe will probably result in losing any detail in the sepiolite that the carver created. The existing wax will prevent any dye or paint from adhering to the surface.

A less destructive suggestion might be to apply a green wax to the existing pipe. It would require melting several green candles (probably using a double boiler), plugging your pipe with a cork and dipping it in the melted wax; you might be able to use a heat gun to melt any thick spots. I suspect the thin layer will tint the pipe and not give you the rich, deep green you’re probably envisioning, but it’ll be a little more Cthulhu-like than before.

This is probably a good time to post this previously shared art I did for Weird Tales Magazine for your amusement that many probably missed the first time around: