I wipe the outer surface of my meers with a damp cloth from time to time and they'll darken temporarily. Do you flush your meers with water to clean the airway? I haven't been, just using wet pipe cleaners.
Is a Meerschaum Worth Picking Up?
- Thread starter TheWhale13
- Start date
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Nah, I disassemble them after each smoke, wipe the chamber out with a paper towel and ream any buildup with sandpaper, clean out the mortise with Q-tips, run a bristle pipe cleaner through the stem, and a regular pipe cleaner through the draft hole.
@timt
Before
Not smoked for just over two months.
Now here's the fun part. If I smoke it a few times, the warmth of being smoked returns the wax coloring back to what it was. The black area around the jaw is the internal color starting to show.
Before
Not smoked for just over two months.
Now here's the fun part. If I smoke it a few times, the warmth of being smoked returns the wax coloring back to what it was. The black area around the jaw is the internal color starting to show.
Probably should have shown unsmoked photos.
@Chasing Embers is spot on. I cannot really speak for new meerschaum pipes as everything I own is 100+ years old. The older ones turn the 'turd color' even before they get into the hands of myself or @weezell and I am pretty sure the wax has been well and truly burnt off long before either of us were born. I have pipes that are a mahogany color long before they came into my possession and I have had pipes that were on the cusp of coloring and then turned 'brown' over a few months of smoking and I have the odd Victorian pipe that just refuses to color. I can post pictures if anyone is interested. Unlike @Chasing Embers I don't dismantle my pipes as the wear and tear on old threaded meerschaum stems can be fatal. I find a soft pipe cleaner of the type used in the modeling world and sold in craft shops works well and I don't water flush my pipes either, just scrape the bowl every now and then with an iron bladed pen knife. Again this is no criticism of another fellows pipe cleaning regime but based on my own view that old pipes tend not to respond well to being treated like an AR-7 folding rifle due to the fragile nature of the stems, bone tenons and lord knows what else but as I have said its all a matter of personal preference.
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Absolutely correct in my opinion
honestly I could take or leave meer. Glad I have two but while different, not enough so to rave about it and they're my least smoked pipes. One because I like my briars better and the other because it's too nice to smoke casually. But I'd say pick up a cob first if you have not. Or in other words you need to get one it's imperative however there is zero reason to rush unless that particular pipe really speaks to you.
what I've noticed is the initial ghost is harder as in more present but also goes away faster. A briar ghost is more subtle but stays around longer.Tough decision you are handing off to the general membership.If you want one, buy one! I smoke them exclusively in the house because I can.
As meers soak up the residues of blends which have been smoked in the bowl, they ghost just like any permeable material. A briar with a thin coat of "cake" probably ghosts less than any often used material. A cob may be the most likely to ghost. I submit many smokers do not possess the palate to detect ghosting when smoking a different blend. Only a thought though. No need for the discerning to get their panties in a bunch.
Wow, never realized how big this was until I saw this pic with the Zippo. How long does it take to smoke a full bowl?
I love your collection brother. Although I would disagree that there is no difference smoking them. I find briar pipes do have a distinct flavor, as well as cobs... a meer on the other hand tastes like nothing short of the blend you burn in it... IMHO
We all have different tastes as to what we find appealing. Personally, I like things that develop character through time and use. Sure briars will develop a patina over time, especially unfinished briar but nothing like a meer. Heck, I even find a heavily smoked cob more interesting than most briars.
How is the draw? I am really wanting to buy one but it would suck if the draw is to tight.
Draw is fine & passes a pipe cleaner with ease. The AKBs were switched over from screw tenon to push tenon by popular demand earlier this past yr. ?
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Draw is fine & passes a pipe cleaner with ease. The AKBs were switched over from screw tenon to push tenon by popular demand earlier this past yr. ?
That's awesome. You might have very well convinced me right now! Let's just hope that no one buys it before I get paid
The bowl is quite large but the chamber is just magnum sized like many of my pipes. If I smoke them consecutively, around 3 hours or on an off all day.
Once broken in, unless ghosted, I find no flavor contribution from any pipe. I do find that a meerschaum's chalk flavor takes longer to dispel than the wood taste of a briar. Cobs fell out of favor with me until I find another manufacturer.
If it's SPC, they have layaway.That's awesome. You might have very well convinced me right now! Let's just hope that no one buys it before I get paid
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The seventh IMP hit my quota for a seven day set of them and the figurals I bought to have my ideal staples: claw, floral, nude, skull, and animal.
You could always try a 'cutty' Duane - I think it would really suit you and there is a Turkish dude out there that has been turning out clones of some of my pipes! Trouble is you might wake up with a British accent and then start smoking weird tobacco.