Journey of a Meerschaum

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jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I bought this Tekin Rhodesian meerschaum and began smoking it a month ago.

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It's been christened with mostly Dark Bird's Eye and a few burley and Dark Plug side trips.

So far, it has been a joy to smoke. An odd (swampy?) smell was there for the first few smokes but has now dissipated.

I've been more cautious than necessary about handling. No gloves, but wash my hands before loading and smoking and limiting most of the handling to the stem.

Also, being diligent to not jam the pipe cleaner in too far, so as to not begin chipping away at the inner wall opposite the draft hole.

Paper napkin "ream" after each smoke.

In my research of meerschaum, I often wondered how and how long color development occurred. The "official" answer, it is different for each pipe and smoker, taking into account material variations, smoking methods, tobaccos, weather, cleaning regimens, the list goes on.

Last night was smoke #20. I decided that would be a good benchmark to share with the forum. So, this thread will document the journey of ONE pipe. Your experience may be different, but this should give y'all a "half fast" summary.

20 smokes in:

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jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,069
Carmel Valley, CA
Now would be a good time to give it a good waxing to help bring out the color a bit.
Wax will bring out the color that's there, but that will fade. You can also see the coloring much quicker by wetting the meerschaum. Both will fade back to what it was a moment ago, while it still will be picking up color as you smoke it.

Nice looker.
 

marlinspike

Can't Leave
Feb 19, 2020
488
3,619
The PNW
Are you trying the old trick of exhaling smoke on the outside to help the coloring along? (I've never done that, though, not wanting to fiddle with it).
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Great pipe. I like the bright stem to liven up the look, along with the intricate but pleasantly understated carving. I enjoy the clarity of Meerschaum's presentation of blends. The late great fish'n'banjo sent me my one and only Meer, a straight billiard with a wine grape etching, an estate. I'll look forward to watching the progress with the coloration of this handsome pipe.