Letting Somone Borrow a Pipe

[easterntraveler]

For me it's not just a germ thing. A pipe is personal to me. I do not have faith that the the person who was " borrowing " it would appreciate tge significance of the pipe.

 

[paintedklown]

There are a few viruses and such that can get passed back and

forth. Mostly, alcohol and rigorous cleaning obviate that problem, but it's still possible to get or pass some

obstinate little critter that the owner was immune to.

This is pretty much what seals the deal for me. I know that pretty much all germs can be killed off, but what about everything that's floating around in the carbon cake?
By the way, let's pretend that I have an old briar that has been smoked a LOT, so much in fact, that the cake has grown so old and thick, the size of the bowl has actually grown significantly smaller. Something like this. http://rebornpipes.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/101_2905.jpg
Can pipes like that be brought back to "life"? And I don't mean merely smokable, but REALLY brought back to a like new condition, presuming they have never been reamed to the point the inside of the bowl was damaged.

 

[easterntraveler]

From my understanding the carbon build up helps protect the pipe. However this is for a different thread. I do find it interesting that several people will not even buy an Estate pipe. Personally I have no issue with this.

 

[papipeguy]

I've never encountered this situation. Justa as well as my answer would be, "No". To me it's like lending your dentures to sonmebody so they can eat corn on the cob.

 

[kashmir]

Surprising comments. I prefer to buy estate pipes. They smoke better. A restored well seasoned Dunhill from the 30s, or a trimmed Comoy's Blue Riband from the 60s is a true joy to own and smoke. Giving an estate pipe a pass simply because it was used is truly missing the boat in a significant way. As a PhD microbiologist with ten yrs. university teaching experience, and twenty publications, I can assure you that there's nothing you can "catch" from smoking an estate pipe. Reminds me of the AIDS from a toilet seat argument.

 

[eazye77]

No way!

 

[murf]

he has opened about half of my jars to smell the tobacco! Set me back in my aging from 8 months to 2 years depending on the jar.

I guess this is more a question about aging (sorry to go off topic).
If you're aging tobacco, and it gets opened, does this really "ruin" the aging process? Just thinking about it makes me wonder if it would accelerate it somehow.
Also, if you are aging tins, and they're vacuum sealed (like Peterson, to "guarantee freshness"), will this even work? Wouldn't it be better to open the tin and jar it?

 

[gwtwdbss]

I have offered to loan a member of this forum a pipe before. The key word is I offered. I sold my only Harley in 2006 due to a divorce and I had to buy a 325i with a back seat. Anyone asking for anything through a "back door" as is going through the wife is not right. Of he was a faithful brother and asked you outright, then I would have no problems offering up my best of pipes.

 

[paintedklown]

Yes, absolutely, they can. But not always. However, even a skilled restorer cannot succeed on fully restoring these estate pipes every time.
And I also think it depends on how fussy you are. Yes, sometimes one of these pipes can be restored to "like new" condition, but most of the time, there's rim darkening, a pocket ding or two won't steam out, or the pipe has to be topped and if it's done, it might look great but no longer "looks" like a new pipe of the same make and model.

Thanks for the info Rothnh. It would be cool (IMO) to see some restorations done on pipes such as that. It makes me curious to see what really is possible for a skilled restorer who is up for a challenge.
I actually saw on this forum, a pipe that was restored by a member (cannot recall the pipe model or forum member) but I have to admit that I was VERY impressed with the work he had done. In fact, I would have guessed that the pipe had been hardly used after the restoration job he did. Impressive to say the least. 8)

 

[murf]

thanks. I just read the article. Very helpful. Don't think I have the funds to buy 2 of everything. Now, when I open a tin, I'll jar half of it right away, and smoke the other half. Thinking of it as a "poor man's" cellar. I've spent about $1200 on pipes and tobacco (and other related things) since Feb 2012. Some of that included gifts to others (and it doesn't include all the mason jars I've bought), but anyway, I think I need to pump the brakes a little. I'll try to enjoy what I have, empty the contents of my cellar a bit (and my bank acct a little fuller!).