Making a pipe out of merbau?

[joonas]

Hey!
I was just wondering if merbau was a suitable material for pipemaking. Got a small blank from a leatherworker, it has these small mineral deposits that look nice. Though they'll probably be gone after sanding and buffing and so on..

 

[mawnansmiff]

Well you can be assured no termites will eat it :rofl:
As for toxicity I would be very careful where you tread with some exotic woods.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[aquadoc]

The mineral deposits are going to be water soluble but I am not sure that matters or not. I would check toxicity profiles for any exotic wood you are going to be using as a pipe. Probably fine. A dense, hard wood, yes?

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

After looking it up, I can't say the grain is very interesting. In my opinion it would make a very boring looking pipe. There are very few materials that are suitable for making pipes, and there's a reason briar (from the heath tree... not the thorny stuff) has been the number one choice for centuries. And as Jay said above, many woods under combustion can give off toxic fumes and can be dangerous.

 

[aquadoc]

Yep.

 

[aquadoc]

There are other woods with beautiful grain but their working characteristics may be difficult. Red mallee may be good but hard to tool. Dunno.

 

[crashthegrey]

Looks like it can cause skin irritation and runny nose. Not the most dangerous of woods, I suppose.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Looks like it can cause skin irritation and runny nose. Not the most dangerous of woods, I suppose."
No but having a runny nose whilst smoking a short shanked nosewarmer would be a pain, think of all the relights :rofl:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[joonas]

Thank You for the answers!
It is a hard and dense wood, indeed.
I did know about the runny nose, but perhaps the effect of it can be reduced by covering it with waxes and such. I was more curious about how heat and merbau get along. Toxic smokes and all that. Doesn't seem to be too much information about it.
I'm probably going to lose the mineral deposits during finishing it up, but the deposits might leave behind some small interesting crevases. Also I got it from the guy who sold me leather dye. I'm from Estonia, and it's not that easy to get any hardwood. And it's my first time making a pipe, so I really don't complain about the grain. :D
Aaaaanyway, I ended up making a stem out of it. At the end of the day, the block was too narrow to comfortably fit the bowl. Going to make some bowls out of oak. They might contrast nicely. Might use the rest of the merbau for making a small pipe that is not for this forum.
And back into the depths of the garage I shall wonder.
Thank You and cheers!

 

[crashthegrey]

Good one, Jay.

 

[toobfreak]

There is probably a reason why termites don't like the stuff, something in the wood that repels them, and some sort of dye is extracted from the wood. Plus as others have said, used mainly for its durability rather than its looks.
Don't think I'd want to smoke out of it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have seen a lot of ebony pipes get sold out of the African or Southeast Asian market on ebay. Ebony is one that causes me to tear up and my sinuses to collapse when I sand it. It's like working while being sprayed in the face with mace. But, people seem to smoke them things. Note: I would never even entertain the idea of owning one, but just saying that there may be people out there that would.