Meerschaum Lined. Best Of Both Worlds? Or, "Drawbacks Of Both Materials"?

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Seeker81

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 22, 2019
134
206
Hello. Just wanting to learn a bit more about how a should look after my meerschaum lined pipes.
From what I have read. Meerschaum (fully meerschaum) pipes are a lot more forgiving in regards to resting the pipe. You don't need to rest them as often and for as long as you would a briar.
Does this advantage carry over to their meerschaum lined cousins?

Reading around online leads me to believe that it does. People say that you get the advantage of the heat absorption that comes from the briar. And that they also can be smoked more often, requiring less rest, which is due to the meerschaum lining.

Although from reading the mighty wikipedia, I have this quote to present:

"meerschaum must be cool before a pipe can be cleaned, and briar must be rested after a few days of smoking, so the combination comes with some of the drawbacks of both materials."

This is obviously bad news... This is my concern. The resting that is.
I don't mind the cleaning part, I was just hoping that my meerschaum lined pipes could be smoked more often.

What are your thoughts on this? I know there will be various opinions but I'm hoping to try and read between the lines ha ha
Thanks all.

Btw here is the quote in full (indicating also the pros of meerschaum lined pipes):
"The qualities of meerschaum were combined with those of briar pipes by lining briar pipes with meerschaum bowls. Some smokers[who?] believe that meerschaum-lined briar pipes give the porosity and sweet-smoking qualities of meerschaum along with the heat-absorbing qualities and durability of briar. However, meerschaum must be cool before a pipe can be cleaned, and briar must be rested after a few days of smoking, so the combination comes with some of the drawbacks of both materials. The thinness of the lining can affect how long a pipe lasts and some smokers do not clean out their pipes, causing the meerschaum to crack."
 

davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
I like WikiPedia quite a bit, but I think of it as a "shotgun" of research. It throws all facts and maybe some opinion at a subject and is a good place to begin research. My thoughts would be that all of that is true, good and bad, but the degree of importance and influence would be up to you to determine.

My gut feeling... you could smoke the meerschaum lined briar longer before giving it a rest. The meerschaum would give you some absorption of moisture.
 

Sitka

Lurker
Dec 28, 2019
19
45
Oregon
From what I have read it was more of an advertising gimmick. Also there is no meerschaum lining in the stummel so that will soak up moisture into the briar. Not sure if that would cause the pipe to get funky or not if it isn't rested/dried out.
Then again back in the day did pipers have huge collections of pipes that they rotated through, or did they just smoke through one pipe mostly? I am not sure, I'm still new to this.
What I do know is I scored a Citation Meer-lined 814 style on Fleabay for less than $10 and it is one of my best smokers. Smokes dry and cool and cleans up easy. I usually just use a pipe cleaner to wipe the ash out of the bowl, then the blunt knife tool on my tamper to gently scrape out any cake while it is still warm. Love it.
 

Idahojoe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 30, 2019
168
232
62
Wilder, Idaho
I pondered similar thoughts recently and finally talked myself into ordering one. Even if it's not all what some say it may be, it's mere diversity from my briars is intriguing. How bad can that be? It hasn't arrived as of yet, but I'm really looking forward to loading it up with some of my favored English blends and giving it a go.

If you you think you want one, just do it! :col:
 
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seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
I have two Falcon meerschaum lined bowls and I smoke em like I stole them. I'll let them cool for about 15 minutes, then swab out the bowls with a paper towel. I'll then load them up and continue smoking.

Same here. I have one meer lined bowl and this is what I did with it when I smoke it frequently
 
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Seeker81

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 22, 2019
134
206
Hey. Thanks, some good food for thought there...

@davek: so the meerschaum does indeed absorb moisture? I wonder how this works in regards to needing rest and possible saturation (of sorts).

@stika: "Also there is no meerschaum lining in the stummel so that will soak up moisture into the briar", well worth pointing out.

@ray47: I recently picked up an Alco (Falcon sub-brand) meerschaum lined... I'm gonna try out smoking it like I stole it hahahah

@Idahojoe: I don't think you regret it... I have in total 10 pipes now, and 3 of which are meerschaum lined and 2 full meerschaums. Up until now I've treated them as I would my briars. I hope you enjoy yours.

Thanks all.
 

logs

Lifer
Apr 28, 2019
1,873
5,069
Meerschaum lined pipes sounds like a good idea, but I've only ever seen them on el-cheapo pipes like Dr Grabow. Makes me believe it's mostly a marketing gimmick and there must be a reason you don't see it on higher end pipes by the more reputable manufacturers.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,630
44,855
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Meerschaum lined pipes sounds like a good idea, but I've only ever seen them on el-cheapo pipes like Dr Grabow. Makes me believe it's mostly a marketing gimmick and there must be a reason you don't see it on higher end pipes by the more reputable manufacturers.
Well, they were once very popular and were made by Barling, Comoy, BBB. GBD, Dunhill, and other top grade manufacturers. Far from being a marketing gimmick they were a way for smokers who were fond of the smoking properties of meerschaum, such as providing a neutral chamber that didn't need a rest, with the toughness of a briar shell, perfect for packing along a meerschaum pipe in one's pocket without worrying about cracking it or having to carry it cased.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,255
108,359
el-cheapo pipes like Dr Grabow
I'd take a Grabow over a lot of the poorly drilled top of the line garbage offered today.


you don't see it on higher end pipes by the more reputable manufacturers.
SPC currently has these and others.

Rattray's

002-599-1631.1378.jpg


Brebbia


002-009-3686.7830.jpg


Butz-Choquin

002-010-2960.4273.jpg


Savinelli



004-006-25553.4492.jpg
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,766
47,568
Minnesota USA
As shown above there are a few vendors that offer Meer lined pipes currently. I have a few myself, which I haven’t gotten around to smoking yet.

I have some NOS pipes that are Meer lined, and I have smoked those. I like Meer lined pipes, however I don’t have a large cache of them. Probably more of a selling point back in the day; you could have the best of both worlds.
 

Seeker81

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 22, 2019
134
206
Pipe rest is a marketing gimmick. I've smoked the same pipe for a week, sometimes a month at a time before switching. Not one sour pipe in decades.
chasingembers Really? Come on. This goes against what pretty much everyone says... same briar pipe for a week? not to mention a month... How many times a day?

This kinda goes with what I thought before I started pipe smoking. I'm genuinely interested in this approach/possibility of smoking.

Hey and another thing...
I'd take a Grabow over a lot of the poorly drilled top of the line garbage offered today.
Would this be a popular view on the modern made pipes?
I haven't bought a new pipe yet. My collection consists of 10 estate pipes... I've been holding off buying a new one, mainly because of the price. But with this revelation I'll hold off until I'm sure I'm not buying crap... Thanks, though care to elaborate?
 
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