Meerschaum Pipe Coloring

[frennchy11]

Hey everyone,
So im relatively new to pipe smoking as i have only started 6 months ago, and I was wondering about Meerschaum Pipes. I have read up on them a little bit and learned that they color with aging. What I am wondering is if you can control the amount in which they age or if you can control the color of the pipe. What got me started on this topic is the pipe used by Lee Van Cleef in For A Few Dollars More. Any help will be appreciated! :puffpipe:

 

[tobakenist]

Good quality Meerschaum will colour from the inside, the more you smoke it the quicker it will colour. The outside can also colour by absorbing oils and crud from the hands, this can be kept at bay by not handling it with dirty hands but I think this is natural colouring, some would say wear gloves, some would say only handle it by the stem only, I have an 1886 meerschaum that has hardly coloured, this is due to the outside being waxed and that it hasn't been smoked much, I fitted a Peterson P-Lip stem to it and it smokes great.

 

[frennchy11]

Thanks! One more question, is it possible to stop the coloration of the pipe?

 

[kf5eqv]

Not completely, unless you quit smoking it.
Smoke it seldom though, like certain occasions and the coloring should be reduced.

 

[frennchy11]

Will some meerschaum pipes turn different colors than others?

 

[maxpeters]

Frennchy11,
I have two meerschaums that I bought quite a few years ago. They have colored somewhat after numerous smokes but from what I understand, any new meerschaum won't color the way a lot of the older ones did. What you will get is coloration where you touch the pipe the most. Since it's not practical to completely touch it all over, you end up with a splotchy pipe.

Some machines will color your pipe completely, but if that's the case, why bother. Seems like it's artificial coloration, and it looks it.

The reason is that most of the older quality ones were doused in whale oil. An expensive procedure. That somehow allowed the coloration of the entire pipe. I read that in a pipe book a long time ago. It pointed out that there was only one European maker still using the whale oil method. Who he was or if he is still making pipes I don't know.

It's illegal to use whale oil now I believe. Someone on this blog will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure.

But that is what I understand. But they certainly are pretty.

 

[pdmus]

What in the world does "Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum" mean, kf5eqv?
My meerschaum, a small bent, is coloring slowly, starting from the bottom and where the stem connects. I only touch the stem, so fingerprints aren't happening. I found out by getting a nice pile of fingerprints one day. I use a very fine nail file, the kind that has 4 textures on a rubber holder. Very, very fine abrasive. It worked great, removed the print and then I re-waxed it. Gone.-

 

[flipflopsandshades]

Since I got my first meer this past August, I have been literally smoking it non-stop exclusively to the detriment of my briar pipes. It is now changing color to a deep tan. I smoke it, on average, multiple times a day which you can do with Meers safely. I really want my Meer to change its color so I think I will continue this for a short time, let it rest like I read from an online article, and then pick it up again.
I also got another Meer for Christmas which I will begin to alternate between both of my meers.
Quite simply, I love Meers as I can actually taste a difference between briars which tend to ghost or hold back some tobacco flavor as opposed to Meers that have no taste and you can solely taste the tobacco.
2 cents.

 

[fred]

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/slave-to-the-white-goddess/

 

[kf5eqv]

@pdmus: "While we have time, let us do good."

 

[frennchy11]

@Fred
Thank you for that link! it was very helpful!

 

[fred]

You're welcome frennchy11. Here are 2 more that can come in handy....
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-meerschaum-pipe-experience/
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-thrill-of-the-hunt-a-guide-to-estate-meerschaums/

 

[recoilrob]

Beeswax smells good when heated...