Meerschaum pipes

[francois1]

A few days ago on of the form mentiond a tobacconest in germany

looked them up and have some very nice meerschaum pipes at a

good price could someone tell me more about the meerschaum

as mine are all briar

thanks

david

 

[pipeinhand]

After 40 years of smoking a pipe I bought my first meer about 2 months ago, then again, then again. It was this forum that made me see the light. It has been a fantastic experience. Smoke cool, draw well, and look great. I have 3 rules about a pipe, it has to fit my hand, feel good in my mouth and look good on my face. My 3 meers do all three.
Get one or three.
EDIT: Also look up MEERSCHAUM on the search, you will see an abundance of good posts about meer.

 

[francois1]

TKS for info if i buy from germany i dont have to pay import duty and handling

cost if i buy from the state i pay an extra $35-40 .there was a form member

who put the shop on one of his posts looked up the on line sales and they

have some very nice pipes not as big as smoking pipes.com but still worth

me getting from there for now

david

 

[tobakenist]

I'm smoking a peterson meerschaum this very moment.

 

[smokey422]

I only own one meerschaum at the moment but smoke it a lot. Meers will tolerate more smoking than a comparable briar. You do have to be careful in handling them, drop one on a hard surface and it will break. My favorite brand of meer is IMP because they use a regular push in tenon instead of the screw in ones found on most meers.
Smokey

 

[recoilrob]

As Dan said, make sure it's block meerschaum, the pressed meerschaums do not smoke or color nearly as well. Here's an old cheroot holder I got at auction, hard to believe it started out white!

 

[fred]

Meerschaum is a type of Clay. The Pipes get hot when smoked, which is how they serve as a radiator to cool the smoke.

 

[recoilrob]

They also absorb moisture much better than wood pipes and dry out faster. They can be smoked daily and would be a perfect pipe if they weren't so fragile.

 

[recoilrob]

And meerschaum is not a clay but rather a mineral. The name is German for "sea foam" and as I recall the deposits are sometimes found floating on the top of the water but most is mined by hand. It's about the hardness of hard Swiss cheese when fresh, this is when and why it can be intricately carved. When the carving and finishing is done it dries out and becomes harder.

 

[fred]

There is a lot of myth and hearsay passed along as fact about Meerschaums. For over 3 years, The All Things Meerschaum group, which I was asked to start by the SF Team, on Smoker's Forums has been focused on the facts of these Pipes and their culture. http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/index.php? Current membership is 348 and all are welcome to join. The focus of the group has been and remains the acquisition, care, history and cultures of these Pipes. The story of the discovery of Meerschaum being found floating on the water is well known, but difficult to substantiate... Here's an excerpt from ESMA–The European Specialty Minerals Association abstract, Sepiolite Fact Sheet..
Sepiolite, formerly known as Meerschaum (sea froth), is a non-swelling, lightweight, porous clay with a large specific surface area. Unlike other clays, the individual particles of Sepiolite have a needle-like morphology. The high surface area and porosity, as well as the unusual particle shape of this clay account for its outstanding absorption capacity and colloidal properties that make it a valuable material for a wide range of applications. The high surface area and porosity of Sepiolite account for the remarkable adsorptive and absorptive properties of this clay. It adsorbs vapors and odors and can absorb approximately its own weight of water and other liquids. Sepiolite is a non-swelling clay and its granules do not disintegrate even when saturated with liquids.

These particles are arranged forming loosely packed and porous aggregates with an extensive capillary network which explains the high porosity ofSepiolitee and its light

weight because of the large void space.

http://ccm.geoscienceworld.org/content/56/5/511.abstract
If you have an interest in these Pipes, I encourage you to join the ATM, which is comprised of Pipe Smokers, Sellers, Carvers and Historians.

 

[jship079]

And meerschaum is not a clay but rather a mineral. The name is German for "sea foam" and as I recall the deposits are sometimes found floating on the top of the water but most is mined by hand. It's about the hardness of hard Swiss cheese when fresh, this is when and why it can be intricately carved. When the carving and finishing is done it dries out and becomes harder.

That's too funny he tried to correct Fred on his meerschaum knowledge. One of the most versed meerschaum people on earth HaHaHa.

 

[fred]

That's OK jship079... We've all got to start somewhere and frankly there is no shortage of misinformation and myth out there on Meerschaums. The days are getting shorter and colder while we head into Winter and seek out warm places to smoke blends that we've stored for age and safekeeping, like squirrels digging up nuts that were buried in warmer days. Times are hard..., harder for some than others but the spirit of sharing continues within the fold that crosses borders and connects us to good company. Pipes and tobacco blends bring us together and remain the word of the day in these times of advancing intolerance for our pleasures from people who are blinded to anything good about tobacco. Current scarcity of high grade Turkish Block has given impetus for acquisition of estate Meerschaum and the All Things Meerschaum group continues to serve as good council for the quest of both estate and new Pipes, without conflicting agendas as more members join us and people continue to share what they have learned and experienced. Good information continues to spread outside of this group as people take it to other venues. The party goes on...!