Meerschaum Questions

[olkofri]

Disclaimer: never smoked a Meerschaum before, so please bear with me.

Well, I gave my first Meerschaum its inaugural smoke to-day and towards the end of the smoke (not the end of the bowl, though, there was a pinch left of unburnt tobacco, which I wouldn't really call dottle) I started to get this funny taste like burnt plastic—well, not quite plastic, but like something burnt, real funny taste. Is this normal? I was under the impression that these pipes are tasteless thus giving one "the true taste of a blend".

Mind, I had to be relighting like crazy, and I didn't pack it all the way to the top to begin with: this is a capacious, cavernous, vast, huge, enormous chamber I wouldn't be able to smoke through in one sitting (especially sitting in my car outside with my feet getting freezing cold). Due to the chamber size I had to be sticking the flame into it and at the end of the smoke the lighter wasn't cutting it and I stuck 2-3 matches in right above the tobacco—the chamber woulda been ~1/4 full by then.

Did I cause burn damage? Hence the funny taste? Will this go away?

This is the chamber after the smoke:



I chose to shew you the left side because that's the side that gets toasted more by the flame of whatever I'm using—Kiribi, Bic, matches...

TIA for any helpful input.

 

[condorlover1]

Its a pre-colored meerschaum. Might I ask the source of the pipe (i.e) who made the pipe?

 

[burleyboy]

Its a pre-colored meerschaum. Might I ask the source of the pipe (i.e) who made the pipe?

I take the liberty to answer on behalf of olko by quoting one of his threads:

"From Meerschaum Market and carved by Servi"

 

[olkofri]

Carved by Servi. Bought on Meerschaum Market.

 

[olkofri]

I take the liberty to answer on behalf of olko by quoting one of his threads:

"From Meerschaum Market and carved by Servi"

LOL! In at the same time!

 

[burleyboy]

LOL! In at the same time!

I thought the same. Should have posted it, as you did and we could have continued this play for a while!

By the way - I can barely imagine, that you did any damage to this pipe. I guess, the funny taste has to do with some residue from the precoloring, which had accidently made its way into the bowl.

 

[brian64]

Mind, I had to be relighting like crazy

Let's see...something similar to burnt plastic...wouldn't that just be from attempting to keep a goopy wet aro lit? nana

Seriously though...I've never noticed such a taste from a new meer but I've never had a precolored one. No idea if that could have anything to do with it.

 

[olkofri]

I should also probably say that I disinfected it two days ago and I used a quite liberal amount of gin. Yes, they are very absorbent I quickly realised, and, unlike with briar pipes, the gin would just disappear off my fingertip before it reached the bottom of the bowl, so I had to keep remoistening it. So maybe I'm tasting cooked gin.

Didn't think about this, but since Burley Boy mentioned it could be the compound from the pre-colouring...

 

[brian64]

I vote it was the cooked Gin.

EDIT: combined with the goopy wet aro.

 

[olkofri]

Let's see...something similar to burnt plastic...wouldn't that just be from attempting to keep a goopy wet aro lit? nana

Hey! I didn't spend top buck on a Meerschaum to smoke a stinky English, you know?

Though, if these pipes really don't ghost, then maybe the occasional latakia should be OK. ?

 

[brian64]

In my expert opinion, the only hope for this unfortunate meer now is to smoke several 8oz cans of Old Joe Krantz in it as soon as possible.

EDIT: and lay off the Gin.

 

[shanez]

You did not do any damage. The pre-coloring is merely wax.

What blend did you smoke?

 

[olkofri]

My word, at least you're not suggesting Pirate Kake. ?

Another thing that I cooked a bit was my tongue with all those darn relights, but that's not what I'm tasting. ? Weren't these pipes s'posed to give you the coolest smoke ever??

 

[olkofri]

You did not do any damage. The pre-coloring is merely wax.

What blend did you smoke?

Vauen Auenland Midnight Mixture. Not goopy at all, and it was quite dry, though not to jpmcwjr's standards.

 

[shanez]

Goopy isn't the issue. Try a couple bowls of straight Virginia or even a VaPer.

 

[brian64]

The pre-coloring is merely wax.

It was merely wax...now it's burnt Gin wax.

 

[olkofri]

Goopy isn't the issue. Try a couple bowls of straight Virginia or even a VaPer.

10-4. I have some Capstan Gold.

 

[Casual]

I have read about a case of the plastic mortise insert or a tenon on a meer getting melted. Different maker, also years ago now, I think. The maker had since changed to a different, more heat resistant part and sent a new one.

I think you’d need a short shank or to be really hauling on it to get actual fire so far up there that the mortise insert melts. But I’m no expert.

 

[whsergent]

Im of the, "something in the tobacco itself that got concentrated by the burning process". I have had that happen.
There is the possibility that there was some finishing wax in th bowl.
Try again, about an eighth of a bowl and then wipe it out gently while its still a little warm with something clean and absorbent.

 

[olkofri]

I have read about a case of the plastic mortise insert or a tenon on a meer getting melted. Different maker, also years ago now, I think. The maker had since changed to a different, more heat resistant part and sent a new one.

I think you’d need a short shank or to be really hauling on it to get actual fire so far up there that the mortise insert melts. But I’m no expert.

Hmm. The tenon looks fine, the plastic, screw-shaped section I mean. There appears to be an insert of sepiolite in the lumen of the tenon, though, which looks a wee bit yellow now, probably colouring from smoking, methinks (or so I wanna think). I shoulda taken a photo of that too.