Meerschaum Soaking Experiment
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Scrape a section of the waxed exterior clean with a sharp knife and soak the whole thing some more. If the scraped section is considerably different that will provide you with something to think about.
Just a suggestion for your experiment since you are asking for options.
Just a suggestion for your experiment since you are asking for options.
Of course you are wrong. You are simply ignoring the facts. Meerschaum is porous. There's is your answer. It colors from the inside out as that is where the coloring agents are found. But, I understand many people simply will not accept facts which were known hundreds of years ago. I'd guess they're thinking is, the folks back then were too simple minded to be able to find the answer to such a simple question. Amazing!
Once you have satisfied your "coloring" curiosity perhaps you could explore the question of whether or not the light in the refridgerator in fact does go off when the door is closed. Inquiring minds want to know. Perhaps cutting a fridge in half so as to directly observe what happens would provide insight.
Of course it does because Shroedinger’s cat suddenly appears and unscrews the lightbulb! At least if it hasn’t frozen to death yet.
How dare you try to question common knowledge with all yo fancy smancy spermints and such. Nahhhh just pulling your chain. Be curious, ask question, challenge! That’s how we learn and often times we learn something that we weren’t even questioning to begin with.
I think @cshubhra is already doing and documenting that with his transparent Meer
I don’t think sacrificing it on the Pipe God Altar is part of his plans though
Dude, the light switch is right there in the fridge.
You can mock my curiosity.
I could also reply that if meer is porous, then why the color of tar couldn't get into the internal of meer by simply soaking it into the tobacco water. It's elementary school physics knowledge.
I think this is a valuable experiment. I was in a hurry when I glanced through the thread but I plan to look into the pictures later.
That's exactly why I can't understand your curiosity about something so easily demonstrated and, years ago, learned in school. But. it's your time and effort expended so . . . have fun. I guess.
Easy to demonstrate you say. You must have missed all those comments about heat, hand dirt, smoking simulation stuff.
You can show me how easy it is. Can't wait to see your demonstration.
I can show you a few meers I've smoked for years in their various stages of coloring but, they've been posted here before. All of my pipes color from the inside out. I keep the outer shell as clean as possible. Years age I did the white cotton glove thing. I've determined, anecdotally of course, that simply keeping dirty hands off the meer keeps the shell clean. I've also determined, anecdotally of course, that bee's wax on the shell will simply turn the pipe a shade I call "baby shit" yellow. All of my meerschaums started out a pristine white, I have no love for the waxy colored pipes on the market these days. But, I thoroughly enjoy the knowledge that all of my pipes are coloring naturally, no outer wax to hide the metamorphosis.
Obviously, if you soak a pipe with a clean, no manufacturer's combination wax and whatever coating, the porosity will allow coloring from the outside. The veins run throughout the mineral, nature's gift to the smoker, magic coloring! A pattern which cannot be foretold, only happily discovered. But, we smoke inside the bowl, at least most of us do I presume, so the pipe colors from the inside out. It's no secret. It's a straight forward process,nothing arcane or even magical about the process.
I'm only making the observation that, enjoy as you might, you're simply covering ground which was covered centuries ago. But, if doing so fills a void, enjoy your pursuit. I'm also betting that over a hundred years ago curious smokers were cutting their pipes up, soaking them, having subalterns smoke them 24/7 and making the exact same determinations that you have or will.
I'm not trying to deter you in search for "truth". So, if you find your experiments entertaining, happily keep at it. Are you wasting time and effort? I think so but, my opinion shouldn't matter a whit to you. You should think of it as, "time well wasted."
Obviously, if you soak a pipe with a clean, no manufacturer's combination wax and whatever coating, the porosity will allow coloring from the outside. The veins run throughout the mineral, nature's gift to the smoker, magic coloring! A pattern which cannot be foretold, only happily discovered. But, we smoke inside the bowl, at least most of us do I presume, so the pipe colors from the inside out. It's no secret. It's a straight forward process,nothing arcane or even magical about the process.
I'm only making the observation that, enjoy as you might, you're simply covering ground which was covered centuries ago. But, if doing so fills a void, enjoy your pursuit. I'm also betting that over a hundred years ago curious smokers were cutting their pipes up, soaking them, having subalterns smoke them 24/7 and making the exact same determinations that you have or will.
I'm not trying to deter you in search for "truth". So, if you find your experiments entertaining, happily keep at it. Are you wasting time and effort? I think so but, my opinion shouldn't matter a whit to you. You should think of it as, "time well wasted."
I observed a couple of interesting things from this experiment
1. I always had a conjecture that tars and oils move through the Meerschaum by capillary action. However the process is slow. The first set of pictures kind of fast tracked the capillary action, and my conjecture is a little bit stronger now, although still not a full theory
2. There was a member here (Country Bladesmith) who had conjectured that there is some kind of an optical phenomenon at play aided by the surface coating (Most likely refraction). I have seen a few evidences for that conjecture before and I saw another today). The optical phenomenon explains why a wet Meerschaum temporarily shows vivid colors which disappears when dry. This can also explain why a partially colored meerschaum although looks somewhat vivid, does not show a lot of color in the interior lattice when cut
/ broken
I love these experiments. While these do not have scientific rigor (Repeatable and with control), a large number of such experiments may eventually lead to a plausible theory.
This is what I have so far
1. While it absorbs tars mostly from inside, it also absorbs some from outside
2. The amount of tar absorbed is low. That is why when I weigh my pipe, it does not change
3. The tar moves by capillary action but the pace is maddeningly slow. Slowness is also possibly from the fact that the amount absorbed is lower in the first place
4. While the pipe must absorb tars to color, the surface coating is also important to show vividness by some kind of optical refraction. If the surface coating is taken off, a well colored pipe often loses much of its vividness. That is also why old dirty pipes loses color
1. I always had a conjecture that tars and oils move through the Meerschaum by capillary action. However the process is slow. The first set of pictures kind of fast tracked the capillary action, and my conjecture is a little bit stronger now, although still not a full theory
2. There was a member here (Country Bladesmith) who had conjectured that there is some kind of an optical phenomenon at play aided by the surface coating (Most likely refraction). I have seen a few evidences for that conjecture before and I saw another today). The optical phenomenon explains why a wet Meerschaum temporarily shows vivid colors which disappears when dry. This can also explain why a partially colored meerschaum although looks somewhat vivid, does not show a lot of color in the interior lattice when cut
/ broken
I love these experiments. While these do not have scientific rigor (Repeatable and with control), a large number of such experiments may eventually lead to a plausible theory.
This is what I have so far
1. While it absorbs tars mostly from inside, it also absorbs some from outside
2. The amount of tar absorbed is low. That is why when I weigh my pipe, it does not change
3. The tar moves by capillary action but the pace is maddeningly slow. Slowness is also possibly from the fact that the amount absorbed is lower in the first place
4. While the pipe must absorb tars to color, the surface coating is also important to show vividness by some kind of optical refraction. If the surface coating is taken off, a well colored pipe often loses much of its vividness. That is also why old dirty pipes loses color
I will observe that I've never, ever lost the original coating from my CAOs. So I can, when it happens, simply remove dirt and grime with a damp cloth/paper towel. My two, fully colored, I've provided pics in the past, meers are not vivid with color. They are, visible in the photos, almost a flat black. A close inspection of the pipe, in person. it is an extremely dark mahogany brown, very dark. So flat that the surface soaks up light, reflecting little so that finish appears matte. Again, I can only speak for my pipes.
Meerschaum coloring day2
Meerschaum coloring day2 reheat and rehydrate
Meerschaum heating phenomenon
I have this interesing meer pipe with hallow lattice. I smoked it like 50 times.
So many interesting phenomena.
Meerschaum coloring day2 reheat and rehydrate
Meerschaum heating phenomenon
I have this interesing meer pipe with hallow lattice. I smoked it like 50 times.
So many interesting phenomena.
Attachments
Just wondering.
Has anyone saw an antique oxblood meerschaum pipe in half before?
Has anyone saw an antique oxblood meerschaum pipe in half before?
I actually started this same experiment. I put a section of a meer cigarette holder in a jar of tobacco/water mixture. I hoped to see it wick its way up to the top but it never did. I forgot all about it.
It's still currently 8n the jar, since March 15th lol. When I get back from camping I'll cut it in half.
But heres the first couple days.
Day one.
Day 3
And that's when I forgot about it. I expected to see it totally brown by this time literally soaking in tobacco juice for 3 days. I can update it when I'm home from camping tomorrow.
A slow boring process. I prefer watching meer pipes and meer tampers color naturally. Lol
It's still currently 8n the jar, since March 15th lol. When I get back from camping I'll cut it in half.
But heres the first couple days.
Day one.
Day 3
And that's when I forgot about it. I expected to see it totally brown by this time literally soaking in tobacco juice for 3 days. I can update it when I'm home from camping tomorrow.
A slow boring process. I prefer watching meer pipes and meer tampers color naturally. Lol