Meerschaum Technique

[maineyachtie]

Hi all, it's been a loooooong time. How is everyone?
I need some help regarding meerschaum smoking. I purchased my first recently, an antique, not branded, but definitely block meerschaum and the engineering is better than most I've seen at antique shops. Anyway, I've had four or five bowls in it now and I just cant seem to avoid 3-4 relights per bowl. I know, I'm being a little picky here, but I usually get through a bowl with at most 1 relight.
Does anyone have any insight on the peculiarities of meerschaum smoking technique as opposed to briar? Fred, I'm hoping you have the answer for this one, you're the expert on meer. I did notice the inside of the bowl, being so smooth, provides very little friction to hold the tobacco in place.
All your help is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[topd]

Welcome back... Ya know, I think it depends on the individual pipe and tobacco combination. Some bowls,

whether it's a meerschaum or brier smoke right on through with few relights, and others don't. I don't

have the answer as to why, just happens.

 

[baronsamedi]

Ya know, I think it depends on the individual pipe and tobacco combination.

What TopD said.
+1 on varying packing methods, too. Meers will often have a narrow draft hole, so packing looser will help a lot of times. If you find this to be the case, Walker Briar Works has a Meerschaum upgrade where they bore the draft hole, put in a stronger and more open tenon and drill the stem so that the hole is bigger all the way through and opens up at the bit, like you would find on the stem of a quality briar. I've done this to 2 Meers and WOW! I never knew what I was missing.

 

[poligerard]

I have a lot of meerschaums (over 20) and I smoke them as if I am smoking my briars.

Just try to be more gentle due to the fragile characteristic of meerschaum.

 

[poligerard]

nice said Baronsamadi

 

[zonomo]

3-4 relights? I would kill to have that few being a 2 month noob...

 

[maineyachtie]

Thanks for the answers everyone. I'll just add a bit of info to what I said above. The draft is fairly open at 3/32. It was nearly plugged when I bought it, but I re-drilled just at the tennon. Any wider and I think it would have made the tenon weak.
After I posted the above, I noticed that after 4 bowls in this pipe in the same day I could not keep the pipe going at all. It just couldn't get it to maintain an ember longer than a minute. ???? So that was very frustrating.
I'm at a complete loss. The pipe is resting now I thought maybe there was too much moisture in the meer? No idea.
Any and all thoughts are appreciated.

 

[piperl12]

Maineyachtie,
I have noticed with a couple of my briar pipes that they will do that from time to time as well. Like you I am usually a one match kind of smoker. The only common thread between smokes for me it seems was the choice of tobacco, and the starting temperature of the pipe. I know that sounds weird but sometimes I will forget a pipe in my truck and then relight in the morning. That is usually when I have the most problems keeping it lit. Tobacco choice seems to effect this as well. The more oily tobacco's like Latakia blends tend to not stay lit as well as a VA or VAPER blend. Just my two cents, hope it helps.