Meerschaums and cold weather

[tschiraldi]

I live in Ohio, with Ohio Winter temps. I have a 35-40 minute drive home from work and almost always have a pipe on the drive. Being new to Meerschaums, I am wondering if they are more susceptible to cracking in cold temps. With my Briars, I warm them up a bit in my hands before lighting and smoking them. Is Meerschaum more or less likely to crack in the cold?

 

[twosheds1]

I live in Cleveland (Parma, technically). We had 75 on Friday and something like 30 on Saturday, with snow. And of course the day I spend outside all day was Saturday, helping my son with his Jeep.
But more to the point, I just got my first meer, and it seems to me like it might be more susceptible to cracking if you were firing it up in the cold. I'd warm it up to body temperature first, just to be safe. I don't know for sure, that's just the impression I get.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Meerschaum pipes are capable of cracking/breaking with extreme temp changes. Its not to say you can't smoke a meerschaum pipe on a cold day, but you just have to be mindful of the hot pipe, and the cold temp of the air. Its usually advised not to smoke a meerschaum pipe on extreme cold days, but it's your pipe so do what you like. If you warm the pipe up in your hands or as you're warming up your car you'll probably be okay. Smoke at your own risk. ::

 

[bigpond]

Briar pipes are also capable of breaking due to extreme temps, but that doesn't mean they are more susceptible than another material, and neither is meer.
My winter yard work pipe is meerschaum. It doesn't get babied and it continues to do it's thing without fuss or muss. The material is far more hardy than it's credited.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sturdy briar! Yes!
Once each year—for the last two years—in the backyard, I am wading in the pool and forget about the pipe in my mouth. All of a sudden a searing noise, and the bowl is under water. Ugh. Distracted by the dog or a pretty lady underwater. Not recommended to douse a burning bowl into water, but those two pipes made it just fine. Maybe the first time is what got me on to using water in my cleaning tasks.

 

[zitotczito]

I keep my Meer inside until ready to smoke, I spent too much to take any chances.

 

[Sinan Altinok]

In my 13+ years of experience in this business, I neither lived or heard an unpleasant story about meers in cold weather. Unless it is a pressed one or somewhat in inferior quality, they should definitely be ok in the temperatures where your body feels good enough.
Happy smokes.

 

[pappymac]

I've heard the old "Don't smoke Meerschaums in extreme cold" stories but have never actually talked to anyone who has cracked or damage a meerschaum from smoking it in the cold. I think it is a pipe myth with one exception.
Back in 1972 I served on an icebreaker and we had quite a few pipe smokers. We would often stand or sit on the fantail and smoke our pipes while underway. One was an old chief petty officer who smoked a meerschaum. One evening when we were in Juneau, Alaska he was smoking his pipe and dropped it into a snow bank. The sudden immersion of the hot pipe in cold snow did crack his pipe.
The lesson is don't drop a meer into cold snow. It had nothing to do with smoking it in cold weather.

 

[warren]

Unless the pipe, briar, corn, or meer has a flaw it shouldn't have a problem under "normal" extremes in temperature. At least my Alaskan winter experiences indicate that is so. That said, I no longer smoke my treasured meers outside except when surrounded by lush lawn. I prefer dropping only briars and cobs onto the concrete or asphalt.

 

[ophiuchus]

Unless the pipe, briar, corn, or meer has a flaw it shouldn't have a problem under "normal" extremes in temperature. At least my Alaskan winter experiences indicate that is so.

I've heard the old "Don't smoke Meerschaums in extreme cold" stories but have never actually talked to anyone who has cracked or damage a meerschaum from smoking it in the cold. I think it is a pipe myth with one exception.

I think you guys are right ... but with another exception. On a really cold, windy day just outside Iwan Ries, an older gentleman crazy enough to step out to the sidewalk without a coat lost the front of his meer in an audible pop. It may have been a flawed or previously dropped meer; at any rate, it was enough to perpetuate the myth in my head.

 

[coldsmoke]

In the interests of science and the advancement of mankind, I'm quite willing to take receipt of a donor (high quality - this is science, after all) meerschaum pipe and put this myth to the sword once and for all.

After receipt of said heirloom meerschaum, I shall, upon the next minus fifty degrees day this winter, ride my snowmobile across the sea-ice while puffing some Squadron Leader.

A full report including detailed colour photographs shall be posted henceforth.

Science!

 

[akfilm]

I've broken meers and I attribute at least one to the cold. I was just walking near the drafty door when it was negative 30 outside. Warren, are you in Alaska? I'm starting to think so...and a photographer? We should shoot and smoke sometime if so.

 

[warren]

Yup, 71st year in the north land.