My Cheap No-name Meer

[didimauw]

Bought it from MeerschaumMarket a few months ago. I smoked it for 30 bowls straight, and noticed its coloring strangely.
I don't want to assume it's translucent, but I haven't seen "coloring" like this.

Right at the connection between stem and shank, is see through. But it looks like it was clear, and then painted white. But I know that isn't the case. That's what I'm most curious about. And the spots where my hand rests, you can see the "layers" inside.
On the bottom of the shank, looks like dark fingerprints. But they don't wipe off like my other meers that collect dirt and fingerprints.
Here is the before, when new.


And 31 bowls in.


It is really hard to get decent pictures of these damn meers. Either too dark to see, or too bright and it washes the color out.
Anywho, It has been a great smoker for only 50 bucks. I just like watching them change.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

That is a good deal!

 

[didimauw]

That is a good deal!

Yup! One of my other meers, was about 50 bucks from MM as well, and it's another favorite of mine. You don't have to pay much for a good smoker!

 

[condorlover1]

Here we go again. Any volunteers to cut the thing in half?

 

[didimauw]

Here we go again. Any volunteers to cut the thing in half?

It's as if there is a small leak at the shank connection, and the juice soaked right through it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Could be translucent, Altinay uses that as a marketing tool while others sometimes make pipes from it. A couple of my IMPs are showing traits of it. My two no names though are my stars.

 

[Briar Lee]

Bought it from MeerschaumMarket a few months ago. I smoked it for 30 bowls straight, and noticed its coloring strangely.
I don't want to assume it's translucent, but I haven't seen "coloring" like this.

Right at the connection between stem and shank, is see through. But it looks like it was clear, and then painted white. But I know that isn't the case. That's what I'm most curious about. And the spots where my hand rests, you can see the "layers" inside.
On the bottom of the shank, looks like dark fingerprints. But they don't wipe off like my other meers that collect dirt and fingerprints.
Here is the before, when new.
View attachment 170186
View attachment 170187
And 31 bowls in.
View attachment 170179View attachment 170180View attachment 170182View attachment 170183View attachment 170184

It is really hard to get decent pictures of these damn meers. Either too dark to see, or too bright and it washes the color out.
Anywho, It has been a great smoker for only 50 bucks. I just like watching them change.

There was a pipe seller in Springfield Missouri 25-40 years ago that sold a whole lot of extremely expensive meerschaum pipes to women who frequented a popular beauty shop next door to his shop. He had a hell of a racket (or business) until the cigar boom hurt it badly, and he closed.

Right or wrong, here’s what he’d tell the ladies spending $200-$500 on meers for gifts.

The best meerschaum on earth is only found in a small area in Turkey.

The value of a meerschaum pipe is much like that of a diamond.

The materiel is mined from deep underground and comes in about eight different grades, determined mostly by how white the meerschaum is, the whiter the better.

Inside the grades there are different qualities of blocks. Those depend on minute traces of other minerals in the meerschaum.

Then a meerschaum must be carved. The best carvers get the best meerschaum. And of course, the larger the block the higher the price,

Then he’d point to his display, a huge wall with ascending prices from $200 on the bottom to $1,000 on top.

The best way to determine quality is rely on a trusted seller, he’d say. Last year and the year before this shop was CAO’s top seller in the world.

May I show you some?

(What are they gonna do, say show me the bottom shelf?)

For the hairy legged boys, who probably were tire kickers, he’d have his son show the pipes.

It didn’t hurt his sales any he was a dead ringer for Charlie Rich:

 

[didimauw]

There was a pipe seller in Springfield Missouri 25-40 years ago that sold a whole lot of extremely expensive meerschaum pipes to women who frequented a popular beauty shop next door to his shop. He had a hell of a racket (or business) until the cigar boom hurt it badly, and he closed.

Right or wrong, here’s what he’d tell the ladies spending $200-$500 on meers for gifts.

The best meerschaum on earth is only found in a small area in Turkey.

The value of a meerschaum pipe is much like that of a diamond.

The materiel is mined from deep underground and comes in about eight different grades, determined mostly by how white the meerschaum is, the whiter the better.

Inside the grades there are different qualities of blocks. Those depend on minute traces of other minerals in the meerschaum.

Then a meerschaum must be carved. The best carvers get the best meerschaum. And of course, the larger the block the higher the price,

Then he’d point to his display, a huge wall with ascending prices from $200 on the bottom to $1,000 on top.

The best way to determine quality is rely on a trusted seller, he’d say. Last year and the year before this shop was CAO’s top seller in the world.

May I show you some?

(What are they gonna do, say show me the bottom shelf?)

For the hairy legged boys, who probably were tire kickers, he’d have his son show the pipes.

It didn’t hurt his sales any he was a dead ringer for Charlie Rich:

Show me your bottom shelf. That's my specialty!

 

[Dyakoff]

Your pipe actually reminds me of the one I bought this week for 8$

Mine is an old noname. Seller said it was in use for 30 years. Filthy as hell, with Dracula-sized bite marks on the stem, smelling like a garbage bin.

But I saw a lot of promise in the coloration of the shank and the price was laughable, so I bought it.

Took me about 3 days to clean it properly (but it’s a story in itself) and 2 hours to wax it.
Before/after pictures here for you.

Completely satisfied with the purchase and a chance to practice basic restoration skills (never did it before).

 

[didimauw]

Your pipe actually reminds me of the one I bought this week for 8$

Mine is an old noname. Seller said it was in use for 30 years. Filthy as hell, with Dracula-sized bite marks on the stem, smelling like a garbage bin.

But I saw a lot of promise in the coloration of the shank and the price was laughable, so I bought it.

Took me about 3 days to clean it properly (but it’s a story in itself) and 2 hours to wax it.
Before/after pictures here for you.

Completely satisfied with the purchase and a chance to practice basic restoration skills (never did it before).

This is amazing! Gives me a goal to work towards! They look like an identical pipe!

 

[Dyakoff]

This is amazing! Gives me a goal to work towards! They look like an identical pipe!

Well, I guess Turkish carvers have a limited amount of shapes to work with.

By waxing in an oven I actually removed some of the coloration from the shank. So I probably wouldn’t use this method for a $300 IMP. But as a tradeoff for the glossy shine of a $8 pipe I’m ok with losing some color. Especially given that the shank is the first part of the pipe to gain color back.

Some traditionalists would probably argue that I should have left the original coloration of the pipe. And I can’t say that I completely disagree, but the most important thing is that after such tinkering with it and a significant change in appearance it no longer feels like “some dead man’s pipe”. Now it feels fully mine.

And this pipe had a great educational value as well. Like teaching not to touch your meer with your hands too much. It clearly shows finger marks on both sides from holding it

 

[jpmcwjr]

Wow, was that filthy! Still a lot of "color" that is grime.
And I don't think waxing does anything good for the pipe, and wastes a lot of time.
Thanks for the photos. How did you clean the outside of the pipe?

 

[Dyakoff]

Wow, was that filthy! Still a lot of "color" that is grime.
And I don't think waxing does anything good for the pipe, and wastes a lot of time.
Thanks for the photos. How did you clean the outside of the pipe?

I thought about sanding it with a 12000 micro mesh but in the end decided against it. Purely for the lack of skills. I am so bad with handiwork, I could hardly hammer a nail without taking my finger off.

So I stuck to rubbing with wool cloth. It’s not like it could make more scratches than the bowl already had.

Like I said above, the most important result of waxing was psychological- it started feeling “mine”. Before I waxed it, I could hardly bear my disgust to hold it (not to mention smoke it)

 

[jpmcwjr]

You didn't use hot water, dish detergent and a cloth on the stummel?
In any event, if you have it to where you like, all good.

 

[Chasing Embers]

So I probably wouldn’t use this method for a $300 IMP.

I'm finding the no names to be better pipes after owning a dozen IMPs. Yours looks great!

 

[Dyakoff]

You didn't use hot water, dish detergent and a cloth on the stummel?
In any event, if you have it to where you like, all good.

To tell you the truth I would have never thought about using a dish detergent for a meerschaum for fear of some unnatural coloration results. Especially given that pipe sweeteners are directly forbidden for the outside of the bowl.
Does it do good?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, it works well for me, as well as in the chamber. I won't use any liquid but water on meerschaum. (no detergent inside.)

 

[unadoptedlamp]

I use detergent in the chamber and shank on mine while scrubbing both with a shank brush. I have an IMP and an I. Baglan that I clean with soap and water.

I haven't detected a "ghost" of detergent. But, I use natural based non-scented detergent most times.

The other types which are chemical and scent heavy may leave a trace. Hard to imagine how though. I never noticed my dishes smelling like detergent after a wash and a rinse. And it's not like you're soaking the pipe for hours or even several minutes...

Meerschaum is of course porous, but I don't think that it soaks up anything significant from a dish detergent. If in doubt, find a natural based one. I'd say you're good to go.

 

[Dyakoff]

Tried a detergent. To my surprise it made no impact whatsoever: neither to better, nor for worse.

 

[Dyakoff]

Probably will try a sanding after all. It’s a pipe for learning all about cleaning meer, so I am ready to try anything but cutting it in half to see what’s inside, lol.
Just need the new micro mesh to arrive from Amazon.