My new Double Reverse Calabash Pipe

[tozert]

I've been a pipe smoker for almost 20 years and a pipe maker for 15. I have smoked all sorts of pipes made from all sorts of materials and have smoked various pipe designs promising a dry and cool smoke. Although I love briar pipes, my daily go-to pipes are gourd calabashes made by Baki, primarily because they smoke so cool and dry. Gourd Calabashes have one major drawback, however. The gourd is porous, so absorbs a lot of gunk and turns sour. I usually cut and place a triangular shaped paper towel to fit directly under the chamber hole, and at the end of a smoke the paper is wet, yellow and smells absolutely foul. The paper slows down the fouling a bit, but after about a fortnight I have to clean the gourd with Everclear, which isn't a task I enjoy. The gunk that comes out is amazingly nasty. The pipe will then taste nice and fresh for about a week, and then slowly start to smell and taste dirty again.
So I decided to design a pipe specifically for me and what I like. I like big and beautiful, but more importantly I like a pipe that smokes right for my style of smoking, which is like an old steam-locomotive puffing up to speed. My kind of puffing can produce an abundance of both heat and moisture. Designing a pipe to take care of this, while at the same time not fouling up like a gourd, was most important in this experimental design.
The pipe has three parts. Top bowl, bottom bowl and stem. The bottom bowl has two cooling chambers. I will place a Philtpad (which is a round shaped chunk of highly absorbent chalk) at the bottom of the first chamber to collect all the moisture and act as a primary cooling area. The second chamber is in the shank and will, in theory, cool and dry the smoke even further. The top bowl and the stem are fitted with cork so I can remove quickly and swab out the chambers after each smoke. I am hoping that the briar will stay cleaner and not absorb the gunk that a gourd does. The connecting drill holes are wide open, as is the mouthpiece, and the draw is effortless.
I have not stained this pipe. The finish, which is comparable to Tom Eltangs golden contrast finish, is achieved by layering two chemicals that oxidise in the wood, and later removed by wet sanding before buffing and waxing. The shank ring is made from Olive wood, and the stem hand cut from an Olive coloured Cumberland (ebonite) rod.
I haven't smoked it yet, that's for tomorrow. I've been working on this pipe on and off since January, and finally finished it today. I wanted to share a bit of my excitement for finally getting to own one of my own pipes that wasn't a reject. I'll report back once I smoke it, and let you all know if the design turns out better (or not) than a proper gourd calabash.
So, here is what I made:
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/16703/a-600x400.jpg
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/16703/b-600x400.jpg
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/16703/c-600x399.jpg
http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/album/16703/d-600x399.jpg

 

[dottiewarden]

The final product looks far less complex than the description, which made it sound like some type of contraption. I'm amazed how good the pipe looks and I'm sure it will smoke like a champ. Big congrats on such workmanship and innovation.

 

[cortezattic]

Looks magnificent, and sounds like a wonderful new idea -- just when I thought everything that could be done had been done. Barring a major, unforeseeable SNAFU, you should apply for a patent. It's a bit ostentatious, but no more so than a gourd calabash.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

I really like it, interested to hear how it smokes

 

[jpmcwjr]

Very interesting, and lovely work.
Note: If you just pop those URLs into the IMG tag, they show up without having to click and load.

 

[cossackjack]

Beautiful pipe. Clever engineering. That's a pipe I would be thrilled to smoke.
I wonder if Eriksen Pipe KeyStones would work similar to the Philtpad in your pipe?

 

[saltedplug]

If it smokes as good as you hope, others will, I'm sure, be knocking at your door. Good luck!

 

[tozert]

Thanks for letting me know about the images, jpm.
Yes, I have used keystones and they do work just as well as Philtpads. I have also used charcoal granules, which works best of all, but it does change the tobacco flavour slightly. It's not unpleasant, just not totally neutral.

 

[npod]

Wonderful pipe design. Thanks for sharing.

 

[brassmonkey]

Looks incredible and the shape is reminiscent of a steam train smoke stack. I'm sure you'll have a hoot with it :wink: ::

 

[Civil War]

Nice pipe!

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Now that is simply lovely :clap:

 

[skydog]

Beautiful pipe and truly unique as well. Excellent work! Hope it's a wonderful smoker for you!

 

[smittyd]

Nice stack! :clap:

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

I bet it does smoke cool and dry. Let us know.

 

[mawnansmiff]

What a gorgeous pipe Paul, design-wise and grain and stain-wise :clap:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[tozert]

Well I had two smokes in the pipe today. I'm a little disappointed. Moisture control was brilliant, and it was indeed a cool smoke, but no cooler than a gourd calabash. I found the flavour to be a bit muted and dull. I didn't find the "sweet spot" I normally find during my hour smoke in a gourd calabash. Maybe the briar needs to break in. My other thought is, since the smoke also carries the flavor, that the extra cooling chamber might be more of a hindrance than a help. I'll smoke it once a day for a couple of weeks to see if there is an improvement. My vote so far, however, is that the gourd calabash is still better.