My New Marxman Bench Made Pipe
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No me. I am not a fan of figurine pipes, not even of they are meerschaum. but the alligator NOS with the box is tempting.For all you devotees of Marxman pipes there is one featuring a naked lady on EBay right now
I'll just sit back and watch the frenzied bidding over the next few days with bated breath
MARXMAN NAKED LADY Imported Briar Estate Tobacco Pipe 1940's Vintage Hand Carved | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MARXMAN NAKED LADY Imported Briar Estate Tobacco Pipe 1940's Vintage Hand Carved at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
I’m not sure if the carved nude would considered an improvement over the usual worm tracksNo me. I am not a fan of figurine pipes, not even of they are meerschaum. but the alligator NOS with the box is tempting.
MARXMAN NAKED LADY Imported Briar Estate Tobacco Pipe 1940's Vintage Hand Carved | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MARXMAN NAKED LADY Imported Briar Estate Tobacco Pipe 1940's Vintage Hand Carved at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
Here’s what I believe is a “Big Boy” from Israel for $74 delivered. This one is unsmoked or barely smoked, and the clues it’s a $15 Big Boy are it’s generically branded as only a Marxman, the stem is thick, the bore is huge, and the carving is gouches.
Whatever it is nothing ever sold as a pipe would smoke better than that example of an extra large Marxman.
They clean up to a brown bore so easily that one is either stained or oiled, or smoked a few times and reamed. It shouldn’t be that dark.
To each his own, but this one is what big hunks of the softest Algerian briar were all about. It sold for two or three times what a $5 critter or nekkid lady sold for new.
Whatever it is nothing ever sold as a pipe would smoke better than that example of an extra large Marxman.
They clean up to a brown bore so easily that one is either stained or oiled, or smoked a few times and reamed. It shouldn’t be that dark.
To each his own, but this one is what big hunks of the softest Algerian briar were all about. It sold for two or three times what a $5 critter or nekkid lady sold for new.
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Today I won a Marxman Oom Paul and a Flatside that have obviously been cleaned up, but how did they get most of the original light tan color back?
I’m hoping these are both Big Boys, but they are going to be bigger than average.
My theory has always been the dark reddish brown coloring a Marxman gets is extremely thin, only a whisker of colored polish on the outside of the pipes, like the wax colors on a meerschaum.
We’ll see if they color right back up.
Every Marxman I’ve ever bought can be reamed in a jiffy with a sharp pocketknife as a scraper and the bare brown briar of the bowl restored, with all the black carbon gone.
The briar Marx used was almost as fireproof as asbestos, as soft as soap, and as porous as a sponge.
I’m hoping these are both Big Boys, but they are going to be bigger than average.
My theory has always been the dark reddish brown coloring a Marxman gets is extremely thin, only a whisker of colored polish on the outside of the pipes, like the wax colors on a meerschaum.
We’ll see if they color right back up.
Every Marxman I’ve ever bought can be reamed in a jiffy with a sharp pocketknife as a scraper and the bare brown briar of the bowl restored, with all the black carbon gone.
The briar Marx used was almost as fireproof as asbestos, as soft as soap, and as porous as a sponge.
Here’s a $23 delivered just today “A” size ($5) Jumbo “Flatside” that Judd’s Pipes cleaned and reamed and buffed and waxed and it’s ready to smoke.
This Jumbo has an .800” bore and no billionaire with a space plane could smoke a cooler, smoother, or tastier pipe regardless of price.
They smoke better, than other pipes.
Spend about $25 on one and find out for yourself.
I can finish removing the oxidation and apply Obsidian oil, but this one is already smoking.
A pre 54 Marxman will just spoil you, for smoking anything else.
This Jumbo has an .800” bore and no billionaire with a space plane could smoke a cooler, smoother, or tastier pipe regardless of price.
They smoke better, than other pipes.
Spend about $25 on one and find out for yourself.
I can finish removing the oxidation and apply Obsidian oil, but this one is already smoking.
A pre 54 Marxman will just spoil you, for smoking anything else.
Why should I buy a Marxman over a Lee?
Not for looks, the Lee is prettier, especially the early 7 and 5 point gold inlaid star Lees.
The Lee is also better constructed. A Marxman is likely to have a few tiny fills, and lots of gouges and carving and stippling to cover up flaws. And a Marxman colors a particular hue of dog shit burnt reddish brown extremely quickly:
The only reason to buy a Marxman is thaf you will never find a bad one to smoke, or even one that’s merely excellent.
I was wrong guessing my new Jumbo had an .800” chamber. It’s a full .880” the same as one of my huge Big Boy $15 grade pipes.
It will hold a whole lot of tobacco.
It will never get hot, never gurgle, bite or burn my mouth, or even start to.
You want these, but you might not know it.
Why is a Marxman reliably a dynamite smoker?
In 1934 Marx was a 29 year old former executive with William Demuth Company.
We read in the tobacco trade papers his original plan was to have the Jobey pipe company manufacture his line of 50 cent, $1, and $1.50 pipes.
Instead he wound up with his own factory at 27 West 24th Street that I believe still stands today. It looks like an old high rise building in Google.
Marx hired an old German away from WDC. We read in the late forties that old German had over forty years experience.
That old German knew which briar smoked the best. It was soft, it was fireproof, and easy to carve. The old German likely picked it himself, from the brokers, who knew to hold back what he liked. Every block was likely ten years old before it entered the factory. There was only that kind and grade of briar.
What Marx could do was move the merchandise and charm the lenders.
I own a few Marxman pipes made in France after 1954. They are all magnificently grained, stamped as Algerian Briar, wonderful little art objects.
They don’t smoke the same. They are excellent but don’t make the flavors come out and don’t color like meerschaums and that old German didn’t pick out the briar.
A true Pre 54 Marxman makes a cake the first smoke. It was seasoned and aged to where that first smoke is almost the same as the rest, it breaks in quickly.
It colors while you smoke it, and evenly all over.
Because they are such fireproof vessels Marx pipes have huge chambers. The thicker the bowl walls the better, but none get hot to hold, if you do your part.
They might not be entirely made by hand but a lot of hand work went in each pipe.
They all clench well, most larger pipes are sitters, and the stems of mine none come close to fitting another pipe. Bowl diameters vary from .775” to .880” and the cost of making a $15 Big Boy and a $3.50 Mell-o might have been about the same.
They don’t “hold” cake. The chamber is so fireproof any cake can be totally removed with a shape knife as a scraper leaving bare briar.
They don’t seem to grow sour or trap ghosts.
If you love to smoke the best possible tasting pipe, spend $25 on a real Marxman.
Remember, you only look at it while you load it.
In 1934 Marx was a 29 year old former executive with William Demuth Company.
We read in the tobacco trade papers his original plan was to have the Jobey pipe company manufacture his line of 50 cent, $1, and $1.50 pipes.
Instead he wound up with his own factory at 27 West 24th Street that I believe still stands today. It looks like an old high rise building in Google.
Marx hired an old German away from WDC. We read in the late forties that old German had over forty years experience.
That old German knew which briar smoked the best. It was soft, it was fireproof, and easy to carve. The old German likely picked it himself, from the brokers, who knew to hold back what he liked. Every block was likely ten years old before it entered the factory. There was only that kind and grade of briar.
What Marx could do was move the merchandise and charm the lenders.
I own a few Marxman pipes made in France after 1954. They are all magnificently grained, stamped as Algerian Briar, wonderful little art objects.
They don’t smoke the same. They are excellent but don’t make the flavors come out and don’t color like meerschaums and that old German didn’t pick out the briar.
A true Pre 54 Marxman makes a cake the first smoke. It was seasoned and aged to where that first smoke is almost the same as the rest, it breaks in quickly.
It colors while you smoke it, and evenly all over.
Because they are such fireproof vessels Marx pipes have huge chambers. The thicker the bowl walls the better, but none get hot to hold, if you do your part.
They might not be entirely made by hand but a lot of hand work went in each pipe.
They all clench well, most larger pipes are sitters, and the stems of mine none come close to fitting another pipe. Bowl diameters vary from .775” to .880” and the cost of making a $15 Big Boy and a $3.50 Mell-o might have been about the same.
They don’t “hold” cake. The chamber is so fireproof any cake can be totally removed with a shape knife as a scraper leaving bare briar.
They don’t seem to grow sour or trap ghosts.
If you love to smoke the best possible tasting pipe, spend $25 on a real Marxman.
Remember, you only look at it while you load it.
It was $82 delivered, but this is the best grained and most beautiful Pre 54 Marxman I’ve ever seen.
If that’s Algerian briar it’s one of thousands to be a perfect straight grain.
The entire thing just yells out hand made Marxman “Big Boy”.
The stem is hand cut and the shank beveled like all high grades.
Since there was a STRAIGHT GRAIN stamp there’s more than one out there.
That pipe was at least $15 likely $20.
I’ll be disappointed as hell if it doesn’t smoke like an ugly one.
If that’s Algerian briar it’s one of thousands to be a perfect straight grain.
The entire thing just yells out hand made Marxman “Big Boy”.
The stem is hand cut and the shank beveled like all high grades.
Since there was a STRAIGHT GRAIN stamp there’s more than one out there.
That pipe was at least $15 likely $20.
I’ll be disappointed as hell if it doesn’t smoke like an ugly one.
With kind regards, thousands will be watching to see if you mar the finish with steel wool and grape seed oil. It is an unusually good looking Marxman.It was $82 delivered, but this is the best grained and most beautiful Pre 54 Marxman I’ve ever seen.
If that’s Algerian briar it’s one of thousands to be a perfect straight grain.
View attachment 263938View attachment 263939View attachment 263940View attachment 263941View attachment 263943View attachment 263944View attachment 263945View attachment 263946View attachment 263947View attachment 263948
The entire thing just yells out hand made Marxman “Big Boy”.
The stem is hand cut and the shank beveled like all high grades.
Since there was a STRAIGHT GRAIN stamp there’s more than one out there.
That pipe was at least $15 likely $20.
I’ll be disappointed as hell if it doesn’t smoke like an ugly one.
It doesn’t need steel wool and grapeseed oil.
Doesn’t even need Obsidian oil.
I was discussing grade versus quality of briar in another post.
Assuming the entire stash of briar Marx had was Algerian grade, which was incredibly light, dense, fireproof and soft,,,,one of thsounds might be a perfect straight grain quality.
All high grade Marx pipes were cut from plateaux blocks. The worker could see the straight grain.
Out comes the STRAIGHT GRAIN stamp.
That pipe didn’t sell for $5 or $10.
If it could only talk.
Wow that's my favorite one so far! Nice score!It was $82 delivered, but this is the best grained and most beautiful Pre 54 Marxman I’ve ever seen.
If that’s Algerian briar it’s one of thousands to be a perfect straight grain.
View attachment 263938View attachment 263939View attachment 263940View attachment 263941View attachment 263943View attachment 263944View attachment 263945View attachment 263946View attachment 263947View attachment 263948
The entire thing just yells out hand made Marxman “Big Boy”.
The stem is hand cut and the shank beveled like all high grades.
Since there was a STRAIGHT GRAIN stamp there’s more than one out there.
That pipe was at least $15 likely $20.
I’ll be disappointed as hell if it doesn’t smoke like an ugly one.
The $15 size Marxman “Big Boy” is today a bargain compared with a genuine “400”.
Same size bowl and made from the same size platuex of briar.
Same size bowl and made from the same size platuex of briar.
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