Why don't you answer those questions as they relate your latest Marxman? You didn't show us the smooth stamped side.
My New Marxman Bench Made Pipe
- Thread starter telescopes
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
I reneged and asked em not to send it. I wanted the full stinger Kaywoodie experience. The two new production Kaywoodies I have smoke wonderfully but don’t have the stinger. I’ll get an old one another time.
I read about cured and aged briar, and every Marxman (plus all my 7 and 5 pointed star Lees and 4 hole stinger Kaywoodies) have spent over 70 summers and 70 winters aging.
Four smokes, turned my Marxman carved panel Prince from tan to brown, and only the very first bowl had a slight, and not unpleasant, briar taste at the bottom.
Were fresh Marxman pipes as good when they were new, as they are today after three quarters of a century aging?
I kind of doubt it, although I have no way to know.
Algerian briar is softer, than other regional briars. It’s lighter and far less dense. A Marxman changes from light tan to dark brown so quickly because the smoke is permeating all the way through the briar and the outside finish is trapping the tars, exactly as a meerschaum colors.
The sap and tannins have evaporated over the years.
Pipes and women are both overvalued on their beauty. It was difficult to put lipstick and make up on Algerian briar. That is why Kaywoodie and Lee likely never used it, except for the Kaywoodie “Suntan”, and I’ve never seen one.
My early morning smoke is PS Luxury Navy Flake in this massive D sized smooth Jumbo. Pipes cannot smoke better than a Marxman.
And a few of the best of them look good, as well.
Four smokes, turned my Marxman carved panel Prince from tan to brown, and only the very first bowl had a slight, and not unpleasant, briar taste at the bottom.
Were fresh Marxman pipes as good when they were new, as they are today after three quarters of a century aging?
I kind of doubt it, although I have no way to know.
Algerian briar is softer, than other regional briars. It’s lighter and far less dense. A Marxman changes from light tan to dark brown so quickly because the smoke is permeating all the way through the briar and the outside finish is trapping the tars, exactly as a meerschaum colors.
The sap and tannins have evaporated over the years.
Pipes and women are both overvalued on their beauty. It was difficult to put lipstick and make up on Algerian briar. That is why Kaywoodie and Lee likely never used it, except for the Kaywoodie “Suntan”, and I’ve never seen one.
My early morning smoke is PS Luxury Navy Flake in this massive D sized smooth Jumbo. Pipes cannot smoke better than a Marxman.
And a few of the best of them look good, as well.
That pipe on the left is a good looking one. Looks like a keeper.
You have me intrigued with some of your latest posts on Algerian briar. It’s the same species as the heath trees found in the Mediterranean so it’s extremely interesting how much different the briar is. It must be a combination of the climate and soil composition. I wonder if there is reduced rainfall in Algeria so the heath trees there have to be able to absorb more water, making them a more porous, better pipe material. A totally unfounded theory from me but I’m just trying to make sense of your observations.
There’s not a lot of information I can find about Algerian briar except all sources state it was soft, required more curing and aging, and was considered very difficult to work.
The mass production makers would have never used it, too difficult to machine cut. The artisan makers wouldn’t have used it either, because they wanted pretty pipes.
It was of the same species as all other Mediterranean briar.
But Algerian briar, as manufactured, looks like the OP
That pipe would turn a reddish brown all over in a week or less, if smoked.
Maybe it’s the soil in Algeria, or high winds, and there just had to be a rigorous inspection program to make certain all marketed Algerian briar was that soft, tannish, Algerian looking product. Not all the briar harvested in Algeria was of that type.
I’d say those French colonial inspectors that only bought that type of briar were the greatest factor in what we today find so mysterious about pre 54 Algerian pipes.
Idk why but this lore of Algerian briar you’re dropping on my head right now is one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever read on this forum. The fact that it’s so much softer than Italian briar is intriguing. I’ll have to get my hands on one when I can.
It’s not only Marxman pipes that used it.
While it was available, before the 1954 war, it seems like the makers (including Marxman) were a little ashamed to advertiseme they used Algerian briar.
Algerian briar was soft, prone to having shakes and fills and cracks, and it colored quickly to a reddish brown. It was difficult to make a beautiful, smooth, polished Algerian briar pipe.
The war took 8 years and the Muslims won.
They established the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and forbid exports of briar.
But a maker in France named Edward’s managed to buy an enormous bunch of blocks, they used to make oil cured pipes for decades afterwards.
Edward’s #730
But while my Edward’s pipes are beautiful they seem harder, and don’t quite reach that glorious smoking level of the Marxmans that look like this:
Still yet, even beautiful, harder Algerian briar is well worth seeking.
Cease and desist from showing that broken pipe as an exemplar of a Marxman. Why mislead?
So he can have them all to himself apparently!
.
Alright Briar Lee. I have an Algerian briar on the way. It’s an unsmoked Wally Frank billiard from their Chadwick line, which was exclusively Algerian briar. $32 shipped. Honestly even if I wasn’t looking for Algeria briar I might’ve been tempted because it’s an unsmoked, beautiful pipe in immaculate shape.
One of the strangest characteristics of genuine old French colonial Algerian is the amazing ability to color from light tan to brown then reddish brown In a short time period.
At noon the mail brought me this old Pipe Maker Pear, which had been smoked a half a bowl (or maybe it’s a Rhodesian).I’ve smoked it all afternoon and evening, after stripping off the factory stain/varnish and cleaning with 190 proof Everclear that removed all the dead finish, leaving bare, tan briar.
Before
After maybe six or seven smokes
Pipe Maker wasn’t known for Algerian briar, but this one was tan when I strippped the stain and varnish off, and now it’s sort of a chocolate brown.
And it tastes Algerian, was easy to break in, and a wonderful smoker.
They don’t have to be stamped Marxman.
At noon the mail brought me this old Pipe Maker Pear, which had been smoked a half a bowl (or maybe it’s a Rhodesian).I’ve smoked it all afternoon and evening, after stripping off the factory stain/varnish and cleaning with 190 proof Everclear that removed all the dead finish, leaving bare, tan briar.
Before
After maybe six or seven smokes
Pipe Maker wasn’t known for Algerian briar, but this one was tan when I strippped the stain and varnish off, and now it’s sort of a chocolate brown.
And it tastes Algerian, was easy to break in, and a wonderful smoker.
They don’t have to be stamped Marxman.
Last edited:
I love that pear shape. I’m excited for my Wally Frank Algerian briar to come in the mail this week. I’ll report back with the results.
I just sold a pipe maker like that one, but it was in MUCH better condition. I found mine to be a good smoking pipe. I replaced it with a brand new unsmoked one with a similar shape.
Good gravy, send Marx enough money and he’d make a great big, perfect, shiny pipe.
All it has stamped is Marxman Imported Briar. No grade or anything else.
Look at that shiny stem, and how tan the pipe was when new, on the end of the shank.
This is the most beautiful Marxman I’ve seen yet.
All it has stamped is Marxman Imported Briar. No grade or anything else.
Look at that shiny stem, and how tan the pipe was when new, on the end of the shank.
This is the most beautiful Marxman I’ve seen yet.
I’m calling this one my Company Pipe, in honor of Dee Baker.
About 45 years ago Jack and Maud Baker had a fish fry and invited the entire neighborhood. At that time, there was a man who lived over by Caplinger Mills that was pond raising catfish, and Jack had ordered a big bate of fresh catfish and Maud had her propane fish cooker fired up, deep frying those catfish fillets in pure lard, and taking them out, when they were golden brown.
In the midst of this, Jack Baker’s brother Dee Baker announced to the assembled crowd —
Yewsually, when you gets invited to a feesch fry, you expects gar, or carp, or buffalo feesch.
These here are company feesch.
They’re the kind yew feed to company.
This weekend I’ll go to my farm and I’ll look like the lord of the manor, smoking my Company Pipe.
This thing is perfect. It’s shiny and huge, and carved by an artistic hand. No fills, lots of birdseye and flame grain, and still it didn’t rate being a 400.
Can you even imagine, a 400?
About 45 years ago Jack and Maud Baker had a fish fry and invited the entire neighborhood. At that time, there was a man who lived over by Caplinger Mills that was pond raising catfish, and Jack had ordered a big bate of fresh catfish and Maud had her propane fish cooker fired up, deep frying those catfish fillets in pure lard, and taking them out, when they were golden brown.
In the midst of this, Jack Baker’s brother Dee Baker announced to the assembled crowd —
Yewsually, when you gets invited to a feesch fry, you expects gar, or carp, or buffalo feesch.
These here are company feesch.
They’re the kind yew feed to company.
This weekend I’ll go to my farm and I’ll look like the lord of the manor, smoking my Company Pipe.
This thing is perfect. It’s shiny and huge, and carved by an artistic hand. No fills, lots of birdseye and flame grain, and still it didn’t rate being a 400.
Can you even imagine, a 400?