Not at all sure how true this is, but evidently it’s been illegal to export meerschaum blocks since the 60’s. The occasional and very rare available kits which are pre-drilled with a stem are considered as a ‘pipe’ and therefore exempt. Supposedly it’s supposed to protect the Turkish industry which it seems to have the distinct strong hold, as it were, on producing meerschaum pipes and their artistry for all these many years. Perhaps on more knowledgeable can shed more light on this subject.
You can obtain a kit
HERE (if they are still available), but if one is going to pay that much money for a kit you might just as well purchase a finished pipe! Like NOLA said, get a pre-drilled briar kit, or if you’re more energetic purchase an briar block, stem material, etc. and go for it as all the materials and tools needed are more than easy to obtain from a plethora of places. I purchased a meerschaum kit sometime back in the 70’s, albeit I can’t for the life of me remember where I got it, but I know for a fact that it was quite cheap. I carved it during the evenings when I went up to Hayward Wisconsin for a two week Muskie fishing trip and it turned out quite good, but I have no idea what happened to it.
I purchased a briar kit just to give it a shot and wish to make more (hopefully from scratch) and it ended up quite well. Stick with the briar and forget about the meerschaum blocks as you’ll just end up chasing your tail. :wink:
pre-drilled kit
Finished pipe