New Product From Brigham of Real Interest

[BingBong]

The Brighams have arrived. They look very nice, entry level without all the silver do-dads, and the bowl interior is quite unlike anything I've ever seen. On my lunch now . . . I'll do a couple of snaps for you this evening and post them in this thread.

Are they mahoosive?

 

[gord]

Are they mahoosive?

You're speaking a language with which I'm not familiar . Just from observation though, it looks like, yes, there's a hardwood insert there, but its been varnished, like the Falcon bowls. Guess I have to suck it up and go through another couple of break-ins. And that ain't happening for a while. I may resort to using my butane microtorch to give 'er a headstart. Ever tried that?

 

[BingBong]

You're speaking a language with which I'm not familiar . Just from observation though, it looks like, yes, there's a hardwood insert there, but its been varnished, like the Falcon bowls. Guess I have to suck it up and go through another couple of break-ins. And that ain't happening for a while. I may resort to using my butane microtorch to give 'er a headstart. Ever tried that?

Hmm, maybe that would work. Or a small bonfire of matches.

 

[gord]

So here are the two Brigham pipes. Very nice entry level without the doodads. As mentioned above, the bowls and this coating are a bit odd . . . yeah, there is a hardwood (rock maple) coating in the bowl, but I don't see an insert per se. The grain on the top of the bowl matches perfectly with the grain on the rest of the bowl, and the interior is very dark. The white area on the bottom of the bowl is the unvarnished part of the bowl at the bottom. Here are the pipes themselves. A Tundra similar the one Mike presented me with first, and the other one I selected because I liked the Rhodesian style of the pipe and bowl.

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Here are a couple of shots as described in the text above. I also admit I don't know what I'm talking about . . . for sure, but my suspicion is that this "insert" is simply a coating that is a colloidal solution of maple or whatever carbon. I think it'll take breaking in just like the Falcon bowls. I tried to show as much detail as I could so you could see the interior, and how the grain matches the other grain on the pipe. Not complaining. It was a bargain for me, and I think they'll be great smokers. I admit I don't know the full story of the rock maple insert, but it is what it is.

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I used an on camera flash for the bottom two photos, so the white dots are wayyyy over exposed but in real life they show the unvarnished briar at the bottom of the bowl. Many of you will have a better idea of the situation than I, being a bit of a rookie in all of this. However, I won't be returning the pipes. I'll smoke em in and eventually they'll be great. They have to wait their turn in line. Lots of unrelated stuff to do now, and about six pipes yet to break in before I get to them. If my lips and tongue hold out. Cigars for the next few days, and maybe a pipe or two of Pirate Kake.

Thanks for looking in. Cheers for now.

​

 

[Sigmund]

I just think bowl coatings are to be expected. Like the professor said, on some pipes they are used and others not. Its hard not to get stain in a bowl and from a marketing perspective it just doesnt look good. A bowl coating makes most pipes look more finished if there is even a littel stain inside the bowl. Just get out as much as you can and move forward. I looked at those pipes but for the most part they didnt tickle my fancy when it came to appearance. Not a thing wrong with them...they just didnt make me reach for my wallet. I do the first or second smoke on new and estates with something strong...at least a beefy burley. Even the best of bowl coatings tastes a little off. It ruins a good smoke of virginia or vapers. On a coating that is mostly removed and not too offensive one smoke tends to address the problem, two at the most.

Do you have the hard rock maple inserts? Ive been curious about those.

 

[gord]

I just think bowl coatings are to be expected. Like the professor said, on some pipes they are used and others not. Its hard not to get stain in a bowl and from a marketing perspective it just doesnt look good. A bowl coating makes most pipes look more finished if there is even a littel stain inside the bowl. Just get out as much as you can and move forward. I looked at those pipes but for the most part they didnt tickle my fancy when it came to appearance. Not a thing wrong with them...they just didnt make me reach for my wallet. I do the first or second smoke on new and estates with something strong...at least a beefy burley. Even the best of bowl coatings tastes a little off. It ruins a good smoke of virginia or vapers. On a coating that is mostly removed and not too offensive one smoke tends to address the problem, two at the most.

Do you have the hard rock maple inserts? Ive been curious about those.

These were advertised as a Rock Maple insert. Don't think is an insert but a colloidal coating. In fact, I'm certain it is a coating.

 

[Sigmund]

The rock maple insert is in the stem...a disposable wood rod that acts like an absorbing filter. It supposed to be good for quite a large number of smokes. its a pass through filter, a hollow maple dowel. I think it also can be cleaned and dried.

Our System

Visit the post for more.

brighampipes.com

 

[gord]

The rock maple insert is in the stem...a disposable wood rod that acts like an absorbing filter. It supposed to be good for quite a large number of smokes. its a pass through filter, a hollow maple dowel. I think it also can be cleaned and dried.

View attachment 327953

Our System

Visit the post for more.

brighampipes.com

Now we all know! Thank you! So the bowl itself is the usual disgusting coating that tastes like crap when breaking in the pipe. Guess I'll have to learn to live with break-ins. And I don't even live in a slum.

I assume that this thing can be replaced with a couple of cut down match sticks, pipe cleaner, or not at all.

Kinda like what I do to the proprietary balsa wood filter in Savinelli's.

Case closed.

 

[Sigmund]

You van always experiment. You certainly get a lot of smokes from one tube. Its different than a balsa filter in design but in reality I cant say. Let us know.

 

[burleybreath]

*

 

[buroak]

Hmmmm . . . the thought has struck me that my Peterson (and my Savinelli) are both rusticated. Was yours? I'm also noticing that my Falcons are the worst of all to break in, and they definitely have varnished the inside of their bowls with the same compound with which they stained their bowls. I have a third bowl I haven't touched, and a friend of mine whose hobby is restoring old radios and cabinets, says there is no question about that, and burning varnish would not taste good. I'm finding that out right now. I'm looking forward to all of this breaking in just finishing. It's the most unpleasant part of pipe smoking. When I buy a new Peterson in the fall, I'm going to make sure it's a plain briar pipe with no rustication, and scrub the crap out of it.

That’s strange. I have never gotten a varnish taste from a new Falcon bowl, regardless of the finish type.

Also, the Brigham Rock Maple Insert is an old innovation. That said, Brigham is often overlooked, despite their good invention. As a result, I remember also having your reaction: this must be some new thing waiting to take the world by storm.

 

[gord]

That’s strange. I have never gotten a varnish taste from a new Falcon bowl, regardless of the finish type.

Also, the Brigham Rock Maple Insert is an old innovation. That said, Brigham is often overlooked, despite their good invention. As a result, I remember also having your reaction: this must be some new thing waiting to take the world by storm.

That was exactly my reaction when I saw the advertisements for the "insert". With respect to the taste of varnish, we're all physiologically a bit different. I know another guy who didn't notice a varnish taste, as well. I'll be looking forward to an autumn purchase of a meerschaum bowl for my Falcons. Not looking forward to breaking that sucker in either.

While you're "on the line," so to speak, I've noticed that the Falcons (I have a standard straight and an International straight) seem to like plainer tobacco. I'm thinking that the system was designed pre- WW 2, and the use of aluminum seems to suit the pipes best when using a codger blend or an English. Is this a figment of my imagination or have you noticed that, too? Having owned an Austin Mini 1000 in my earlier years, and being half English myself, I know how quirky they are.

 

[coldsnap888]

Now we all know! Thank you! So the bowl itself is the usual disgusting coating that tastes like crap when breaking in the pipe. Guess I'll have to learn to live with break-ins. And I don't even live in a slum.

I assume that this thing can be replaced with a couple of cut down match sticks, pipe cleaner, or not at all.

Kinda like what I do to the proprietary balsa wood filter in Savinelli's.

Case closed.

I have started to skip the inserts as they seem to be getting jammed more often than not. I don't see this issue with the French made Brighams but it's common on the ones I have from Italy. I'm smoking them without (mostly English) and quite enjoying the smoke. If I find a particularly challenging tobacco I will consider using the distillator for that.

 

[WilliamZ]

That’s strange. I have never gotten a varnish taste from a new Falcon bowl, regardless of the finish type.

Also, the Brigham Rock Maple Insert is an old innovation. That said, Brigham is often overlooked, despite their good invention. As a result, I remember also having your reaction: this must be some new thing waiting to take the world by storm.

I will add that sanding old bowls can help solve this problem. Since you plan on sanding the bowls yourself, make sure you use the right tools and techniques to avoid damaging the pipe. It's cool that these things are being created. I've been reading about how to build a minimum viable product lately, there's been a lot written about mvp product development and more. I'm interested in the various new products that are coming out. In any case, if Brigham is truly aware of the material issue and working on a solution, it could be a good sign for their future products.

It would be strange if I could taste it.

 

[LOREN]

Can you sand the bowl interior and remove all of the coating?

 

[gord]

Can you sand the bowl interior and remove all of the coating?

I scraped out most of it, and proceeded to break it in. Both bowls have finally reached the point where I can put the two pipes in regular rotation.

This is a personal opinion and should be taken as such, but Falcon bowls have been the most difficult and unpleasant to break in that I have experienced. That being said, the problem seems to have been solved. It took over a dozen unpleasant smokes in both bowls, and I'll hopefully now enjoy smoking them, especially outdoors on fishing trip breaks. They'll be used with English or plain tobacco types. I'm looking forward to enjoying them.

As a side note, my two new Brigham pipes, which I love smoking, only took about four break-in bowls before I could taste the tobacco, rather than raunch.

 

[buroak]

That was exactly my reaction when I saw the advertisements for the "insert". With respect to the taste of varnish, we're all physiologically a bit different. I know another guy who didn't notice a varnish taste, as well. I'll be looking forward to an autumn purchase of a meerschaum bowl for my Falcons. Not looking forward to breaking that sucker in either.

While you're "on the line," so to speak, I've noticed that the Falcons (I have a standard straight and an International straight) seem to like plainer tobacco. I'm thinking that the system was designed pre- WW 2, and the use of aluminum seems to suit the pipes best when using a codger blend or an English. Is this a figment of my imagination or have you noticed that, too? Having owned an Austin Mini 1000 in my earlier years, and being half English myself, I know how quirky they are.

You might want to try a meerschaum-lined Falcon bowl. You do lose capacity, but they retain the durability of threads cut into wood versus a threaded plastic piece attached to a meerschaum bowl by thin pins (really more like pieces of wire in many cases).

I do not notice them being too terribly finicky about tobacco, but the only aromatics I smoke in mine are the British varieties: St. Bruno and Lakelands. I will say that tobaccos with high moisture content in the leaf or that produce a lot of water vapor in combustion can overwhelm the Falcon system.

As a result of our previous exchanges here, I have started adding 2-4 Nording Keystones piled on top of the raised center of the Humidome and climbing up a little way above the heel of the bowl. This has enhanced the performance of the pipes in every way.