Orific/orifice button/stem query.

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mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Is it possible to roughly date a pipe with an orifice button? I have several pipes with such, some branded and some not.
I believe the orifice button was the forerunner to the more contemporary slot but I do not know when they were phased out.
I have a 'Trubent' sandblasted bent billiard (Peterson copy) with military stem that has a cross between a P-lip and orifice button. Whereas a 'proper' P-lip has the hole at the top of the bit, this one has the hole at the end and in fact looking at it end on it looks like an orifice button though looking at it side on it looks like a regular P-lip.
Anyone out there know anything about orifice buttons?
Regards,
Jay.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Anyone out there know anything about orifice buttons?
That's a very personal question!
Someone would know better than I, but orific buttons were mainly phased out by the late 1920s or so. I may have seen a stem or two from the 1930s, but I'm not certain. And, as always, there are probably exceptions. But in the main, an orific button means the pipe is nearly 100 years old or more.

 

xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
Yeah, gone after the 1920s. Bone tenons too. One can make a guess about dating an old pipe judging by the style, stem and fittings. But it isn't exact.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Many thanks for the info chaps. So it would appear some of my pipes are considerably older than I initially supposed. I personally don't mind orific buttons, what I cannot smoke is a pipe with a P-lip button. I never put the actual stem into my mouth when I smoke a pipe, I just purse my lips and 'press' the button to my lips.
Regards,
Jay.

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
Here's a photo of the button. Is "orific" meaning like an orifice, or like a London pronunciation of "horrific"?
Sorry for the disgusting gunk. I haven't started cleaning this one up yet.
PIpe-1-2-L.jpg


 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
My comment from April 2014 when I cleaned it up,
This is the oldest pipe I have ever worked on. How do you clean up an 87 year old pipe? Very carefully. The tobacco chamber was in excellent condition. As you can see the stem has a push tenon, which helps date the pipe. The hallmarks a very worn, with only the BBB mark, and not the AF&Co that is also seen on the older BBB pipes. The Birmingham mark is so worn that the only discernible thing is the fluke of the anchor on the right hand side. The date mark is a C, 1927. Another interesting detail is the dot on the stem. What it means, I have no idea. Stem end also shows an orific bit (orific, not 'orific, like 'artford, 'erroford, and 'ampshire). I need to thank member sablebrush52 for his help dating this pipe, and information about the stem.
:)

 
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