Peterson’s Explains The Black Bowl Coating!

[PipeIT]

It’s been a long time since I purchased a Peterson’s, but I made a purchase last month from SPC for a ‘Speciality Smooth Belgique Fishtail’.

When I received the pipe I noticed the bowl coating was very shiny with a coarse texture, it looked odd to say the least, like plastic.

After smoking a few bowls, I noticed it disappearing, and the bottom of the bowl getting gooey and sticky.

I took some 100 proof vodka and cleaned it all out, and I was much happier.

I contacted Peterson’s to find out about this coating.

They told me, that in all their pipes that have black bowls, this coating is a wax mixture of gum arabic, charcoal and water.

Happy Puffing!

 

[STP]

I never experienced a gooey sticky bowl from the coating in my Peterson pipes. A lot of pipes come w/the bowl coating. Savinelli/Rossi has been doing it for years. Nonetheless, I’m glad that you were able to remedy.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Oh Lordy, did I get this right, Gum Arabic, charcoal and water...that must be a brand new secret coating mix a la Peterson

 

[mingc]

Oh Lordy, did I get this right, Gum Arabic, charcoal and water...that must be a brand new secret coating mix a la Peterson

Clearly, it's not a secret.

 

[PipeIT]

Yes it was gooey sticky, I could literally take a paper towel after smoking, when it was warm, and rub some of it out of the bowl.

 

[mordy18]

If cake is what you are after then I do think the coating really helps. Doesn't bother me and I haven't gone out of my way to clean it out of my pipes that have it, but it certainly isn't a selling point.

 

[FurCoat]

My last two had that horrible crap. I couldn't clean the pipe because tobacco stuck and infused into that tarish garbage that was 1/8" thick. Everclear wouldn't touch it. Literally took me days to get it out with 200 grit sand paper. I was close to getting out the dremel. As you can tell, I am not a fan.

 

[gerryp]

If I ever go into the pipe making biz, I'm going to color the inside of my pipes' bowls with a black Sharpie. I'll telll everyone that it's a specially formulated coating, developed by Science, that allows the wood to breathe whie reducing the chance of a potentially deadly break-in disaster by 95.2%.

 

[sasquatch]

Not coating bowls saves me 48 seconds per pipe in the shop. I figure I'm up on the deal by about 3 dollars now, after 12 years.

 

[Capt Morgan]

If I ever go into the pipe making biz, I'm going to color the inside of my pipes' bowls with a black Sharpie. I'll telll everyone that it's a specially formulated coating, developed by Science, that allows the wood to breathe whie reducing the chance of a potentially deadly break-in disaster by 95.2%.

Better add a prop 65 warning to that, I am pretty sure that is known to cause cancer in the state of California.

 

[bullet08]

The coating does get in the way. I usually smoke few bowls and ream out the soft cake. Not much of an issue for me. In last two months, I purchased 3 Peterson pipes. They all had that sandpaper feeling coating, but none of them turned gooey.

 

[spicy_boiii]

I rubbed the coating out in my new Peterson Smooth System. As someone has said, it is rubbery and gooey after smoking - I initially had no issue with it, it just wiped off so easily I figured I'd finish the job.

I have no preference either way, but am building up a harder coating of traditional deposit (I use the water flush method and clean every pipe after each use) that is coming in just fine.

 

[bullet08]

Not this year's coating, but last year's around time of POTY they had different coating. It was smoother and looked like some squeezed black toothpaste in the chamber. I think that coating might have rubbed off and soft. I remember wondering WTF that stuff was.

 

[saltedplug]

Leave it to the champions of dipping to coat some black goo in chambers that deserve this not even a little and profit from it not at all.

 

[gerryp]

Better add a prop 65 warning to that, I am pretty sure that is known to cause cancer in the state of California.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. I'll just add that it's vegan, gluten-free, organic, and non-gmo. That should placate all those hippies, or commies, or whatever they are.
?

 

[anotherbob]

The coating seems to work for getting an even cake started. Or in other words mostly pointless.

 

[Magpiety]

I recently bought a Pete XL90 that had this. I cleaned it out with rubbing alcohol and swabs pretty easily.

 

[karam]

I bought a very nice 120 army which had a black coating which, as described, got gooey and sticky, and tobacco strands would fuse with it. I took care of with hot water and scrubbing and ever since the pipe's great.

It may have been the brand new bowl which got broken in in the process, but I felt that before cleaning out this crud the pipe was bitter/sour while it is fine now.

 

[JPremo]

I was wondering what was up with that stuff. After 1 smoke with my new Pete I wiped out the bowl with a paper towel and took the entire bottom bowl coating off. Kinda pointless for building up a cake if it wipes right out of the bowl that easily.

 

[kola]

Unbelievable, and yet another reason why I'll continue to avoid "peterson."