Problems with Meerschaum

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DamienPiper

Lurker
Jul 17, 2021
17
48
Moscow
I smoke 3 Meerschaum pipes regularly. They all smoke great and none of them get hot to the touch, just warm like a regular pipe. Either you're packing too tight which requires you to draw too hard which will heat up the pipe or you're smoking too fast. Very unlikely it is the pipe.
You’re right, not the pipe. Now my meerschaum doesn’t get too hot as well, even with aromatics. I guess I figured out how to control the cadence properly
 

Mtn

Lurker
Jul 19, 2021
8
7
Related question: I have a meer lined Vauen I have just started breaking in. Inside the bowl there are now cracks running throughout the bowl. It hasn’t been dropped or mistreated, and I don’t think it got too hot, amy one had a similar experience?
 

mahew

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 30, 2017
116
40
Kentucky Hills and Hollers
Feel free to send me that naughty meerschaum. I will put it into rotation with other meers that have been undisciplined and work on it with a behavioral correction program until it learns to act respectfully. The Altinay and Imp that I am currently working with have shown great success using this program. They misbehave with substantially less frequency after working with them for a just a few months.

Warning: this program could take several years to be successful, but I believe all meers can be saved and am extraordinarily patient!
 

meercatpat

Lurker
Mar 28, 2014
20
15
Massachusetts
Yeah, it happens. And how fast do you smoke? What’s the optimal interval between draws? I’ve thought about, but if I don’t smoke at my tempo, pipes tend to go out
Chasing Embers: You have it exactly backwards about meerschaum's thermal characteristics. It's actually one of the best thermal insulators of any naturally-occurring substance. On the contrary,; It acts as a near-perfect kiln. The heat of combustion is not conducted away from the mixture by the walls of the pipe, which is why these pipes stay lit so easily and for so long. The mixture remains at combustion temperature for a long time and only needs the introduction of more oxygen to resume burning more vigorously. It's also why the outside of a meerschaum bowl usually remains cool enough to handle. Lattice pipes don't act to cool the mixture at all; they only act to further insulate the outside wall of the bowl from internally-generated hea. Lattices also look pretty and contribute to the airy "feel" of an already light block.
 
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condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
8,066
27,365
New York
I'll take Mr Embers for 100 on that one! As usual he is bang on the money. Coming to meerschaums from clay pipes 30+ years ago I really didn't have a long stop over in briar world so the way I learned to smoke clays was slow otherwise you got those white patches on your tongue from cooking it by smoking too fast. I would imagine old @halfdan must have a tongue like a hobnailed boot since he does that speed smoking that almost melts a clay pipe!
 

The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,819
53,031
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
I'll take Mr Embers for 100 on that one! As usual he is bang on the money. Coming to meerschaums from clay pipes 30+ years ago I really didn't have a long stop over in briar world so the way I learned to smoke clays was slow otherwise you got those white patches on your tongue from cooking it by smoking too fast. I would imagine old @halfdan must have a tongue like a hobnailed boot since he does that speed smoking that almost melts a clay pipe!
@condorlover1 I don't speed smoke my clay pipes at re-enactments!
 

The Clay King

(Formerly HalfDan)
Oct 2, 2018
5,819
53,031
41
Chesterfield, UK
www.youtube.com
Whats your preferred clay pipe? Also what is the deal I heard where the first several smokes out of clay are funny tasting due it curing or something?
@Sharp_tungsten Most of mine are Markus Fohr clays but I've got some Old Dominion and a number of used ones.
I've never had any issues with funny taste with a clay pipe!
 
Jul 17, 2017
1,712
6,336
NV
pencilandpipe.home.blog
That is definitely a problem with meerschaum?. The stummel or stem or both break?
It just came in the mail today from eBay. Stem was stuck. Gave it a good water flush and got the stem to do a quarter turn with gentle pressure. Because I'm impatient, I gave it a few wiggles back and forth, and then turned a little too hard and broke out a chunk of the shank around the mortise. I just threw it straight in the garbage. Lesson learned.