Reaming a Meerschaum
- Thread starter dctune
- Start date
SmokingPipes.com Updates
Watch for Updates Twice a Week
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Reaming a meerschaum should be done the way world super powers make war the way porcupines make love: very carefully
For starters, don't use a reamer. Get yourself some fine glass paper or sandpaper, wrap a bit of it around a fat Pilot marker, rubber band it in place, and then carefully sand down the cake.
I’m promise I won’t Google anything about porcupines. Seriously. I swear.
Ahhh, now that makes sense. I actually ream my briars regularly. And I usually wipe down a meerschaum with a baby wipe or a wet paper towel after each smoke. But I’ve let one get away from me. Thx for the info.
As people said here, I tend to go with fine sandpaper wrapped around my finger.
I think removing all cake from a meer is personal preference at this point as many here have pointed out that cake doesn't seem to interfere with the coloring progress, for me i like to keep them down just because i don't want to lose tobacco volume =D
I think removing all cake from a meer is personal preference at this point as many here have pointed out that cake doesn't seem to interfere with the coloring progress, for me i like to keep them down just because i don't want to lose tobacco volume =D
I ream my meerschaum like a caveman with a flint arrow head. Seriously. I know I have to be careful, but it builds so quickly and it's satisfying to see it go away. I've gouged my meers more times than I care to admit. I now pour water into the bowl for a few seconds to soften it. Then less force is needed to ream. Just did this last night.
I just use a pipe tool to give it a scrape every few smokes.
With a knife or reaming tool. I definitely don't try to ream it down to the bare stone.
I don’t recommend that others do it but I use a letter opener. Essentially a long, slightly dull knife blade. Obviously going slowly and carefully lest I pay the price. Meers are pretty tough, within reason.
I’d done the sandpaper thing in the past but needed something more aggressive on one of my meers that builds cake ridiculously fast. Wiping with a paper towel after each smoke isn’t enough to keep the cake at bay on that one.
Now I use sandpaper wrapped around a dowel to remove the last few hundredths of cake, or on my meers that build cake slowly and don’t need the blade.
I’d done the sandpaper thing in the past but needed something more aggressive on one of my meers that builds cake ridiculously fast. Wiping with a paper towel after each smoke isn’t enough to keep the cake at bay on that one.
Now I use sandpaper wrapped around a dowel to remove the last few hundredths of cake, or on my meers that build cake slowly and don’t need the blade.
I’ve carefully used a Pipnet reamer (“T” handle with four sizes of reamers) on my meers for years with no ill effects.
Gonna do this tomorrow, the sandpaper method. My Kiko got some ghosted cake in it, need to get rid of that.
You don't have to, I'll tell you what I know. When mating, the female lays her tail up on her back covering the quills. The underside of the porcupine tail has no quills, so the male gets a soft cushion to protect his belly. Which allows him to act not so slowly and even not so carefully. Actually, porcupines mate very quickly but repeatedly.
If you wipe down the chambers with a paper towel on any pipe just after smoking, you’ll only develop like 1mm or a slightly thinner carbon layer, which is all you need.
Then you never need a reamer.
It’s my understanding you don’t need a cake build up in a Meerschaum. I read it’s not beneficial and interferes with the Meerschaum. Maybe the Meerschaum pros can shed some light on this.
Then you never need a reamer.
It’s my understanding you don’t need a cake build up in a Meerschaum. I read it’s not beneficial and interferes with the Meerschaum. Maybe the Meerschaum pros can shed some light on this.
320 grit 
Or, just don't build cake. That is done by scooping out the ash after each smoke and wiping out the bowl with a slightly abrasive paper towel. This will maintain a thin carbon layer but never require reaming, and works with briar and other woods as well as Meerschaum. It maintains the diameter of the chamber. I don't own a reamer. You'll only need a reamer for estate pipes that haven't been restored.
Until it develops into a thicker diamond hard carbon porcelain layer that a blade can't cut.
I've not noticed one way or the other.
I smoke meerschaums almost exclusively and like to use a single-bladed reamer tool after each smoke (carefully). I pretty much keep any cake from ever forming in my meers.
