Red Fir Pipe

[clue]

I recently got into pipe smoking and received a pipe as a gift. I eventually managed to find the website by using the engraving on the wood (Zobo 536): http://www.jobon.com.cn/en/products.asp?Big_Class=23&Small_Class=26 . It is placed under the Red Fir category, so I suppose that's what it's made of. I found it strange, as there is no mention of any such thing as a fir pipe. I already smoked a bowl and found it was fine, no funny tastes or anything. I was just hoping for any input on the appparent curiosity a fir pipe is.
Pictures:

Sorry for the blurry photos.

 

[markus]

Red Fir is a type of pine generally considered as construction grade wood. It is among the hardest of the softwoods, but I would think still to soft to be used for pipes manufacturing.

I'm sure there are others here more knowledgeable of the subject that can speak to this.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I presume, and hope for your sake, that red fir refers (!) to the finish, not the material!

If it's made of a soft wood, (fir, pine, spruce etc.) it's for the shelf not the mouth.

 

[pagan]

I presume, and hope for your sake, that red fir refers (!) to the finish, not the material!

Im gona guess you get a bad taste when you smoke that, and lord please don't inhale

 

[clue]

Just got finished smoking another bowl, and it isn't tasting any different than the tobacco I'm using. No strange piney taste, so maybe you're right, and it just refers to the finish. There's also black fir and green fir, which, as far as I can tell, aren't real varieties of fir. Maybe they're all briars, and their briar line is just the line that hasn't been finished differently.

 

[didimauw]

Yeah I was looking at the website...strange... but It must be talking about the style of finish, or style of pipe, not what it's made out of.

 

[mso489]

From China, there's no telling. Some of their products are premium materials at low-low prices, which makes us complain about dumping, and others are really cheesy like some of the corn cob pipes that you don't need. Even if this is briar or some other wood unlikely to burn up or exude resins, etc., I'd worry somewhat about any stains or other products used on the pipes. In a few instances, baby formula and pet products have been found toxic. I'd stick with pipe makers that are deeply invested in their products and don't want any bad responses from customers. The Danes, Italians, English, Irish, and other traditional pipe makers guard their reputations. If you want a pipe from Asia, Tsuge is your source. Hey, this pipe may be fine -- make your own assessment. But after visiting the web site, I'm not ordering one, FYI.

 

[clue]

UPDATE:
So, I pulled the stem out of the pipe and made a good discovery! You know how raw briar has a kind of wavy or random pattern to the grain? Well check this out:

You can see it better in real life, but you can see a bit here a waved pattern to the grain, where red fir has a more straight pattern:

I think that might settle it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The final test will be whether it burns through in a few smokes or not!
But I think it's passed the first trial by fire.
Good luck!
PS had another look at the photo you posted, and wow, those children didn't do a lot of work for fine finishing around the mortise hole!! Also looks like a fill right there.

 

[andrew]

I have a pipe that looks like it could be the same thing, it's the first pipe I bought before I discovered estate pipes (used). It smokes ok and there's some kind of bowl coating that may prevent it from burning through, but it's a pipe I never reach for. Buy a quality briar, even a 30$ dr. Grabow and you'll see the difference when you're smoking. The red fir gets hot really fast, it's really light and just doesn't feel like a quality pipe.

 

[clue]

You're right, there is some kind of dark grey coating. As for the quality, it's holding up fine. I'm a pragmatic person, so I'm fine with it as long as it works.

 

[andrew]

Yeah I don't think it's briar, but it does the trick

 

[seagullplayer]

The inside of the pipe in the picture looks like OSB (Chip board)to me.
That web site was not much help.

 

[andvary]

Ah, the "Chinese mystery products". Life would be so boring without them. :D

To me the mortise shot looks nothing like briar. The colour itself looks too pale, IMHO. But I'm no expert.

The fact that no information is posted on the website is also suspicious. If the budget manufacturer can get at least OK-level materials, he brags about it everywhere.

Quick Google search gave me Ebay lots with pipes of this brand made of "green sandal wood" and "rosewood", wso I guess the sellers also don't have a clue about what they are selling.

Finally, this company makes a lot of products (lighters, water pipes etc.), the "regular" pipes are sort of an afterthought. This also suggests that these guys work with whatever timber and materials they can get their hands on.

If you really want to keep going, I suggest you tread carefully and monitor both your health and the condition of the pipe. If anything changes - abandon it. Poisoning yourself with by-products of heated wood, plastic, paint, varnish and glue (all of them - unknown variables) hardly seems pragmatic.
Anyway, welcome, hope everything turns out OK, and if it doesn't, don't let it turn you away from the hobby. :!:

 

[zack24]

They have a Red Fir, Green Fir, Black Fir, and Briar...As near as I can tell, none of them are actually briar. They seem to be some hardwood that's probably cheap and native to the region.

 

[balkisobrains]

I don't know, that whole setup is a little shady. There's some sort of coating on top of some sort of stain, over what looks like particle board or some type of unidentifiable wood. It came from China, so it could be anything from exotic wood to sun-hardened cow-pie. It's anybodys guess as to how the bowl in the other pics is "carbonized". I would not want to smoke out of that for fear of poisoning myself somehow. You can get yourself a couple decent pipes for around $20 like some Missouri Meerschaums. ::

 

[andvary]

particle board

I doubt that any coating can protect particle board from crumbling when heat is applied. I still think it's wood, the question is what kind?

...And I thought pear pipes are "a cheap variant".

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Poisoning yourself with by-products of heated wood, plastic, paint, varnish and glue (all of them - unknown variables) hardly seems pragmatic."
Not to mention the by-products of burning tobacco :wink:
Seriously though, whatever it's made of I love the quirky shape.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[andvary]

Not to mention the by-products of burning tobacco

Touché. :D

 

[balkisobrains]

Assuming everyone has already rationalized that danger, it's the "unknown" factor of things that come from China that bothers me. Personally, I would automatically assume that a tin of tobacco wholly coming from China might be more dangerous to me than one wholly coming from elsewhere, for a number of reasons.