I don't recall ever reading someone telling how to impede coloring.
Got a cite? An URL for a site?
Got a cite? An URL for a site?
Resting a Meerschaum Pipe for a Week
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Never heard that one, just smoke them is all I've heard.
just random shop tenders and customers. I know it sounds weird but some people want to keep the pipe white as possible.
And since the original poster is saying it's advice he heard but doesn't remember where... My bet is some rando with a standard level of rando advice quality.
I'll offer this information from the Altinok Meerschaum Pipe Site for those who wish to read it.
Meerschaum Pipe Care (altinokpipes.com)
Meerschaum Pipe Care (altinokpipes.com)
I wonder how they knew Latakia isn’t my favorite:
“While smoking a tobacco with a high oil content, such as the Latakia in an English blend, may yield a darker color, your Meerschaum will also color nicely with your favorite tobacco.”
You could not heard of it..its my theory..my newer pipe did not colored last 3 smokes smoked during 3 days as much as it colored today smoked 3 times in a row...
That is interesting, but it’s difficult to compare three over three days vs. six over four days.
You just asked if anyone supported the theory. If not preexisting, how could they have supported it? ?
Here's another. Alliowing cake to build doesn't inhibit coloring at all. Proof? Look at ancient darkly colored specimens. Most are usually heavily caked.
Jesus it the cigar “rule of 3s” but with pipes.
I guess some do not realize meerschaum is natural occurring substance. The ability of meerschaum to accept the residues of tobacco I'm sure varies widely between pieces. Some pipes will color in varied shades or depth of color. There is no standard with regard to the porosity or, lack there of in the material. I, for one, believe the relative heft of a piece of drilled out meer maybe indicative of the mineral's ability to allow the residues to travel from the inside of the bowl to near to the surface. But, that belief involves only a bit of logic and a lot of anecdotal observation.
Meerschaum is classed/graded but, I've never seen a formal recognition of the class as being indicative of a particular pipe's ability to color nor how it may color, nor the range of color. It is simply a naturally occurring mineral, coloring only in the manner its structure permits.
Inserts, handling, the number of bowls, etc. are all simply based on the smoker's perception of what and why it is happening. We know the mineral is porous. We know that porosity affects coloring but, as to individual hunks of meerschaum, drilled as a pipe? We can only guess as we hand our moneys across the counter and begin our wee journey.
Meerschaum is classed/graded but, I've never seen a formal recognition of the class as being indicative of a particular pipe's ability to color nor how it may color, nor the range of color. It is simply a naturally occurring mineral, coloring only in the manner its structure permits.
Inserts, handling, the number of bowls, etc. are all simply based on the smoker's perception of what and why it is happening. We know the mineral is porous. We know that porosity affects coloring but, as to individual hunks of meerschaum, drilled as a pipe? We can only guess as we hand our moneys across the counter and begin our wee journey.
I doubt that anyone can say for sure. Lots of opinions sprinkled with a few facts. Everyone can smoke their own pipes for whatever reason. Seems to me, the sensible reason would be to enjoy it. You smoke a Meer long enough, it will color. If one is in a hurry to get a highly colored Meer they should purchase an estate. Otherwise, just enjoy the process.
I was just comparing 3 smokes over 3days(1 time a day) and 3 smokes during 1 day..it colored more during that 1 day when smoked 3 times...so far my observations are you do not need a rest the pipe..you need to smoke it several times a day if your desire is to color it faster...resting it would mean slowing down the process of coloring it ...
You could always try lightly heating it with a hair dryer or heat gun to start with a warm pipe.
I assume that's a relatively new pipe? If so, what you experienced is the wax darkening. That likely happened as you say because the pipe got warmer being smoked 3 times in the same day. Over time, the pipe itself will color from the inside out and if smoked enough, could eventually color to dark brown. That level of coloring is not from the wax.
I guess you are right...each block of meer reacts differently to the coloring process..so there may be no general answer to that..I would never be happy to buy a precolored one...it is cheating for me but somebody may not care so its fine for him....
Lol...it would be too much of a headache..I am rather carying a real gun instead of heat gun with me and no way I would carry a hair dryer to the places where I smoke my meers during the day..but I got your point...
Yes sir..I agree with you..pipe has only 21 bowls so far...it likely melted the wax smoked more agresively today...got it
If the wax you are referring to as melting is actually the amalgum used as a hard coat for the meer it shouldn't be melting. I've never had a meerschaum which had some sort of wax coating. Unless you are referring to a wax coat some smokers add so they get kind of a "dirty" brown look to their pipe. Meerschaums generally color from the stem/bottom of the bowl up as the "porous viens" (for want of a better descriptor) slowly feed the residues towards the surface.