Should My 'New' Estate Meerschaum's Bowl Smell This Way?

[David_Lawrence]

Or do I need to clean it out first and thus wait for it to dry out, which would mean no sampling it tonight?


..Ah you'll probably want more information, won't you? So it's a block meerschaum (or it bloody wants to be after all the customs I paid importing it) and it's fully matured to an aged parchment colour. The smell in question has me concerned that it's some type of cleaning solvent that the seller shouldn't really have used. It smells like whatever they used to clean the wooden floors with at school, or like a brand new rubber/plastic wrestling figure. All universally recognised reference points, I trust.

I'm posting this just in case this is simply what meerschaum smells like, which could well be the case seeing as even the outside of the shank has the same scent. My understanding was that 'the schaum' imparts no flavour of its own so a strong scent would be surprising to me. Drawing on the empty pipe gives a more pleasant rum and raisin type taste with only faint traces of the floor polish odour so I'll probably just give it a whirl anyway but if they should smell completely neutral, I'll concede and clean it out with something less troublesome.

Cheers.

 

[cshubhra]

I don’t know if you and I are experiencing the same things. However some of my brand new Meerschaum smelt like burnt rubber after smoking. It did not affect the smoke in any way ... it just smelt like that after the smoke.

After 8-10 smokes the smell went away.

 

[David_Lawrence]

Thanks. I've just finished packing the bowl (Robert McConnell's Oriental blend). Dry drawing gives a very boozy brandy like taste so no real traces of that wood polish scent at this stage.

I'll smoke dutifully and report back.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If that doesn't do the trick, wash the heck out of it with hot water, perhaps with even a touch of dish detergent on the outer stummel and stem. Let dry overnight, and enjoy!

 

[mso489]

Pure guesswork, but I suspect it was a once-over with some cleaner by the seller that was supposed to pass as sanitizer. It sounds as if it has gassed-off, if you'll pardon the expression, and shouldn't be a further problem. A late great member sent me an estate Meer that I cleaned up with water on the Meer and dish detergent on the stem, and despite some attempted shaming at the local pipe shop, it worked fine, dried out fine, and did the job.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Was it just the chamber, or did the entire bowl smell like that?

 

[David_Lawrence]

It was the entire bowl, nothing overpowering but not the pleasant or neutral smell I've always got from pipes whether new or preowned.

So I smoked in it anyway and thankfully I didn't notice anything undesirable at all. My concern was that it had been coated in something that would be burned off in the smoking process, leaving me breathing that tainted smoke. After lightly cleaning the bowl with some pipe cleaning fluid, I can't detect it at all aside from on the outside so I'd guess the previous owner had wiped the whole thing down with something I'd rather they hadn't used.

It smoked really nicely though; can't say there was anything cleaner about the smoke than with my briar but the smoke was cool from start to finish which isn't always the case with other pipes. I'll be interested to see if more flavoursome tobaccos carry more taste than they do in my non-meerschaum pipes but I'm not expecting anything significant—and I had hoped for some drastic difference.

I bought this because it was about a third of the price of a new block meerschaum pipe, having already fully matured and sporting a very minor chip on the rustic finish, but when I can better afford it I still do have my fickle heart set on a brand new meerschaum if only to experience the colour change first hand. I'll abandon my hopes of a game-changingly unique smoke though.

 

[weezell]

If that doesn't do the trick, wash the heck out of it with hot water, perhaps with even a touch of dish detergent on the outer stummel and stem. Let dry overnight, and enjoy!

Yep,that's the way to go...

 

[jpmcwjr]

And, you really don't want to use "pipe cleaning fluid" on a meer. (And I never do on a briar, either.)

At this point, I'd still give it a good washing and flushing out.

 

[aquadoc]

And, you really don't want to use "pipe cleaning fluid" on a meer. (And I never do on a briar, either.)

At this point, I'd still give it a good washing and flushing out.

WTH is pipe cleaning fluid?

 

[upnorth1]

WTH is pipe cleaning fluid?

+1

 

[jpmcwjr]

Specifically, only the o.p. can say. But in general, it's a commercial product, sold in bottles by pipe manufacturers, and goes by many names, including 'Sweetener", "Cleaner", etc. These douches are the ones that started spreading the fear of water on a pipe. It is often alcohol based.

 

[aquadoc]

Specifically, only the o.p. can say. But in general, it's a commercial product, sold in bottles by pipe manufacturers, and goes by many names, including 'Sweetener", "Cleaner", etc. These douches are the ones that started spreading the fear of water on a pipe. It is often alcohol based.

It is because of you that I do a warm water rinse and not much else. Works perfectly.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It was the entire bowl

I came across one like that years ago. Turned out a previous owner tried to cover marijuana stink with paint thinner.

 

[Chasing Embers]

WTH is pipe cleaning fluid?

Around here it's pronounced moonshine.

 

[seanv]

Congrats on the new Meer. Post some pics of it.

 

[perdurabo]

Or Ever Clear or Golden Grain, Aquadoc.

 

[perdurabo]

Around here it's pronounced moonshine.

I keep forgetting to get that damn Diet Coke at the store. Thought about using everclear overnight to get that cake out, but felt like your advice was worth remembering to pick up some Diet Coke today?

 

[anotherbob]

that certainly isn't what meer is supposed to smell like. Probably like people said some attempt to clean the thing.

 

[anotherbob]

mars cigars & pipes - http://www.marscigars.com/meerschaum.aspx not sure if any of these are in your price range. I have one of the Churchwardens and it ain't fancy but it's made out of quality meer (according to what I've read about how they color.) It's just a smooth bowl with no real carvings on it (I guess that's a big part of the price. As apparently it takes years to learn how to do fancy carving on meer.