Smooth Meerschaums To Hot To Handle?

[vwg8]

I've been thinking of buying a smooth classic shape meerschaum because I like the feel of a smooth pipe but I'm having second thoughts. None of my smooth briar's (I have several) get to hot to handle comfortably but I have a few meerschaum lattice carved pipes and a few pipes with faces on them, I'm a "slow smoker" but have noticed on the meerschaums with faces (on the parts of the pipes that have a smooth area) that they seem to get uncomfortably hot to the touch and I'm worried about buying a smooth pipe that gets to hot to handle comfortably. Are meerschaums inherently "hotter" than briars?

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts.

 

[uberam3rica]

Most consider meers to be the coolest smoke. I'm not an expert on meerschuam, but it could be that its is poor block quality or that it is pressed meerschaum. I haven't seen your pipes, but if the walls are thin in the smooth areas, that could be why they get hot. I dont think being smooth or not really makes a difference

 

[riptide]

I have not noticed mine geeting hot when I smoke them But mine have fairly thick walls.

 

[juni]

Mine also gets a bit hot if I smoke too quickly.

 

[tokerpipes]

Same here. I do smoke it a little quickly once in a while when I am applying the Bees Wax to draw out the color, then when its cooled I will buff it up to a nice shine. I do this maybe once a month.

 

[tbradsim1]

I have an old gbd and a new strambach that are smooth and they get somewhat hot hopes this helps Tbradsim

 

[markw4mms]

They can get hot if you smoke too fast, or the bowl walls are thin. The best practice is to just handle it by the stem while smoking to keep your fingers from leaving prints in the wax causing blotches as it colors.

 

[hobie1dog]

And to the original poster...when you use the word "to" Websters defines it as:
in addition; also; furthermore; moreover: young, clever, and rich too. 2. to an excessive extent or degree; beyond what is desirable, fitting, or right: too sick to .
so you would want to have 2 of the letter "o" in it.
FYI :wink:

 

[fred]

The smoking characteristics of Sepiolite that make it desirable for use in Pipes is that the stone is an non-expanding type of clay that will absorb it's own weight in liquids, with a needle like morphology that also dissipates heat effectively. The way Block Meerschaum dissipates heat from the smoke is that it gets hot, serving much the same function as the radiator in your car. Having said that, is is also noteworthy to consider that other factors that come into play, such as: the type of blend being smoked, the personal habits of the Pipe smoker, the size and quality of the Block used to make the Pipe, and to a lesser extent, the surface finishing of the Pipe. Certainly and undercut lattice will demonstrate this last consideration..., even more so with the 'bowl within a bowl' style of carving, where the entire bowl is undercut and the exterior surface doesn't get hot. Since my personal choice is to handle the Block as little as possible, especially when it's hot, it really doesn't play a big role in my selection of a new Pipe. Being the old school Meerschaum Pipe smoker like me is not everyone's choice, but I do recommend that if the Pipe gets too hot to comfortably handle, then don't handle it.

 

[nsfisher]

Websters = Websters'
What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander

 

[romanza10]

I smoke a meer too, and it does get hot. I'm always the reason it warms up, but if I can't hold the bowl (I treat my meer like any other pipe) when it gets to hot I just hold it by the stem. And I slow down. Smoke it up bro, smoke it up.

 

[maineyachtie]

hobie1dog is a grammar Nazi!!!! Look out. :nana:

 

[martiniman]

Websters = Websters'
What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander

+1

 

[arabpipesmoker]

if this is the case with all meer. Pipes then i will drop the idea from my side since i am handling my pipes and not clenching it so touching are very critical point for me.

 

[brian64]

Actually, for the record, it would be Webster's...not Websters (slang for web-surfers) or Websters' (belonging to multiple Websters).