Some Meershaum Issues

[twangthang]

Hi there,

I have had a recent fascination with meershaum pipes and not much luck with my recent purchases.

A while back I spotted a poker on SP.com that was unnamed but was stamped "block meershaum" (pictured below),

 

[twangthang]

Sorry for the second post... finger fudge. to continue.

I love the pipe shape and it smokes well. the issue is that it seems that it was pre-colored and then sealed over. This would seem to be counter-intuitive. the sealing would make the meerschaum less porous. I would like to sand the surface and use beeswax over that, but I am not sure if it would ruin the pipe. thoughts?

I have since bought another meer that was lightly smoked and really love the smoking qualities. This pipe is what made me realize that the above poker may not be correct. When I went to check if the stem was a push tenon or screw tenon I noticed that the stem was loose and although it is a screw tenon the screw piece pulled out from the shank. I tried putting a little beeswax on tenon and re-installing it, but it really needs to be glued.

My question is can it be glued and what glue should I use if not should I seek professional help...(for the pipe... lol)

thanks for looking and any help

Jim

 

[blueeyedogre]

Sanding your pipe won't hurt it at all, I've reshaped a few meers with zero problems. Just make sure you go slow as you can remove a lot in a hurry and blow all the sanding dust off before waxing it. As for your tenon I would try maybe ordering a new tenon piece or "painting" some clear fingernail polish over the treads to beef them up a little before I tried gluing it. If you do end up gluing it the glue I use is called "Insta-cure+". It's an instant glue used by dentists on dentures so it's definitely nontoxic.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Twang, I believe that pipes stamped 'Block Meerschaum' are of African meerschaum mined at Amboseli, Tanganyika which is now Tanzania.
Though harder than traditional Turkish meerschaum it is regarded by the 'experts' as an inferior product. I have several pipes made from African meerschaum and they smoke fine.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[blueeyedogre]

I'd almost guarantee that the poker is African meerschaum and that might be harder to work with as it is far harder then Turkish Meerschaum. As for the loose stem I would advise sending it to a pro...... and get a nice Lucite stem cut for it while it's there! lol

 

[mawnansmiff]

As for your loose tenon issue I would highly recommend using black nail varnish. Lay a coat on and let it dry thoroughly then try for fit. If too tight then sand a little off with ~600 grit paper until a comfortabe fit is achieved.
I have done this many times and it has always worked for me.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[bigpond]

Though harder than traditional Turkish meerschaum it is regarded by the 'experts' as an inferior product

Not so! The quality of african block was less consistent than turkish at the time due largely to the method of production. A well made african meer is just as good as a turkish. In many cases the Laxey pipes are of better quality than what they compete against. Meer has it's snobs just like briar.
Edit: OP, keep an eye out for IMP estates on SPC. They usually are priced from 50-60.

 

[twangthang]

Thanks for the responses. I have since sanded the "block Meershaum" pipe. The gloss came down pretty quite a bit. It still has a Matt finish. I am trying to decide if I want to try and sand more off and get down to the unfinished meershaum. I have smoked it and it does seem to breath a bit better.

As for the other meershaum billiard shape I will probably be excommunicated from the pipe community, but I used a little Crazy Glue and it seemed to have worked well. I am back to smoking it in my regular rotation and It is holding up well.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

African meerschaum pipes are a more durable meerschaum pipe, but its said that they don't color as well as a Turkish meerschaum pipe will. However, I've seen many great looking African meerschaum pipes, so as usual the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. From the picture the poker meerschaum definitely looks like an African meerschaum.
Older meerschaum pipes dating back to the late 1800's and early 1900's were pre-colored most of the time. This is referred to as pre-calcinated (sp?). These pipes many times will have that nice red/burgundy color to them. It was just the style for the time.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I have smoked it and it does seem to breath[sic] a bit better."
Twang, are you able to expand upon that? I don't quite understand how a smoker is able to determine whether a pipe is able to breathe or not, if indeed a pipe breathes at all. What specifically did you notice?
Glad you fixed the pipe to your satisfaction by the way.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[twangthang]

Jay,

The pipe doesn't gurgle now. When I am done the bowl does not seem to be retaining as much moisture. The finish that was on the bowl was almost like a varnish. I am assuming it was not allowing moisture to wick off through the meershaum.

Based on the fact that the only thing changed was to remove the coating on the outside of the pipe I am postulating that the pipe is passing the moisture through the pipe material more efficiently.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Very interesting Twang but I am having difficulty in understanding how moisture would wick out through thick walls of meerschaum in such a short time, let alone how one would detect it.
Think of it this way, if one were to fill up a pipe bowl, be it meer or briar, with water then put an airtight seal on the shank end and lid on the bowl top, by your reckoning that water would weep out of the bowl sides. This I very much doubt would occur even if left alone for many months. Yes of course meer does have pores but on a microscopic scale hence it taking so very long to 'colour' a meer pipe.
Now I am not doubting that you have somehow cured the gurgle issue but I cannot see how by merely sanding the bowl that would have cured it.
At some point I will make a slide of a thin section of meer and photograph it at various magnifications through my microscope then you will see how minute those pores really are.
Enjoy the poker, it's a lovely shape. I have a huge block meer billiard that I don't care for too much which I keep meaning to rusticate hoping that might improve its looks...one of these days :?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jonasclark]

Indeed, African meerschaum is not necessarily inferior to Turkish. However, it is denser, and it absolutely will not color like Turkish, which is why they were usually pre-stained. Yours looks quite nice.
The other should be sent to a pro to have a new tenon push-pull set installed.

 

[newbroom]

I think you jumped the gun by sanding the block. The coloring looks typical of a Kiko African meer.

We often take our preconceptions on our jump to conclusion. I don't think you ruined it, by any means, as far as its smoking characteristics, but I rather doubt that it's much of or any improvement.

The main thing is to clean the airway. It doesn't take much gunk to cause gurgle.

I really like that pipe!

 

[mawnansmiff]

Newbroom is quite correct with the connection twixt clogged airway and gurgle. To blame gurgle on the bowl coating (or lack of) is pure fantasy and one of many myths connected with pipesmoking. Another one is being able to taste cigar tobacco in homemade pipe mud. Folks read these 'claims' and make a mental note of them only to recall them when problems are encountered thereby perpetuating the myth when basic science principles and common sense should be telling them otherwise.
Regards,
Jay.