The Difference in Colour of Aged Briar

[kenbarnes]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

This photo shows the colour of the shavings from the tobacco chamber of a plateau block that was in the show room at the Charatan factory in 1972. As well as being darker in colour it is also harder wood. The lighter colour is newer plateau from Tuscany that I have naturally dried for two years. The wood is so much softer and more enjoyable to work with.
When I finish these two pieces, I will post some pics before they are stained.

 

[shanez]

Do you see this color difference (and hardness difference) in aged wood often?

Not that 47 year old wood is commonly available, but I'm trying to think of how one might demonstrate the difference is, at least mostly, due to age difference and not some other phenomenon.

I suppose one could fairly reasonably obtain wood samples from different geographic locations and from various sections of the root ball to rule out those two possibilities which would be a step in the right direction.

 

[craig61a]

Most woods do darken over time. The hardening makes sense too. Cutting or drilling into old wood usually has an interesting smell also.

 

[Mr.Mike]

My father's house was built by my great great grandfather in 1871. When my dad was doing some work in the bathroom he had to drill through the original floor, which was chestnut. Burned up two bits before he got through.

 

[craig61a]

My father's house was built by my great great grandfather in 1871. When my dad was doing some work in the bathroom he had to drill through the original floor, which was chestnut. Burned up two bits before he got through.

That made me think about old salvaged hardwood logs from the Great Lakes... I know there are salvagers that harvest old logs out of the lakes. Wonder what a oak pipe made out of that would be like...?

 

[bron340]

Being a carpenter, I can attest to the fact that wood harden significantly as it ages. When working on home remodels 40 years or older nails will bend even when shot out of a pneumatic nail gun. Drilling for hand drives is absolutely necessary.

 

[bron340]

That made me think about old salvaged hardwood logs from the Great Lakes... I know there are salvagers that harvest old logs out of the lakes. Wonder what a oak pipe made out of that would be like...?

Possibly like bog oak?

 

[grilledokra]

Possibly like bog oak?

Commonly known as Morta in pipe making.

 

[sasquatch]

Funny I just finished this one, 20 years this wood was sitting. That's a single coat of Tung. Very dark indeed.

 

[BROBS]

That’s interesting. So that explains why back in the day so many pipes either weren’t stained or barely had any. Because the aged briar was so dark already!

 

[sasquatch]

Being a carpenter, I can attest to the fact that wood harden significantly as it ages. When working on home remodels 40 years or older nails will bend even when shot out of a pneumatic nail gun. Drilling for hand drives is absolutely necessary.

Yeah when the studs are 100 year old fir, you can't put a nail in OR get one out, it's like iron.

 

[sasquatch]

That’s interesting. So that explains why back in the day so many pipes either weren’t stained or barely had any. Because the aged briar was so dark already!

I don't think most briar was aged a long time, honestly, there's absolutely no evidence of this, and lots of evidence to the contrary. The pipes we see now are dark because they were made 70 years ago. But when they were made, they would have been much lighter. "50 year old briar" quite literally refers to the age of the tree when the wood is harvested, no one ever sat on mountains of cut briar for 50 years (making 400,000 pipes a year, can you imagine the warehousing costs?).

 

[Chasing Embers]

Commonly known as Morta in pipe making.

Known as both.

 

[sablebrush52]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

This photo shows the colour of the shavings from the tobacco chamber of a plateau block that was in the show room at the Charatan factory in 1972. As well as being darker in colour it is also harder wood. The lighter colour is newer plateau from Tuscany that I have naturally dried for two years. The wood is so much softer and more enjoyable to work with.
When I finish these two pieces, I will post some pics before they are stained.View attachment 25069

Veryy, very interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing what you make from them.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Not only what you make, yes! But the weight differential, if the ebauchons or stummels are close to the same mass.

 

[marlinspike]

Anyone know what the relative hardness of sinker redwood is?

 

[mortonbriar]

My favourite kind of thread! Please do keep us posted!

Isaac

 

[Mr.Mike]

Yeah when the studs are 100 year old fir, you can't put a nail in OR get one out, it's like iron.

Even fir can get that hard? Wow!

 

[sasquatch]

Even fir can get that hard? Wow!

Fir is strange stuff that way. I'm not sure what process is occurring in wood as it ages like this, but yeah, you get an old spiral nail in a house built in 1920, that nail is staying in, and you can't screw into the stuff without pre-drilling.

 

[marlinspike]

One of my uncles was a carpenter, and I remember him talking about old-growth oak, with plenty of seasoning, and just how hard that wood could become.