Unusual TinderBox Pipe, Thoughts? pics

[agnosticpipe]

Most of us don't usually get excited about pipes stamped Tinder Box, but I've seen some nice ones over the years, just never pulled the trigger on one. I saw this on eBay and was attracted to it's style (dublin poker?), and the fact that it was meerschaum lined. I haven't read much good about meer lined pipes, but I've always wanted to try one for myself. This one was stamped only The Tinder Box, Meerschaum Lined, and no country of manufacture, or even imported briar. From what I've read about these pipes it seems most were made in Italy, but there's no sure way to tell, not that it makes that much difference with a pipe like this.
It did clean up nice, and only had one tiny fill on the right side smaller than a pin head easily hidden in the grain when restoring. The left side has some nice birds eye grain, and the stem looks like it had hardly been smoked, but was badly oxidized. The bowl is a little narrow so I loaded it with some GH Bob's Chocolate Flake. So far so good, smokes nice and cool, but time will tell if it will hold up.

Anyone else had any experiences with meerschaum lined briars?

 

[philobeddoe]

Nice birdseye on the side. I too have often wondered about meer lined briars, but I've never made the plunge.

 

[voorhees]

Be nice to it and it will be nice to you. Just treat it like a meer pipe when cleaning the inside. Enjoy.

 

[fitzy]

Very nice. I hope she smokes well for you.

 

[mso489]

My first pipe was a Tinder Box St. Ives, and the resident historian at Tinder Box guessed that it might be a Chacom, one of their several sources of house pipes over the years. Mine is an unusually tastefully designed bent pot with a vertical saddle stem (the flattened part is vertical). It is still in good shape and smokes as well or better than ever. I do think long use, with good maintenance, actually improves smoking characteristics. Yours could be a French pipe too; it's another possibility.

 

[jvnshr]

It is a nice pipe, I am just in love with the Dublin shape.

 

[shaintiques]

Beautiful pipe. Love the shape.

 

[crashthegrey]

Nice, a meer lined Dublin sitter. Can't beat that for interesting.

 

[pagan]

There are/was several good pipe makers that provided for Tinder Box, every now and then you find a gem, very nice grain on that one, let us know how she smokes

 

[samcoffeeman]

I know that Charatans made some pipes for the Tinder Box, but most were stamped Unique. That does look a bit like a Charatans shape but not sure of it. Be careful with meerschaum lined pipes, don't use any alcohol or solvent in the bowl, it is just pressed meer and will deteriorate.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

PERHAPS a silly question, but is removing the meer lining an option on these types of pipes?

 

[weezell]

Nice score Orley! Good smokes to ya...

 

[agnosticpipe]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! This is a nicer smoking pipe than I figured it would be. I puffed like a train on it to see what would happen, and it did get a little hot, but otherwise it smokes just like any other briar. I originally thought it looked like a Charatan shape, but I don't know if Charatan made any meer lined pipes. I think with this one the briar is thick enough to remove the meer and still have plenty of briar left to still be a decent smoker, but I have no desire to do so. I'm on my second bowl now and just relaxing before hitting the hay. ::

 

[uberam3rica]

I had a meer-lined pipe once, it smoked great. Nice pipe by the way.

 

[dottiewarden]

The Tinderbox moniker might quickly be snubbed by the distinguished collector, but the fact is a good pipe is a good pipe. It wasn't that long ago that quality was widely available, though today even established brand names are guilty of shoddy workmanship at times.
What you have there is one fine pipe. Smoke it and be proud. Congratulations!

 

[mawnansmiff]

You have a lovely looking pipe there Orley. I have several meer lined pipes, most of them being Kiko from Tanzania and some are clad in pig skin too. One of my favourites is a Kiko 45 bent billiard (sans pig skin) I use exclusively for Virginia blends and it's a great smoker though it can get a little warm if tugged hard.
I also have a French made 'Fleur De Lis' meer lined sitter pot which I never got around to smoking. I just now dug it out and am about to load it up with some Hal 'O The Wynd to test it out ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mso489]

My Tinder Box shop at a large mall in Raleigh, N.C., seems to have reduced its pipe inventory, although they still display a healthy range of tinned tobacco and their usual row of bulk tobacco jars. Their pipes are a pretty good range of brands, but I haven't seen any house pipes in years, and their less expensive pipes are not impressive compared to what you can get for the same price online. I think the revenue stream is the large walk-in cigar humidor. Since the mall is no-smoking throughout, that somewhat cramps the style of a pipe and cigar shop. However, they recently (last couple years) moved to more square footage around the corner from where they were, so I have to believe the cigars keep them afloat. I think the pipes are pretty much a side issue. There are two independent pipe shops in the area, one near the NCSU campus, and the other pretty far out in the 'burbs, in an adjoining town. The campus shop has cigars but a strong emphasis on pipes, but is too small to have house pipes of its own, per se, though it has basket pipes of various grades.
I think a pipe designed with a meerschaum insert would not be improved, and would probably be considerably diminished, by prying out the insert. The walls of the bowl are designed for the insert, not going without it, and the airway would not be improved. Meerschaum insert briar pipes are a certain kind of item; try it, you might like it, but that's what it is. I say, leave it be. It's like leather wrapped pipes -- take them or leave them, but don't husk off the leather. Go with the intended design.

 

[mawnansmiff]

MSO489 is quite correct regards removing the meer insert of a pipe. I have a Kiko straight bulldog that came to me damaged (it was an estate pipe). I tinkered with it and concluded the meer bowl was shot so I removed it completely...it actually just crumbled apart.
I then finished cleaning the pipe and loaded it up. My goodness did it get hot! Halfway through the bowl I could only hold it by the shank.
If the meer lining is good then best leave it there, the pipe was built that way for a reason.
Regards,
Jay.