When to Throw a Pipe Out

[Amarkey]

I bought an Ebay special a while back. Its a Savinelli dry system pipe. Looked very nice from the pics, i glanced over the description and didnt catch a few key items. The pipe had started to burn out and was over boared to correct. In doing so the pipe has very thin walls now. Ive only smoked this pipe a few times and while it smokes great it gets very very hot even at my slowest pace. Kinda breaks my heart. What would some of you do in this case? Shelve it, trash it or smoke it till its completely burned out?

 

[Briar Lee]

It’s beautiful !

Cheap for a decoration on a shelf.

By the way the walls would not be too thin had the pipe been made of top grade briar.

It was sandblasted for a reason, likely to mask low grade briar.

Good briar, properly cured and seasoned, hardly ever burns our, it doesn’t get blazing hot, and try again.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Not thin at all.

 

[Briar Lee]

There are grades of briar and within grades, different qualities.

I owned a beautiful, smooth GBD Canadian that was made of low grade briar. It got hot as a two dollar pistol when smoked.

I’ve even owned old Kaywoodies that get hot spots, when smoked.

Those who know how to grade briar usually don’t sell the lowest grade.

But sometimes one slips through.

 

[Papamique]

I would carefully smoke it! Once you build up some more cake it will be just fine.

 

[Briar Lee]

I would carefully smoke it! Once you build up some more cake it will be just fine.

I tried that with my GBD and low grade briar chars, instead of cakes.

I sound like a Johnny One Note, but the way I’ve found to be certain to only get the highest grade (but far from the best grained quality) briar is to buy Pre 54 Marxman pipes.

The heath tree (actually more of a shrub) is worthless for pipes except for the burl roots. Most of the burl turns out to be scrapped. Experienced briar cutters know, which burls and which parts of burls are good, better, and best.

The best grade like Robert Marx used is almost as fireproof as asbestos. It doesn’t get hot to hold. Cake forms on the first smoke, no charring, and that cake is like carbon on a stainless steel skillet and always peels right off. The pipe is nearly immune to getting soggy. It is hard to ghost.

Low grade briar simply sucks.

 

[Bbailey324]

The wall thickness doesn't seem terminally thin to me. I'm in the smoke it slowly camp and see how it progresses. Possibly your slowest smoking pace could be even slower?

Second possibility is using a bowl coating to provide a backup buffer to a burn out. This is one of the better discussions of bowl coating I've seen.
chamber coating – Peterson Pipe Notes - https://petersonpipenotes.org/tag/chamber-coating/

 

[verporchting]

Edit - double post

 

[verporchting]

Smoke it gently and toss it if it burns out or you don’t enjoy it for whatever reason.

 

[Amarkey]

Thanks for all the advice. I can always count on you all to deliver. What i cant get a photo of is inside the bowl. There is still thin spots where there was burn out. Ill probably shelf this pipe as keep it as an ornament or smoke it once and a great while.

 

[Chasing Embers]

only get the highest grade (but far from the best grained quality) briar is to buy Pre 54 Marxman pipes.

"Marxman (Marxman Pipe Company) was created by Robert (Bob) L. Marx in 1934, when he was 29, and after he had worked for the William Demuth Company. His pipes were not outstanding because of the quality of their wood (probably Algerian), but Bob started making unique sculpted pieces, which brought the brand fame in the World of Hollywood cinema."

 

[bullet08]

It's a pipe that you don't see much future in. Smoke it however you want to. If it burns out, nothing to lose. Maybe it will actually not burn out and build a nice hard cake on it.

 

[telescopes]

"Marxman (Marxman Pipe Company) was created by Robert (Bob) L. Marx in 1934, when he was 29, and after he had worked for the William Demuth Company. His pipes were not outstanding because of the quality of their wood (probably Algerian), but Bob started making unique sculpted pieces, which brought the brand fame in the World of Hollywood cinema."

I’ve always been bothered by that statement. It’s more of an opinion than a fact in terms of Algerian briar being “low quality “. For some things and uses, I agree that it can be thought of that way. For smoking, not so much at all. In truth, I prefer the way Algerian briar smokes.

 

[Briar Lee]

"Marxman (Marxman Pipe Company) was created by Robert (Bob) L. Marx in 1934, when he was 29, and after he had worked for the William Demuth Company. His pipes were not outstanding because of the quality of their wood (probably Algerian), but Bob started making unique sculpted pieces, which brought the brand fame in the World of Hollywood cinema."

Let me add, compared to even a low grade Kaywoodie or Lee a Marxman is extremely plain.

But Marx sold a whole lot of $5 and $10 pipes in the middle of the blackest Depression in history.

This ugly thing, full of fills, is a $5 Jumbo. His pipes can’t be dated.




That pipe looked like it had been smoked a half a bowl. Brand new, it’s not hot, won’t char, it smokes cool, forms a cake easy, and colors while you smoke it.

Cake doesn’t stick hard, to a Marxman.

Rotate it reasonably and they don’t get soggy.

If I started all over I’d buy nothing else, to smoke. They aren’t pretty to look at.

My huge stash of Lees are every one prettier than any Marxman. And Lees aren’t as pretty as pre war high grade Kaywoodies. But while they smoke well, maybe only a couple or three out of a hundred smoke close to as well as every Pre 54 Marxman I’ve tried.

Why mess with an old pipe that will never be any good, when a high dollar Marxman is $40?

 

[didimauw]

Not thin at all.

View attachment 263807

I thought the same thing. Looks like plenty of wall on both pipes!

 

[ThermionicScott]

+1 for just smoking it. I think the walls on many pipes are needlessly thick.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I bought an Ebay special a while back. Its a Savinelli dry system pipe. Looked very nice from the pics, i glanced over the description and didnt catch a few key items. The pipe had started to burn out and was over boared to correct. In doing so the pipe has very thin walls now. Ive only smoked this pipe a few times and while it smokes great it gets very very hot even at my slowest pace. Kinda breaks my heart. What would some of you do in this case? Shelve it, trash it or smoke it till its completely burned out?

The walls don’t seem exceptionally thin, but if there is danger of burnout, you can line the chamber with water glass (sodium silicate). Member @craig61a might be able to offer some tips on how best to do this.

 

[anotherbob]

I

I’ve always been bothered by that statement. It’s more of an opinion than a fact in terms of Algerian briar being “low quality “. For some things and uses, I agree that it can be thought of that way. For smoking, not so much at all. In truth, I prefer the way Algerian briar smokes.

I've heard it referred to as the best smoker and as low grade briar. I guess it's what a person is looking for.

 

[telescopes]

I

I've heard it referred to as the best smoker and as low grade briar. I guess it's what a person is looking for.

It’s soft. You could trim it with a sharp spoon.

 

[Chasing Embers]

His pipes can’t be dated.

Not specifically, but having only a 19 year run they occupied an era.

I’ve always been bothered by that statement. It’s more of an opinion than a fact in terms of Algerian briar being “low quality “. For some things and uses, I agree that it can be thought of that way. For smoking, not so much at all. In truth, I prefer the way Algerian briar smokes.

All things pipe smoking are opinion. I've got three Algerians made by Bruce Weaver. They smoke no differently than others of his made with Greek briar or strawberry wood. I was just poking at Lee's comment from the Marxman page on Pipedia.