Why Dunhill Shell Briar Pipes Seem to be So Fragile

[craiginthecorn]

Canadians are prone to cracked shanks. The long, slender shank is both less sturdy and subject to greater force due to leverage. I generally don't remove the mouthpieces on my straight pipes except for occasional deep cleaning.

 

[sasquatch]

All pipes move a little, the briar on an oil cured pipe possibly less so, but briar moves like any wood with humidity change. It is more stable than most because of grain density, orientation, and silicate content, but it still moves. If a pipe is getting tight over time because the briar is shrinking (maybe you live where the relative humidity is 20% lower than where the pipe was made), you need to take physical action, remove a little material from the mortise wall with a rolled up sand paper for example. Bees wax I do like, but if a tenon needs graphite, it's too tight imho, and all you are doing it lubricating it, the briar is still under too much pressure.

I have a couple old shells around here, I find them tremendously stable and tremendously tough, I don't worry about handling or smoking them.