Why Meerschaum Lined Briar?

[buck17]

Another thought no one has posed...are meer lined not more often smokable? As in they are not as susceptible to burning through, therefore longer lasting for the exterior being briar and the interior lasting longer as meerschaum? Don't know...I have inherited one briar lined so I am not familiar with how regular meerschaums fair over time concerning this.

 

[upnorth1]

I inherited two meer lined, leather covered pipes from my Father and my Grandfather One is a generic "golf" pipe, the other a Kiko Tanganyikan meer. They are both pleasant smokers, but as I also have an African meer, (Jambo) that I really enjoy, I usually reach for that when I'm in the "meer mood". So the meer lined ones don't get smoked very much.

 

[davek]

Flammability vs. not, thus cake or not. Wind smoking can be a heckuvan issue too.

 

[armonts]

I think we found more, in the 70s I had one that was very good.

Since then I bought a chubby Brébbia for fun, in maple, and I saw that the furnace of foam is surrounded around 2mm of plastic / nylon... 8O

 

[mso489]

Opps, apologies for my ten-month-ago typo. The second "briar" is supposed to be meerschaum, as everyone likely knew, a few of you snorting with annoyance. I do remember when meerschaum lined bowls were popular, when pipe smoking was more common. At that point, in the fifties, it was the benefits mentioned above as well as the "look." It was about the same time as leather wrapped bowls and shanks, and of course, there were leather-wrapped pipes with meerschaum liners.

 

[bnichols23]

Anybody gives you grief, mso, just refer them to me. By the time they finish with my typos, they'll never mention any peccadillos of yours ever again! -laugh-
I've had a few meer-lines over the years, plus a few pure block meer, of course. Mostly Hilson Fantasias, which I've always liked. An actual *unsmoked* one showed up on eBay the other day. I bid, but more out of nostalgia than anything else. Didn't get it, but didn't break my heart.
Last night somebody posted a royally beaten up one .. for $125. Sheesh. I made a reasonable offer (~$28); turned down in under 5 minutes. } The poor lady took her late husband's thoughts at face value -- "very rare & collectible." I didn't burst her bubble. Besides, she'll find some fool willing to pay that. Won't be me.

 

[upnorth1]

Another thought. Meer lined briars might appeal to those who like to smoke a meer but are not too gentle on their pipes. I have an African estate meer, (much harder meer than Turkish) that bears the marks and chips on the bowl associated with knocking the pipe against an object or surface to empty the dottle. This type of smoker should benefit from a meer lined pipe.

 

[brooklynpiper]

Went down this rabbit hole once when I was thinking over a purchase of a meerschaum lined briar. I read an array of opinions similar to the ones represented here - cooler smoke, no ghosting, faster turnover, gimmick, hokie, leftover meerschaum scraps and trash briar . . . For all I know they could all be true, but looking back, I wish I just bought the pipe.
In a kind of Chekhovian manner, with everyone taking the time to give their opinion, don't you kind of feel like you should buy it now? Wouldn't it fulfill a sense of completion to go from asking the question to presenting an opinion of your own finding? As the curious, aren't you a little bit obligated to investigate?
Apologies, I'm stirred by my own regrets and what is the internet for if not to encourage others to make fun purchases?

 

[bnichols23]

>>regrets and what is the internet for
Cats, politics, & porn? }
Seriously, I agree with you. I don't currently have a meer-lined, & a part of me has always exhibited itself in my collection as being representative of the old Alfred Sloan (patriarch of GM for eons) philosophy: "A car [pipe] for every purse and purpose." I.e., knock-arounds; prime-relaxation; everydays; car-pipes; seeerious-luxury-splurges; wretched-excess (gotta put my freehands in there somewhere, don't I???); & just oh,-what-the-hell-in-general pipes, which of course is where the meer-lineds fall.
I think I need one. :mrgreen:

 

[crashthegrey]

In summary, save a pipe that is 80% done when a pit opens in the chamber, sell it to people who smoke too fast and hot, and sell a gimmick of a cooler smoking pipe, while actually selling codgers windy day pipes. Sounds brilliant to me. Yeah, I kind of want one just to see how hard I can smoke it now.

 

[sablebrush52]

Well, I have a few of them, and they smoke quite well. I don't see why anyone has a problem with them.

 

[tom12]

I have a very nice Vauen 3672 that my girlfriend bought me, I probably wouldn't have gone for it myself but it is a great pipe and smokes like a dream.

 

[foggymountain]

I got my first and only meer lined briar in the 1950s. It was a composite meerschaum. Awful pipe; a complete disaster to smoke, tasted terrible. Was glad when the briar burnt out and I could throw it away.

 

[doctorbob]

I've got one, a block meer lined Hilson Europa that does a really good job. Done right, with good block meerschaum, they can be outstanding.
doc

 

[daniel7]

I'm new at Meerschaum-lined pipes, I have just received my first two in the last one week. And I can't believe that I haven't tried this type of pipes in the last 15 years. I have a Vauen and a Brebbia and both smoke like nothing else before. I can taste every shade and type of tobacco, it gives a very dry smoke and the pipe remains almost cold. Not to mention how easy to clean it. I'm already trying to choose my next meer-lined pipe, this type is my new absolute favourite.
Brebbia - it is a real beauty, birdeyes on both sides, absolutely amazing grain and craftmanship. This pipe is flawless, the perfect pipe for me:

Vauen - Not a real beauty, but it has no fillings and it is practical with the army stem, appears to be a real workhorse, massive and an excellent smoker:

Do you have any experience with "White Star" brand? It was a second brand of Georg Jensen, but nowadays owned by a German company, and produced in Italy. As far as I could find out. I'm looking for a cheap straight meer-lined billiard, a travelling, car and everyday pipe and it matches my requirements but I don't know anything about the brand.

This is it:

 

[daniel7]

I ordered the White Star straight billiard, it started to grow on me. It is cheap (60€ with delivery to Iceland), I'm in a need of a straight billiard, it is meerschaum-lined and it has a damn fine classic shape. So why not to try it? I will write some lines about it when it arrives and I can try it.

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

A while back, I got a small lot of pipes off eBay, and one of them was a "Hilson Fantasy" which appears to be meerschaum lined, but the stummel looks to be made of some kind of rosin rather than any wood.
I suppose the lining provides fireproofing for the rosin bowl around it.

 

[gatorlope]

The only markings are “meerlined” and “Italy”, but it has been one of my favorite smokers for many years

Topless! (My go to pipe for breezy days etc.) NASA likes meerschaum for its’ insular properties and light weight - me too! Never too hot in the hand!

 

[daniel7]

@Gatorlope, that pipe is not the prettiest I have ever seen but it definitely has a charm. Like it could tell some great stories from a forgotten age.

 

[gatorlope]

Well, it’s belonged to a farmhand, a cowboy, a circus handler, a carpenter, a Civil Defense dispatcher, a diesel mechanic, a proofreader, a gun & hardware salesman, a scuba diver, a treasure hunter, a truck driver, an antiques dealer, a moving man, presidents of two non profit organizations, a bindery foreman, a published poet, a mail handler, a robot operator and a retiree from the U. S. Postal Service.