Clay Tobacco Pipes at Penn Valley Pipes Pipeshoppe com
Another very fine, though quite different, buying experience can be purchasing or commissioning a pipe directly from an artisan pipe maker. While pipes of all levels of quality and price can be found among the artisan makers, they all seem to share the same friendly and approachable attitude. As with most artists, theirs is a labor of love and showing interest in their work is a gratifying experience for them.
Another variation of meerschaum pipe is the calabash pipe made iconic by William Gillette’s stage portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. The calabash is a gourd similar to a squash, grown specifically for use in pipes. The shape is determined as the gourd grows by placing small blocks under the stem, forcing it into a gentle curve. The mature gourd is cut and dried, then fitted with a cork gasket to receive a meerschaum bowl. The finished pipe offers one of the coolest, driest smokes available. Plastic tobacco pipes are extremely inexpensive, which is why they exist.
A pipe should be allowed to cool before removing the stem to avoid the possibility of warping it. In England clay pipes were sold in bundles of dozens or twenties, and were often free in taverns, where the tobacco was sold. The broad anatomy of a pipe typically comprises mainly the bowl and the stem.
Torch-style lighters should never be used to light a pipe because their flames are too hot and can char the rim of the pipe bowl. Matches should be allowed to burn for several seconds to allow the sulfur from the tip to burn away and the match to produce a full flame. A naphtha fueled lighter should also be allowed to burn a few seconds to get rid of stray naphtha vapors that could give a foul taste to the smoke. When a flame has been produced, it is then moved in circles above the rim of the bowl while the smoker puffs to draw the flame down and light the tobacco.
Meerschaum pipes are constructed from a specific mineral composite and are very rare these days. They’re very fragile for one thing, and very expensive due to the process required to make them. This type of pipe is renowned for delivering an exceptional flavor, however, due to the porous nature of the material. Also, briar is a very durable material, which is great for those who like to take their pipes with them when they go out.
The tobacco chamber, draft hole, smoke channel and slot determine the smoking qualities of a pipe. Collectively, these drillings, more so than shape, size and component materials, are the factors that yield a well smoking pipe. Just as in a well tuned high performance engine, good airflow is the critical factor for a pipe to smoke well.
The metal is worked with great craftsmanship, especially the welded joints. After finishing the objects are generally engraved, especially on the surface of the container. Chinese landscapes are popular, in combination with characters that express poetic thoughts. This example has a décor of a pastoral scene, a girl with fan on one side, a man walking in an overwhelming landscape on the other side.
However, if it becomes too thick, it may expand faster than the bowl of the pipe itself when heated, cracking the bowl. Before reaching this point, it needs to be scraped down with a reamer. It is generally recommended to keep the cake at approximately the thickness of a U.S. dime (about Fashion tobacco pipe 1/20 of an inch or 1.5 mm), though sometimes the cake is removed entirely as part of efforts to eliminate flavors or aromas. Some cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas smoke tobacco in ceremonial pipes, and have done so since long before the arrival of Europeans.