Show us your Pipes

[Hurricane Jack]

Ace of Spades. Not just a Motörhead song. Also one of Comoy's lesser known brands made in France. I wasn't able to find out much more than that online. The closest I could come to a date was from one (with a different shape, but otherwise the same markiings) on a Comoy's pipe company history page. It said "Early French". Not much help.

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The stem is vulcanite, and the pipe weighs only 21.5 grams. In great shape, unsmoked and almost like new. I just had to clean some oxidation off of the stem. I plan on breaking it in Sunday with a birthday bowl.

I always liked a Cutty with a heel. Reminds me of the old clay tavern pipes.

 

[moehawk]

nice cutty, a great old shape.

Thanks!

 

[moehawk]

I always liked a Cutty with a heel. Reminds me of the old clay tavern pipes.

I was considering buying one of those clay pipes recently. I decided against it because I knew I'd drop and break it before I could get more than a couple of uses out of it.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I was considering buying one of those clay pipes recently. I decided against it because I knew I'd drop and break it before I could get more than a couple of uses out of it.

They tend to smoke hot & if you don’t fit it with a softie bit or something the stem where it goes into your mouth tends to break down & turn chalky from saliva.

 

[Trenchfriend]

A different question.

Has anoyne of you tried Meerschaum filters??
I read some negative comments on the net, that the granulate often clogs the filter openings.

Actually, I don't use filters, but maybe I could try these Meerschaum ones.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

A different question.

Has anoyne of you tried Meerschaum filters??
I read some negative comments on the net, that the granulate often clogs the filter openings.

Actually, I don't use filters, but maybe I could try these Meerschaum ones.

I don’t use or own any filter pipes.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Another Cavalier dating to the late 19th century, in a private collection.

 

[Trenchfriend]

No sooner said than done! Hopped to the next bigger city and got some boxes. White Elephant "Super Flow", with 15% less Meerschaum granulate than usual.
I already tried the first one of them in my Savineli Etna 320 and indeed, they work well! I'm surprised.

These ones seem to work much better than the Vauen Dr. Perl Active Carbon filters, which I tried a couple of times, but never liked, because too much taste got killed.

But these ones don't have significant more drawing resistance AND they don't kill the taste.
Tried it with MacBaren Mixture Scotish Blend.

Not bad, for the first try, but I will report on further tests!

 

[moehawk]

They tend to smoke hot & if you don’t fit it with a softie bit or something the stem where it goes into your mouth tends to break down & turn chalky from saliva.

Now I'm glad I didn't get one. Thanks!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Last one and an half hour, I did a parallel test with the Meerschaum filters. And they absolutely work well, I tell you!

BUT:
I did a comparison test, meaning filling one of my top-smokers, the Vauen Duett 1509 with not so good (burning) tobacco and filling my smallest Jean Claude, which is not a really good smoker, with good tobacco.

The result was, that the small Jean Claude half-bent didn't work well with the Meerschaum filter, because the pipe itself is surely not that well engineered/balanced, what makes using the filter resulting in an even worse smoking. I was just unable to keep the pipe going.

On the Vauen Duett 1509, I had no significant difference.

But I'm looking forward to test with my other five pipes. And I will report to you!

 

[Trenchfriend]

The Vauen Duett 1500.

Works well with my Meerschaum filters.
But not a pipe for beginners, I would say. You have to pay more attention and smoke slowly, otherwise it's getting hot fast.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Savinelli's 320 shape is def. a top-smoker!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Design Berlin Magnum 67

Design Berlin (Hartmann) is liquidated, but leftovers can be found here and there.

And this one is original thuringian Schweina (Bad Liebenstein) production, which finally stopped in 2017, after 177 years!!

But all I can say, is, that this XXL volume pipe is an absolutely top-smoker!

And it gave me 1 hour and 50 minutes. JEEESUS!!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Something to read, if you like:

Design Berlin - Pipedia

pipedia.org

 

[Bushman]

Got the Ol' Reliable flame grain all polished up for the poker game tonight. We've invited our new neighbor over, and I want to make a good impression.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I actually got some new pipes. And the excellent working ones are already crystalizing.

So here's my actual top-smoker list. No wonder, that flatter pot-shaped pipes are working excellent:

-Vauen Duett 1509
-Savinelli Etna 320
-Design Berlin Magnum 67

So now, I can definitely recommend Savinelli's 320 shape! This Diplomat shape is very handy and it smokes like hell, I tell you! The drill is 23 mm (0,9 inch)!!

The Vauen 1509 is the very basic "potty" and it performs totally uncomplicated , too. Drill is 22 mm (0,87 inch). It's Vauen's "09" shape

Design Berlin is sadly liquidated company. The Magnum 67 has drill 22 mm (0,9 inch).

 

[moehawk]

Over the last few months I have bought some unfinished stummels and rough molded vulcanite stems from a couple of ebay sellers. They were all flawed in some way or another, with pits and cracks that kept them from being made into pipes 50 years ago. Lots of fun and learning working around or through these issues, not to mention exercising my problem-solving skills. I failed several times, ruining a number of stummels, but persevered until I got something usable. The apple I posted recently was one of the first that came out decent.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a lot of 12 random stummels and one semi finished pipe kit from another ebayer, who bought over 6000 pieces in a lot from the old Comoy's/GBD/BBB factory in England. Here are a few I have finished from this last bunch.




The apple was the semi finished one. The others were pre drilled, but still pretty rough.
I think I might have to buy a bigger pipe rack...

 

[Trenchfriend]

@moehawk
I bet, the flat potty smokes like hell!

 

[moehawk]

@moehawk
I bet, the flat potty smokes like hell!

Flat potty... LOL!
I didn't know what that bowl shape was called, but now I can't unsee the likeness to a commode!
I'll have to save my best sh... I mean stuff to smoke in it.
Now I want to make a seat and lid for it...

 

[Trenchfriend]

Now I want to make a seat and lid for it...

And how does potty work??