Your Pipe of The Day.

Scored this off eBay yesterday, more for the paperwork than anything else. I've yet to see that particular method of making Calciné Meerschaum be mentioned on any forums. Perhaps it truly was a lost technique, or a jealously guarded secret? Who knows?

The connection is "loose," which is probably why I was the only bidder. Looks like it ought to be a screw tenon, but the shank insert has come unglued from the Meerschaum. We'll see when it actually arrives. Most pipe problems can be fixed, after all.

It must be fairly old, as Turkey no longer exports raw Meerschaum. Only finished Meerschaum products leave the country's borders these days, and no Austrian Meerschaum craftsman remain.

I paid 3 cents more than it sold for originally, plus shipping. I consider that a bargain in most circumstances whether it be buying a vintage pipe, razor or stone.

I'm still a bit baffled at why I would want yet another billiard in my collection.

 

Seems to be a coloring technique used on pressed Meerschaum/Vienna Meerschaum. I've spotted other references to the oil-cure method, in a Sears and Roebuck catalog from the 1950's. Currently having a discussion with a meer aficionado on another forum who insists it's marketing lies and the oven or grill is the only way to color Meerschaum artificially.

My other Meerschaum pipe is a Kiko Sportsman, Opera Billiard shape (oval bowl) and leather covered. All the convenience of Meerschaum, with none of the downsides.

Speaking of pressed Meerschaum, this is also a recent addition to the collection:

William White & Sons were a clay pipe manufacturer based in Glasgow Scotland. This particular example might be an early type of the pipe that they would sell as "White's Allsorbo Patent" pipe, a unique mix of Meerschaum and clay; though I believe this particular example is just clay. It's already unusual in that it's a Peterson style 'system pipe,' with a reservoir and P-Lip stem, and case. W. White and Sons started in the early 1800's, and were a going concern until 1951. My best guess for the age of this pipe would be post 1900, maybe as late as 1930.

The picture below shows a woman crafting clay pipes in 1943 at the W. White facility. The building still exists today.
This pipe was auctioned before to a Canadian for $66, but the buyer balked at the international shipping fees and backed out of the sale, causing the seller to relist it. I paid less than half that price.

I've been meaning to add a "system" pipe to my collection. I just figured it would be an old WDC Wellington or an expensive Peterson pipe.

Edit: I've done a bit more research, and there's three or four types of these. There are the Peterson French made clays (1920's-30's), then there's Peterson Scottish made clays (which are considered inferior to the French made versions 1940's-50's), then there's the third type, made by White and other Scottish clay pipe makers, which are referred to as the "Scottish clay system pipes." Technically, there's a fourth type, the Peterson clays of the 1960's and '70's, which are generally considered more ornamental than usable.

All are quite rare, due more to the fragile, brittle nature of clay than for any other reason.

Peterson has no interest in resuming production of their clay pipes due to the negative connotations Irish clay pipes have with "grieving widows" and "wakes."

 

Take a drill bit just slightly larger than the ID of your stem's tenon. Heat the tenon with a hairdryer, insert top of drill bit. Quench in cold water. Remove drill bit.

Should fix your issue.

 

If it makes it too big, you can sand down the OD until it fits.

 

Some additions to the collection. My one gripe about my old boy lighter is that the chrome 'lines' model is somewhat slick, and I've butter fingered it a lot, and it has the dents and bumps to prove it. This one is a bit more textured. I believe it's the rusticated and sandblasted model. The briar outer shell comes from Savinelli.

Hope it works! (If not, there are people who service them).

The pipe was mislabeled as a 62 on the 'bay. It's a Stanwell 64 factory silver mounted pipe. I usually go for the military mounts on 63's and 64's, but I'm making an exception for this rare fellow.

Asked the wife if I could spend about $150 for my birthday, and she said yes, so this is the result of my shopping spree.

 

A bit battered around the edges, but I think this one might actually be worth sending out for a restore. There's a Teflon mortise under that silver ring, which was a pleasant surprise, as that sort of thing is usually reserved for their 'Pipe of the Year,' and select other high end models from this mid-tier manufacturer. The dissimilar materials (Teflon and Vulcanite) create friction, but the Teflon provides a fit between the tenon of the stem and the mortise of the briar that never changes. Like a military mount, the pipe can be disassembled while hot without worrying about cracking the shank.

There was also a hole in the top of the stem, which was also a surprise, albeit an unpleasant one. I know that can be repaired, but for now I'm using a rubber bite guard to prevent further damage until I decide how I want to proceed. There are also dents all over it, which can be steamed out, I think.
Internally, it's fine. Didn't even need to ream it. It was as well maintained as any of my own pipes.

It's not quite a basket case.

It smokes well. Broke it in with some Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. Should have picked Golden Slice instead, as these Dublins do best with flake.

Some 'before' pictures. While it has nice flame and straight grain, I can't see a standout reason this particular example got the silver treatment.