Quality/Different Grades of Meerschaum
Dave
to chime in:
I've got a bunch of meers. Some I smoke with a coloring bowl, some
without. I really enjoy the quality of a meerchaum smoke.
Among other things that we look for when buying briars is weight. A
well seasoned, cured piece of briar is oft-times light as a feather.
I have some very good pipes whose weight, relative to mass is
astonishing.
Does the same hold forth for meerschaum?
I remember how, in the 1970s when I bought a couple of meers, the
quality was pretty poor. For those that remember, they were made by
Nurhan Cevahir and Hayim Pinhas. They had standard (taper and saddle)
milky bakelite stems. Soem speclate that they were pressed meerschaum
that was carved...hmmmmm...
I think it is an amazing time for meers these days, IMHO. The carving
quality is intricate, engineering is great. Finishing is beautiful.
One thing I have also noticed -- getting back to my analogy with briar
-- is weight.
A friend was once chatting with Ed Burak - whose knowledge I would
never question - and Ed said how there are several grades of
meerschaum.
He said something along the lines of the fact that you can even tell
the grade by the color. Ya got me on that one: white is white is
white.
But,I have seen some meers that have a yellow, almost jaundice tint to
them. I have seen some sites that offer meers in white, yellow (as a
function of the finishing colored wax that is used) and even brown. I
assume the latter is a function of a staining process that the
manufacturer uses.
Yet, I have seen some -- like briars -- that are light as feathers,
and others that weigh a ton.
Can anyone account for this? Is lighter meerschaum "better"? Is it
more porous? Will it smoke better...drier...
I saw a meer in a B&M near me recently that was so light I was
speechless. I couldn't figure out why.
It wasn't because it had a lot of carving on it which lessened it's
overall mass. It was a fairly good sized pipe...yet it was SO light..
Anyone out there have an explanation? Is the grade of meer used on
this pipe THAT much better than others?
Much thanks.
Dave
FMOTT in an Altinok meer
Premal Chheda
The heavy meerschaum blocks have impurities within them that add weight and
density. The lighter materials are more pure and porous. From my
experience, the quality can be good in both of these varieties as long as
the block is clean, and they will both provide great smoking qualities. I
am not sure how many grades of meerschaum block there are, but most block
meerschaum pipes are made from top quality material. Beeswax and Parafin
wax are used as coatings on the finished products. The advantage to beeswax
is that it will stay on the pipe even after it is heated through smoking,
and it will hold color in its layer from smoking. A dye can be added to
the beeswax prior to applying it to the pipes. Some carvers will use a
paraffin/beeswax coating that is bleached. The paraffin/beeswax coating
does not hold up to heat as well as just beeswax. Beeswax is expensive in
Turkey.
Regards,
Premal Chheda
"Dave" <sirf...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3d86df7e.04042...@posting.google.com...
Sailorman Jack
>never question - and Ed said how there are several grades of
>meerschaum.
>He said something along the lines of the fact that you can even tell
>the grade by the color. Ya got me on that one: white is white is
>white.
Ed Burak is right about there being different grades of meerschaum. He does
know alot about the subject as his first job in the pipe business was as
apprentice to famous American meerscham carver Paul Fisher. At one time, Ed has
a rather important collection of antique meers. He had to sell them to raise
money when he opened his store. I've seen pictures of the pipes in the
collection. They were exquisite.
Now so far as telling the grade by the color, I have my doubts. There are
different hues among meerschaum pieces; but that seems to be a function of the
quality of the wax used in finishing them. Perhaps, I'm missing something here.
Jack
>Subject: Quality/Different Grades of Meerschaum
>From: sirf...@hotmail.com (Dave)
>Date: 4/30/2004 12:39 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <3d86df7e.04042...@posting.google.com>
Fair winds,
Sailorman Jack
Port of New York
-------------------------------------------------------------
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Professor Bernardo De La Paz in
Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress."
rhodog
block contains, the lighter and the more porous it is, resulting in a better
smoke.
As for differences in color, Deniz Ural, a gentleman of Turkish origin
living in Florida who is a meer pipe importer and distributor, once told me
that indeed there are color nuances that are indicative of the quality of
the material. If I remember well, I think he told me that it is better to
buy a pipe with an ivory color than to buy a really white one.
Cheers,
Erwin
"Dave" <sirf...@hotmail.com> schreef in bericht
news:3d86df7e.04042...@posting.google.com...
Sailorman Jack
>living in Florida who is a meer pipe importer and distributor, once told me
>that indeed there are color nuances that are indicative of the quality of
>the material. If I remember well, I think he told me that it is better to
>buy a pipe with an ivory color than to buy a really white one.
>Cheers,
>Erwin
That *is* interesting. Ed Burak told me the same thing about meerschaum color.
He showed me some Andreas Bauer pipes as examples of the better grade with the
ivory tint.
Does Mr. Ural happen to live in Key Marathon? I ask because there used to be a
store called the Meerschaum Pipe Shop there. I never got a chance to visit it.
Jack
>Subject: Re: Quality/Different Grades of Meerschaum
>From: "rhodog" mo...@pandora.be
>Date: 4/30/2004 11:14 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <c6tqga$fujju$1...@ID-133914.news.uni-berlin.de>
rhodog
be a
> store called the Meerschaum Pipe Shop there. I never got a chance to visit
it.
>
> Jack
No, Jack. Mister Ural doesn't have a pipe shop. His main business is
antiques. But he also imports and distributes the work of some of the great
Turkish artisans like Shevket and Yanik and he has his own brand. Did you
know that the old Dunhill meers were in fact Ural meers ?
Cheers,
Erwin
Sailorman Jack
>antiques. But he also imports and distributes the work of some of the great
>Turkish artisans like Shevket and Yanik and he has his own brand. Did you
>know that the old Dunhill meers were in fact Ural meers ?
>Cheers,
>Erwin
After reading your post, I looked through my meers to see if I had a Ural. I
don't. I did find a very old meer, the only marque being "genuine meerschaum .
amber" on a label in the case.It became clear that the adjective "genuine" was
meant to apply only to the meerschaum, not the amber. For the pipe slipped from
my fingers and dropped onto the hardwood floor. The meerschaum was not harmed
at all. The "amber" stem split in half and it became apparent that it was not
amber. The rich amber color of the stem was only a coating. The interior of the
stem was some white material.
I am very glad to know that the old Dunhill meers were Ural meers.
Jack
Altinok Pipe
"rhodog" <mo...@pandora.be> wrote in message
news:c6tqga$fujju$1...@ID-133914.news.uni-berlin.de...
> I know there are seven different grades in meerschaum. The less impurities
a
> block contains, the lighter and the more porous it is, resulting in a
better
> smoke.
>
> As for differences in color, Deniz Ural, a gentleman of Turkish origin
> living in Florida who is a meer pipe importer and distributor, once told
me
> that indeed there are color nuances that are indicative of the quality of
> the material. If I remember well, I think he told me that it is better to
> buy a pipe with an ivory color than to buy a really white one.
>
I wish you could see the raw meerschaum block with your naked eyes and feel
it in your hands. But still I have a chance to show you what it looks like.
Some of you may have seen that sort of pictures already. I took two pictures
of "genuine" raw meer blocks and made a page for you on my web site :
http://altinokpipe.com/meer_block.htm
It's really an incredible material. You can't even estimate its weight
without holding in your hands. It's like a sponge. There ARE a few different
qualities in the nature all mined in Eskisehir. The best quality is the
whitest and lightest one. Second quality (calls as Sepetchi. Sepetchi is the
name of the village where that second quality is mined) is not so white and
light as the first quality offers. Of course, there is a price difference in
between which is normal. The thing which is NOT normal is that nobody tells
they use Sepetchi. The worst is that you cannot distinguish which is which
if you are not a real connoisseur in meers.
As for the waxes. Yes, mainly there are two different waxes. One is ivory
color beeswax and whitened beeswax. They are different because some people
like white meerschaum pipes and some people like ivory (dirty yellow) color
pipes. You may like to see the meerschaum's natural white color so whitened
beeswax fits on you. But if you like your pipe must look more dramatic and
old-like, ivory color wax fits on you then. As a result, you cannot tell
anything about meerschaum's quality by looking the wax color only. They are
both for different tastes. That's all.
Hope I didn't make you more confused. I just want to make a clear picture in
meerschaum story time to time.
Sinan Altinok
PB_TLS
> I wish you could see the raw meerschaum block with your naked eyes
> and feel it in your hands. But still I have a chance to show you what
> it looks like. Some of you may have seen that sort of pictures
> already. I took two pictures of "genuine" raw meer blocks and made a
> page for you on my web site : http://altinokpipe.com/meer_block.htm
Very interesting pictures, thanks. I didn't imagine that so much material
was lost around the raw block to get workable material.
> As for the waxes. Yes, mainly there are two different waxes. One is
> ivory color beeswax and whitened beeswax. They are different because
> some people like white meerschaum pipes and some people like ivory
> (dirty yellow) color pipes.
BTW, as we have here an expert, I'd like to ask a question about waxes.
I've been told that some carvers used whale's white (spermaceti) in the
past (instead of beeswax), and that this practice was discontinued because
of the protection of whales. However, since there is now good substitute
for whale's white, I wonder why it has not been reintroduced. In fact, I
was told that pipes waxed with whale's white were taking a better color
than with beeswax and were better draining tar and nicotin to the exterior
of the bowl, mainly because melting point of spermaceti (35-43°C) is lower
than beeswax (62-66°C).
Is there any truth in that or is it only another urban legend ?
Thanks
Pierre
DrBlues
PB_TLS
> dude that is like way disgusting....
> cordially
> Terry
> http://www.dr-blues.com/
Hi Terry,
Not to add to your bad night, but you may be surprised to learn where one
can find spermaceti... Just figure that you surely eat some each time you
kiss your wife, provided she uses some lipstick... ;-)
Pierre
Joseph M. LaVigne
says...
Luckily, in the 12 years I have known my wife, she has never used a hint
of makeup.
Natural beauty. And an attitude to match... ;-)
--
Joe LaVigne
http://www.hits-buffalo.com
jlavigne AT hits-buffalo com
Altinok Pipe
news:4093820e$0$12738$636a...@news.free.fr...
> BTW, as we have here an expert, I'd like to ask a question about waxes.
> I've been told that some carvers used whale's white (spermaceti) in the
> past (instead of beeswax), and that this practice was discontinued because
> of the protection of whales. However, since there is now good substitute
> for whale's white, I wonder why it has not been reintroduced. In fact, I
> was told that pipes waxed with whale's white were taking a better color
> than with beeswax and were better draining tar and nicotin to the exterior
> of the bowl, mainly because melting point of spermaceti (35-43°C) is lower
> than beeswax (62-66°C).
>
> Is there any truth in that or is it only another urban legend ?
>
> Thanks
> Pierre
Pierre,
I haven't heard of that. May be, in the old times of meerschaum story,
makers were using whale's wax. But now we only use beeswax. In my opinion,
it's much better way for waxing pipes than using whales when you consider
the importance of preserving the habitat. Do you think so?
Regards,
Sinan
Sailorman Jack
>> past (instead of beeswax), and that this practice was discontinued because
>> of the protection of whales. However, since there is now good substitute
>> for whale's white, I wonder why it has not been reintroduced. In fact, I
>> was told that pipes waxed with whale's white were taking a better color
>> than with beeswax and were better draining tar and nicotin to the exterior
>> of the bowl, mainly because melting point of spermaceti (35-43°C) is lower
>> than beeswax (62-66°C).
>>
>> Is there any truth in that or is it only another urban legend ?
>>
>> Thanks
>> Pierre
>
>Pierre,
>
>I haven't heard of that. May be, in the old times of meerschaum story,
>makers were using whale's wax. But now we only use beeswax. In my opinion,
>it's much better way for waxing pipes than using whales when you consider
>the importance of preserving the habitat. Do you think so?
>
>Regards,
>
>Sinan
>
Spermacetti was used in the 19th and early 20th century; but not by itself. It
was added to the beeswax before application to the pipes.
PB_TLS
>> In my opinion, it's much better way for waxing pipes than using
>> whales when you consider the importance of preserving the habitat.
>> Do you think so?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Sinan
>>
>
> Spermacetti was used in the 19th and early 20th century; but not by
> itself. It was added to the beeswax before application to the pipes.
>
>
Thanks for the tip, Jack.
And for Sinan, don't worry, nowadays spermaceti is no more coming from
whales. There is a substitute coming from jojoba :
http://tinyurl.com/yw4uz
Pierre