Turkish vs. African meerschaum
Sailorman Jack
are saving money.
They're not. You can get a Turkish meer in a fitted case for less than $30. For
examples, click http://www.royalmeerschaum.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."
Alexander Gerli
>they
>are saving money.
>
>They're not. You can get a Turkish meer in a fitted case for less than $30.
>For
>examples, click http://www.royalmeerschaum.com
>
>Fair winds,
>Sailorman Jack
>Port of New York
You got me to thinking...I have a couple of meers I've had for years and
haven't smoked in ages. Both were gifts from my best friend in high school when
he was stationed in Istanbul with the USAF in the mid-60s. Both are very
unusual shapes.
Are there particular types of tobaccos which are particularly suited to smoking
in Meers? I'm planning to go to the NY Pipe Show in a couple of weeks and maybe
I'll run into you there. I really favor Briars, but I'd just hate to have these
special old Meers just sit there.
Any recommendations, Jack?
Alexander :^)
KD5BAF/Luke
"Alexander Gerli" <ac...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040304011910...@mb-m07.aol.com...
Sailorman Jack
>smoking
>in Meers?
I believe any tobacco you like goes well in a meer. You may experience them
differently than you do when you smoke them in briars as meers do not add to
the taste. They are more neutral than briars.
>I'm planning to go to the NY Pipe Show in a couple of weeks and maybe
>I'll run into you there.
>Alexander :^)
If you come, you'll see me. I am the emcee. Please say hello. I do want to meet
you.
Jack
Gevaldi
KD5BAF/Luke skriblede:
> That is a great URL for meers...
Here is greater one :)
http://www.danishpipemakers.com/makers/urup/index.shtml
--
/Gevaldi
Tom
>they
>are saving money.
>
I have because I collect Petersons & that is the type of meer that they use.
--Tom
-oo-
""\o~
------------------------------------
"Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto."
Terrance
random
briar for $200? The world is shrinking, looks like our belts need to
shrink with it. And on top of that, they don't have many smooth
shapes, I was hoping they'd have some pots or something but the only
smooth shape I saw was a billiard... I'm not one who appreciates their
carved gargoyle faces. What's the quality on these Jack, are they
using cheap plastic stems like a cob, or what? Hell, if I remember
right Tinsky is charging $5 for a stem, that's half the price of these
guys' pipes! I see a world depression coming, lead by the US falling
into the crapper.
chantym...@aol.com (Sailorman Jack) wrote:
--
Random's Pipes: http://www.ren-prod-inc.com/random_pipes/index.shtml
Sailorman Jack
(snipped)
>What's the quality on these Jack, are they
>using cheap plastic stems like a cob,
>or what?
The stems on these meers are pretty much standard so far as Turkish meers go --
just adequate.
> I see a world depression coming
Coming? It's been here for a few years.
Jack
GIG
Stokers Haven 2004 club pipe, I can tell you that there are
significant differences among Turkish meerschaum merchants. Regarding
African meerschaum I only remember people's biases against it in the
past.
Crucial to the smoking satisfaction in the meerschaum is the quality
of the block mined, and, yes, according to the vendors, there are
quality differences. Next is the tenon-mortise system. Andreas Bauer
patented a version which is superior to the old screw-in type or the
more customary delrin or teflon push-in type with narrow smoke
passageways. I have a Bekler which uses a method similar to the Bauer
system.
Bauer, an Austrian brand, is now owned by Koncak Meerschaum which
markets a less expensive line under its own name (push-in tenon,
acrylic mouthpieces). The Bauer line continues to use cultured amber
mouthpieces, another of its hallmarks. All Turkish meerschaums are
now made in Turkey by Turkish law as I understand it. Lesser quality
brands will use thin polyester mouthpieces which will not hold up to
clenching for long.
I have owned Koncak, Bauer, and Bekler, and recommend the Koncak-Bauer
lines for overall quality and value. You can custom-order a pipe and
bargain with Mr. Koncak who is fair and accomodating. Check them out
at koncak.meerschaum.com.
GIG
chantym...@aol.com (Sailorman Jack) wrote in message news:<20040304233904...@mb-m27.aol.com>...
random
>>From: random
>(snipped)
>> I see a world depression coming
>
>Coming? It's been here for a few years.
>
>Jack
It's been pretty clear for a few years that it's on the way, but so
far as I can tell it really hasn't hit yet. Most Americans still have
enough to eat, there's little or no rioting, no camps for indigents,
no soup lines to speak of. I'm expecting a depression sufficient to
usher in the second dark age, Jack (of course I'm nuts so no doubt
everything is just as Walt Disney left it). With other countries
offering roughly comparable goods to what Americans make, for pennies
on the dollar, work is moving offshore and overseas, and what'll be
left isn't pretty because it takes misery to adjust prices.
Timothy L. Wisner
wrote:
>I suspect that the reason many people buy African meers is that they think they
>are saving money.
>
>They're not. You can get a Turkish meer in a fitted case for less than $30. For
>examples, click http://www.royalmeerschaum.com
From what little I have seen, it appears that African Meerschuam is
more durable and harder. It makes a more durable pipe that doesn't
need as much care as Turkish Meerschaum. That's why you see it in
pipes like Barling and Peterson Meers. I have never seen a carved
African meer and I'm given to understand that the African material is
not really suited to carving. If you want a beautifully sculpted
meer, you can get a Turkish meer or you can forget about it. I think
the two materials are different enough that they don't really compete
against each other, especially since the Turkish gov't does not allow
raw meerschaum to be exported.
Enjoy,
Timothy L. Wisner
"When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half."
- Gracie Allen
Robert Crim
<tlwi...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
>On 04 Mar 2004 04:38:43 GMT, chantym...@aol.com (Sailorman Jack)
>wrote:
>
>>I suspect that the reason many people buy African meers is that they think they
>>are saving money.
>>
>>They're not. You can get a Turkish meer in a fitted case for less than $30. For
>>examples, click http://www.royalmeerschaum.com
>
>From what little I have seen, it appears that African Meerschuam is
>more durable and harder. It makes a more durable pipe that doesn't
>need as much care as Turkish Meerschaum. That's why you see it in
>pipes like Barling and Peterson Meers. I have never seen a carved
>African meer and I'm given to understand that the African material is
>not really suited to carving. If you want a beautifully sculpted
>meer, you can get a Turkish meer or you can forget about it. I think
>the two materials are different enough that they don't really compete
>against each other, especially since the Turkish gov't does not allow
>raw meerschaum to be exported.
>
The good African meers are made from.......well....African meerschaum
mined in Tanzania. It's harder, but is the same stuff (hydrous
magnesium silicate) with a lot more "impurities" that mar the
whiteness and softness associated with the Turkish deposits.
You can't really carve lions and ladies out of it, and you won't get
ooooos and ahhhhhs when you whip out your Barling meer because it
looks like a regular pipe.
OTOH, it won't break as easily and it doesn't cost as much. The
smoking qualities are pretty much the same as far as I'm concerned.
They can be smoked over and over without souring and the African meers
are not as susceptible to softening with moisture as the Turkish ones.
African meers are a good alternative for the new pipester looking to
build a rotation without over smoking their pipes. I highly recommend
them, but they do seem to be misunderstood.
YMMV
Robert
Sailorman Jack
>Robert
Hi Robert,
Have you visited the Royal Meerschaum link which I provided and which you
quoted in your post?
Jack
>Subject: Re: Turkish vs. African meerschaum
>From: Robert Crim frit...@earthlink.net
>Date: 3/6/2004 11:20 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <99uj401udfoglv0c7...@4ax.com>
Robert Crim
wrote:
>Hi Robert,
>
>Have you visited the Royal Meerschaum link which I provided and which you
>quoted in your post?
>
>Jack
Yes. I've been there several times over the years. They have nice
carvings with good quality fittings and really low prices for their
deluxe models. I haven't seen any of their pipes up close though.
I'm up to my ass in meers having been a "collector" for a lot of
years. I'm a big fan of Salim, Sevket, and of course, Bekler. CAO
Best, and SMS produce good quality smoking pipes whether they are
signed or not.
eBay is a really good way to get meers. I search the pipes category
with the key words "signed" or CAO, or SMS or Best to see what's out
there. I generally stay away from the small el-cheapo meers. They
don't smoke well and they don't hold up well either.
After all, you can often get a fine Bekler for under $100 so why go
for a $30 cheapo unless you just want to try one out?
check out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3277910889&category=596
and
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3277911338&category=596
for examples of good values on eBay.
I could go on and on about meers.....and I probably did. So I'll just
buzz off and go smoke a nice big meer now.
Robert
Sailorman Jack
(snipped)
>eBay is a really good way to get meers.
>check out:
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3277910889&category=596
>and
>http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3277911338&category=596
>
>for examples of good values on eBay.
Thanks, Robert.
I clicked those links and enjoyed looking at such fine and lovely pipes. I
surely agree that ebay is a good way to do well with meer purchases.
About a year ago, I won a meer on ebay. It is a WDC (William Demuth Company)
bulldog, fitted case, great decorative metal work at bowl rim and stem/shank
join marked 1/12k gold plated. My winning bid was $20.50.
Jack