Weeping

Topaz75

One of my favorite pipes is an old Wellington that I’ve had for many years.  It’s a smooth, bent pipe with a curved stem much like a Peterson P-lip.  I’ve been smoking it regularly for the last 30 years or so.

The problem is that the pipe has recently begun weeping.  By this I mean that tobacco residue is seeping through the bowl to the outside of the pipe.  I’ve occasionally had this happen with a corncob, but I don’t recall ever having this issue with a briar.

If it were a cob, I’d just throw it in the trash and buy a new one.  However, this pipe is an old friend and I really can’t see myself doing that.  Do I have any options here, or do I simply have to admit that this pipe is history?

ghostsofpompeii

@Topaz75 I don't think I've ever heard of this before. Is it possible there is a hairline crack on the bottom of the bowl where the fluids could be seeping out. If that's the case it seems like you might be able to alleviate the problem with a coating of pipe mud in the bowl. Sounds like the pipe needs a good year or so vacation in a warm dry location to get all that excess moisture out.

buflosab

I don't think I could add anything more to what ghostsofpompeii said, never had a pipe that long,understand your feelings about the pipe. Good luck,I'm sure their is a way to restore the pipe.

Topaz75

@ghostsofpompeii  Thanks very much for your suggestions. There are no signs of a crack in the pipe that I can see. I did rest the pipe for two weeks before picking it up again yesterday. I’ll pull it from the rotation and leave it in a warm area to dry out for a longer period of time, as you have recommended. If the problem persists, I’ll whip up a batch of pipe mud and try lining the bowl.

Woodsman

If the "Weeping" is from the birdseye grain it's normal for pipes that are used heavily, the birds eye is the clumping of the "Vessels" that the sap flowed through when the plant was alive and they're still there in the briar. The dark, shiny tears are a type of tar that form  dark patches on some older, often used pipes. I have a Kaywoodie 10 and a Peterson that this has happened to and they're still in my rotation over 40 years later. Just showing some age. It's not a problem. IMHO. 

AnantaAndroscoggin

I have one pipe that was weeping from the stem/shank joint which of course oozed down the outside towards the bowl. Then it just stopped. Dunno why.

Charles

@Topaz75 - Have been smoking a pipe since the mid-1970s and can't say I have ever seen that or experienced a weeping pipe.  Just out of curiosity, what happens if you insert a bright LED flashlight into or over the bowl?  Do you see any light emitted through the briar?  Just curious as to maybe either cracks that developed or pitting that burned through over the years.

KA9FFJ

@Topaz75 @Woodsman may be on the right track. I have read (not experienced) that old, heavily used pipes can soak up tars over the years and wind up with no where to go but out... The same article recommended a salt alcohol treatment of which it will probably take more than one. It will draw out the tars from the tar-saturated briar and prevent weeping. Here again, never happened to me, just remember reading it in some article years ago... Even if it doesn't help, it certainly can't hurt...

Topaz75

Thanks for the replies and helpful suggestions. On closer inspection, I did notice a thin crack in the pipe. Oddly enough, the crack is on the shank and is nowhere near the site of the weeping.

As @Woodsman pointed out, it’s not a serious problem and the pipe still smokes just fine. The issue is that the holding of the bowl while smoking often leaves a visible, sticky tobacco residue on my hand.

The plan is to pull the pipe from the rotation, give it a thorough cleaning, and then put it aside for a long winter’s nap.