Best tobacco for coloring a meer/unfinished briar

Ron191

Do any of you all have any thoughts, pet theories or wild speculation on what is the best tobacco to color a pipe?

PappyJoe

None at all. I have 6 meerschaum of various age and none of them are really getting that deep color I see from other pipers. The oldest is a figural I've had since 1984 and at best it has cream color.

motie2

@Ron191
https://www.google.com/search?q=coloring+a+meerschaum+pipe

Danfriedman

I am assuming you are not referring to breaking in a pipe by adding a layer of cake. I am no expert, but I have both meerschaum and unfinished briar pipes and in my experience, the tobacco choice has little to do with the color transition. The briar will darken simply by the infusion of the oils from your hands. I don't think meerschaum cares what tobacco you use as long as you use it.

motie2

Ah, the old controversy: Does a meerschaum color from the inside out, or from the outside in?

motie2

Best article on coloring of meerschaums, IMHO

Slave to the White Goddess     November 1st, 2010

By Fred Bass

"Whenever the discussion starts on Meerschaum Pipes, the most frequent topic for the last 300 years has been about the development of patina......

Continue at http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/slave-to-the-white-goddess/

KA9FFJ

Very interesting article @motie2. I would have never read it if you hadn't posted it.
Sidenote: I smoke only 1 meerschaum. Knowing how long patina can take, I figure I should devote all my meerscham smoking time to one pipe instead of spreading it around the other meerschaums. After smoking it once every week or two for a year, I'm noticing definite hue changes... No substitute for time and frequency...

RockyMountainBriar

I have a meerschaum "dublin?"  that I bought new and have only smoked 3-4 bowls of tobacco in it.  It has a slight pinkish hue forming around the rim and more so towards the front edge of the bowl.  I have smoked BCA in it exclusively so far.  Interestingly, the pink hue is the same color that was in an old deer antler shed that I found.  I am not sure what caused it, as I have never seen another.  I made one of my little sisters a knife and used a piece for the handle scales.  After buffing the antler handles, most of the pink was lost, so now the pink tint is very faint

Bloodhound61

@RockyMountainBriar, I can't say the cause for sure, but I've got sheds with slight coloring also.. My personal hypothesis is that algae, fungi, and leaf tea can tinge the bone with hue (depending on environment of course). Sure can make the bone pretty.

jfreedy

I have a Meerschaum that I only smoke straight Virginias in. My tobacconist suggested this to give it a brownish pink color over time. It’s changing color but couldn’t tell you for sure that it’s due to this type of tobacco.