Ok... Ok... Haven't had a bowl in almost s week due to minor mouth surgery (dental). Everything checked out OK yesterday afternoon, so I'll follow the March meerschaum madness month by doing some Sutliff Christmas Spice in a CAO I picked up at a flea market...
Continuing “March Meerschaum Madness” with some Sutliff Private Stock “South Seas” in an old Kaywoodie Flame Grain Meerschaum (with some modifications). When I acquired it, the meer lining was broken out and the stem was chewed off....quite a bit, and the Clover stem logo was gone. I removed the original bowl lining remnants then I butchered one of those cheap mini Meers (a Dublin) for a donor bowl lining. I then installed a cork gasket to hold and seal the bowl. I turned down the bowl with a rubber “jam chuck” in my drill press (it was before I bought my lathe) and cut it to fit. It works as a traditional Gourd Calabash with an air space under the bowl, which is removable. I trimmed the stem down (it is about half the length of the original) and filed in a new button. I formed the clover logo with some white polystyrene rod and flat. Not a beautiful clover, but it is discernible as a clover. The pipe is a nice little nose warmer, and smokes well now.
@KenofShelby .Tnx for the comment. Found pipe at a local flea market for a REALLY good price. Origin unknown. Now for the best part... Smokes like a DREAM... Really, you honestly don't want the experience to end! As far as the TPL pin, I get them from Lane tobacco (Leonard) at the annual St. Louis pipe show...
They weather keeps changing in SE Louisiana and it's screwed up my sinuses and/or has me coughing, so no pipe smoking yesterday. It may be another day or two before I smoke again.
Well, smoking some metal and meerschaum tonight for “March Meerschaum Madness”. I have one of my Kirsten’s with a brand new meer bowl loaded with some Gawith Hoggarth & Company “Glengarry Flake”. Lets’s get this bowl coloring😉 Yes, this new bowl has a slight “briney” smell to it also. I’ll pick up the lighter and carry on with “March Meerschaum Madness” @PappyJoe👍🏻 Looking forward to more of your Meers.
Well you guys have drawn me in, I only have one Meerschaum Pipe that i usually reserve for relaxing evenings during more temperate weather,
I am hoping to acquire another one at this years Chicago pipe show, As an aside I had a rather lengthy conversation with one of the Turkish vendors at the end of last years show about conditions in Turkey.
In a nut shell, he's migrated to the US with his family and with out getting into detail he compared Recep Erdoğan to Hitler, actually he said in some ways he's worse.
He did cut me a great deal on this pipe. Though you can't see it in the picture the stem is this great shade of green
I have some ‘white’ pipes in one of the drawers,,,Going to check and see if they are clay, or meerschaum..If they are meer, going to fire one up. I did get a new meerschaum last month, but it was way to small to smoke...so going to look at the older ones back there,
I know it sounds like a broken record, but I fired up my CAO Cavalier for a fourth time in 3 days! Doing some Sutliff Dulce de Leche. I want to thank @PappyJoe for getting this thing started. I only have 2 meerschaums and I neglect them both as they just sit around and look pretty... But with this month, at least, I'm going to see how much smoking pleasure can get out of these 2 guys. And who knows, I may add some good additional patina to these pipes while I'm at it. (-2 points @motie2)...
@KenofShelby I wish I had a choice of bowls, they only had a "grab bag" of "you get what you get" and all small size. I would like to have a large smooth meer bowl for my Kirstens, like a Dublin or a Rhodesian/Bulldog, or maybe a big stack billiard, heck even one of their Large Mandarin or Columbus bowls in meer Hmm, I wonder if I can get a "coloring bowl" somewhere and modify it to fit my Kirstens...hmm.
Well, I was running low on meerschaums, so I hauled out this old broken Wally Frank Block Meerschaum with a genuine Amber stem and a 14k solid Gold band. I think I got this pipe in a pipe lot for almost nothing...as you can see by the original fitted case the stem was broken, and about half of it was missing. I was going to add a piece of vulcanite stem to repair it, but today I decided to make it a “nose warmer”, which for myself, I like better. I filed and sanded down the stem button, and polished it up. Smoking nice👌🏻 I wish I knew how restore the dark color/patina back into the amber? I might try to re-work the case to fit...I have not decided for sure. I could end up destroying it royal☹️ Smoking some Dan Tobacco “Devil’s Holiday”. Yes, I am getting the slight “briney” aroma from the meerschaum in this pipe as well as most of my others.
We have seen a good number of Meerschaums, and I thank everyone for participating.
Now here is the March Meerschaum Madness! My Sunday morning smoke in my Lighthouse carved by one of the Akdolu brothers. I went with D&R London Dock for the tobacco.
I have a couple more Meers I have to repair so I can use them. If nothing else, March Meerschaum Madness has got me off my duff to fix a few of the broken Meers I have had laying around for years. Thanks @PappyJoe 👌🏻
Well you guys already know I only have 2 meerschaums, so once again I'm using my CAO, this time with some Lane RLP6. I'm actually starting to see some additional coloration forming. It will be interesting to see the extent, if any, of my first pic verses the pic I'll take at the end of the month...
Today, I fired up the lathe and fit a stem and tenon to one of my Block Meerschaum bowls. For today’s episode of “March Meerschaum Madness” I have some Planta Anno MMXV (2015) “Brazilian” fired up in it. I’m pretty sure this is another “African” block meerschaum. I am not getting the “briney” smell from this one, but it had been well smoked in it’s previous life. The bowl’s heel is getting a bit warm, it may be this tobacco though?
Last two in my meerschaum collection. The first is an early 1950s Kirsten Transition pipe. After I rescued it from a flea market, I sent photos of it disassembled to Stacy at Kirsten in Seattle. She said it was the model sold between the first generation and the second generation Kirstens (produced starting around 1958.). I have two briar bowls, but I keep the meerschaum bowl on it because I like smoking new blends in it to get the flavors better.
This is what I call a Sultan Saxophone. I bought it at a flea market for $10 and it was unsmoked. The first time I smoked it, a hairline crack appeared around the bottom of the turban. It couldn't be seen when the pipe cooled. I smoked it a second time and applied superglue with a toothpick when the crack reappeared. Since then I use it as a piece of art and don't smoke it.
Ok, thanks to @PappyJoe again. So, for another edition of March Meerschaum Madness, smoking some Panama Jack “Piña Colada” in my newly re-bowled mini meerschaum briar Calabash. If you care to, you can see the pipe in “Pipe Refinishing”. This tobacco has a nice room note, and even though it was a bit moist when I loaded the bowl, it is smoking beautifully. I guess the meerschaum is doing it’s job. This new meerschaum bowl is giving off that slight “briney” aroma like some of my other meerschaum pipes. The tobacco has a great smelling room note and a sweet, but not overly sweet taste. No tongue bite at all👍🏻 It is not going to leave any goop, and surprisingly, this pipe has already been smoking for over a half an hour. The new bowl didn’t look that capacious, a nice bonus I did not expect. The original ceramic bowl was pretty thin walled. I was only able to have a 9/16” diameter chamber in this meerschaum. It has about 1 1/4” - 1 3/8” depth...I added the extra rim of meerschaum above the retaining ring that was not on the original bowl insert.
Comments
As far as the TPL pin, I get them from Lane tobacco (Leonard) at the annual St. Louis pipe show...
I’ll pick up the lighter and carry on with “March Meerschaum Madness” @PappyJoe👍🏻 Looking forward to more of your Meers.
I want to thank @PappyJoe for getting this thing started. I only have 2 meerschaums and I neglect them both as they just sit around and look pretty... But with this month, at least, I'm going to see how much smoking pleasure can get out of these 2 guys.
And who knows, I may add some good additional patina to these pipes while I'm at it. (-2 points @motie2)...
@KenofShelby
I wish I had a choice of bowls, they only had a "grab bag" of "you get what you get" and all small size. I would like to have a large smooth meer bowl for my Kirstens, like a Dublin or a Rhodesian/Bulldog, or maybe a big stack billiard, heck even one of their Large Mandarin or Columbus bowls in meer Hmm, I wonder if I can get a "coloring bowl" somewhere and modify it to fit my Kirstens...hmm.
Now here is the March Meerschaum Madness! My Sunday morning smoke in my Lighthouse carved by one of the Akdolu brothers. I went with D&R London Dock for the tobacco.
London Dock....fitting for that cool lighthouse😁
It makes SWMBO crazy when I buy two identical shirts.
We like what we like.......
This is what I call a Sultan Saxophone. I bought it at a flea market for $10 and it was unsmoked. The first time I smoked it, a hairline crack appeared around the bottom of the turban. It couldn't be seen when the pipe cooled. I smoked it a second time and applied superglue with a toothpick when the crack reappeared. Since then I use it as a piece of art and don't smoke it.
Yea, that’s what I am talking about. I love that Meerschaum bowl on your Kirsten. Nice design, smooth, and larger than the one I have👍🏻
2. Lane BCA
3. Sutliff Sunset Rum
1 & 3 = Sultan meer
2 = CAO meer
MMM 😁
So, for another edition of March Meerschaum Madness, smoking some Panama Jack “Piña Colada” in my newly re-bowled mini meerschaum briar Calabash. If you care to, you can see the pipe in “Pipe Refinishing”. This tobacco has a nice room note, and even though it was a bit moist when I loaded the bowl, it is smoking beautifully. I guess the meerschaum is doing it’s job. This new meerschaum bowl is giving off that slight “briney” aroma like some of my other meerschaum pipes. The tobacco has a great smelling room note and a sweet, but not overly sweet taste. No tongue bite at all👍🏻 It is not going to leave any goop, and surprisingly, this pipe has already been smoking for over a half an hour. The new bowl didn’t look that capacious, a nice bonus I did not expect. The original ceramic bowl was pretty thin walled. I was only able to have a 9/16” diameter chamber in this meerschaum. It has about 1 1/4” - 1 3/8” depth...I added the extra rim of meerschaum above the retaining ring that was not on the original bowl insert.