SUPERB VINTAGE SMOKING PIPE- MANX MEERSCHAUM

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SUPERB VINTAGE SMOKING PIPE- MANX MEERSCHAUM A WONDERFUL SMOKING COMPANION THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BRIAR It is my firm belief that pipe smokers are the world’s most laid back people. Not for them the hurried sucking on a scrawny cigarette, but the delight in puffing gently on a classic briar made by a dedicated craftsman. We don’t hurry – we don’t panic, we take life easy but all the time watching it go by with a steely eye and a set jaw. What woman could resist the pipe smoker as he holds her with one arm with the other pointing forward into the future? So to share my joy of smoking the briar I will be offering a selection of pipes for you to own and enjoy. Some will be by famous makers, others made by an unknown artisan, but all will enable you to join the Brotherhood of the Briar! (We have better parties than the Masons) I don’t clean inside the bowls of the pipes as the amount of carbon is a personal preference. I do give the bowl a light polish and spray the mouthpiece with disinfectant spray, so please wash in hot water before use. REJECT PIPES The very best makers only accept perfection, so if there is any flaw in the pipe it will be rejected. Often these pipes are put on the market stamped “REJECT”. But here’s the thing, often they will be rejected for some blemish that you probably can’t see without the aid of a magnifying glass, so don’t let the word REJECT put you off. It is, after all, only done to the very finest quality pipes. My very first pipe was bought 41 years ago when I was in the Royal Navy. It was a Hardcastle Bent and it was a reject – I still have and smoke that pipe today! PLEASE NOTE I am offering a lot of pipes over the next few weeks and all are estate pipes – meaning they have been previously loved. I cannot therefore give you the history of these pipes since leaving the factory, what I can do is describe them honestly and to the best of my humble abilities. Any questions please do not hesitate to ask. MEERSCHAUM So what is meerschaum? Meerschaum is a mineral that is found all over the world, but mainly in the Black Sea and Africa. It is very light and the fact that it can float on water gave it it’s name – Sea Foam (German meer = sea and schaum =foam) It has long been a favourite material for pipe making as its soft construction made it very easy to work, leading to some fantastically beautiful carved pipes. Meerschaum starts life pure white and if not stained will stay that way until it is smoked. When smoked the pipe takes on the colour of the nicotine in the tobacco and over the years goes from a pale honey colour to a beautiful dark chestnut brown. My oldest Meerschaum is over thirty years old and is now starting to colour nicely. Pipe smoking is something that cannot be hurried. There are two main types of meerschaum used for pipe making. One is block meerschaum and this is mined straight out of the ground and then worked, and the other is composite. Composite is a much cheaper version and consists of small chips of block meerschaum mixed with an adhesive and then moulded. You can nearly always tell this type as it has a hard plastic feel. A lot of pipes coming out of Turkey today use this material. Carved meerschaum is nearly always block as trying to carve the composite would probably lead to the material separating. WARNING!!!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LIGHT A MEERSCHAUM WITH THE TURBO JET STYLE OF LIGHTER. THE VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES GENERATED CAN CRACK THE PIPE. ON OFFER TODAY MANXMAN PIPES Laxey Pipe Ltd. resided in a historical 19th century four-storey Man stone building at The Quay, Old Laxey, Isle of Man, which thankfully has been preserved. The company specialised in the production of Meerschaum Pipes using the Meerschaum mined by the Tanganyika Meerschaum Corporation in the Amboseli basin in Tanganyika (since 1964 part of the United Republic of Tanzania). Laxey Pipe Ltd. marketed own brands like... read more

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