Australian Blackwood Pipe

[Gig]

Hi fellas

I'm new to this site, actually my first post and a novice pipe maker. I am from Australia and I'm interested in using some of the local alternative timbers but unsure exactly what I can use and cannot. I have used Australian Blackwood to make a pipe already and this wood is described as a hardwood with close grain. Looking up wood toxicity charts show that it is less toxic than Olive and Walnut also used for pipes. My question is have any of you ever ued this wood or know of any site which can further enhance my knowledge on alternative timbers for pipes?

Here is a photo of the pipe so as you can see the wood grain. The pipe is made poorly compared to the standard of pipes shown on this forum. I had no stems, so i took one of a cob pipe to use. Be gentle it was rushed and i did not want to waste too much time on a pipe I may just throw out anyway.





I have lined the tobacco chamber wih a carbonising mixture I have found. My thinking is if I can cake the pipe quickly this wood would smoke okay.


Regards

Gig

[Frank]

G'day mate, and welcome.

If it's less toxic than walnut & olive then no worries. If you're a pipe smoker, no need to throw it away, just smoke it.

We've been adding info here http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Alte ... Pipemaking as we get it, but there's not much on Aussie woods. Your best bet is to check http://en.wikipedia.org/.

[JHowell]

Yes, welcome. That wood looks like it might sandblast interestingly.

[KurtHuhn]

Here is a photo of the pipe so as you can see the wood grain. The pipe is made poorly compared to the standard of pipes shown on this forum. I had no stems, so i took one of a cob pipe to use. Be gentle it was rushed and i did not want to waste too much time on a pipe I may just throw out anyway.

Hey it's not bad enough to toss. In fact, there's not a ton wrong with it, IMO. Light it up and see how it smokes!

[Charl]

There is a guy here in South Africa that uses African blackwood. Don't know how close the Aussie and African wood are related too each other, but I would think that it's got possibilities.

[m.c.]

African Blackwood's latin name is Dalbergia melanoxylon and Australian Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon, so I bet they are of the same genus. I have no idea what the latter looks like, but I have some African Blackwood rods on hand. They are not thick enough for stummels, but I have made a short mouthpiece with it. A distinguishing feature of this material is that, when polished, it looks extremely dense and smooth, actually more like acrylic than wood. Another virtue is the dark brown grain interlaced with shiny black, which gives it some resemblance to Cumberland, though the contrast not as sharp. Has anybody used it for stummels, and if so, how does it smoke?

[Tech]

I just bought one of these from South Africa and received it in the mail today. It's a billiard / stack with a cumberland bit and damn if it ain't beautiful. I also play the Great Highland Bagpipes, and this is the same wood that they are made out of. I'll give it a try and let you guys know what it's like to smoke.

[Pietenpauw]

African Blackwood's latin name is Dalbergia melanoxylon and Australian Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon, so I bet they are of the same genus. I have no idea what the latter looks like, but I have some African Blackwood rods on hand. They are not thick enough for stummels, but I have made a short mouthpiece with it. A distinguishing feature of this material is that, when polished, it looks extremely dense and smooth, actually more like acrylic than wood. Another virtue is the dark brown grain interlaced with shiny black, which gives it some resemblance to Cumberland, though the contrast not as sharp. Has anybody used it for stummels, and if so, how does it smoke?

As I am sitting here writing this, I am puffing away on an African blackwood pipe and to be quite honest with you, I would not swap it for a briar pipe.

African blackwood is extremely dense and not easy to work with. Compared to briar it is like carving chalk and cheese. It is used extensively for musical instruments like clarinets, oboes an Highland pipes. There are two luthiers that I know of in South Africa, who have used it in their guitars as well.

It is high in tannin (your hands are purple for a few days after having carved a pipe) so initially it tends to burn your tongue, but after a few wads I promise you, you will not put it down. Because of its density, it will not absorb so much gunk and will therefore not become foul smelling. It also does not build up a cake like briar and I tend to clean mine by scraping down all the tobacco ash and residue.

I just have to point out that African blackwood and Australian blackwood are botanically completely unrelated.

[m.c.]

Thank you, Pietenpauw. Very attractive. Although my experience of working with blackwood put me in awe of that material, now your comments really make my hands itchy for another grisly battle. I totally agree that your blackwood pipe is to be traded for none other, as it consumes twice more labor than a briar.

BTW, just for your information, in northern China there is a thrub named Rhamnus parvifolia something (not sure), whose burl is traditionally used for pipes. It has a density similar to that of African blackwood and a more dazzling grain than briar. I had a pipe made of this material and tried to file it down to a slimmer size. That job was sheer pain. The interesting thing is that these pipes also have a stubborn juvenile period when they deliver a sharper bite in both heat and taste, but after a dozen pipes settle down to good smokes. Similarly, no gunk, no cake, no need for rotation, simply a callous warhorse. Below is a pic of this sort of pipe made by a famous Chinese pipemaker. What you see is the original wood color, no stain.

http://www.daadou.com/upimg/20097720453832220.jpg

[Gerrit Jan]

@ Gig...

Could you please replace the pictures??

Thanks in advance...

[Pietenpauw]

M.C.

Yes I did see the Chinese pipes.

We have an indigenous species in South Africa: Rhamnus prinoides (African Dogwood) and I was wondering if this would work. I should try and get hold of some although I do not have the faintest where to start looking.