pipemakersforum.com

Does the kind of finish on a briar pipe affect the way it smokes over time? Is there any real reason to finish one at all except for apperance?

I would say "no, it has no effect at all", with the possible addition that it provides a little protection to the briar, from rain or dirt.

Sasquatch wrote:I would say "no, it has no effect at all", with the possible addition that it provides a little protection to the briar, from rain or dirt.

Damn Sasquatch, why are you smoking your pipes in the rain and dirt?

Hey man, we don't all have a "slippers and leisure jacket" sort of lifestyle like you, okay?

Fair enough. We can't all look this good:



lol

LOL. Now that is funny

There has been a lot of debate over the years on how the finish of the pipe affects its smoking properties and some of the pipe smoking guru's get quite heated about it. Most of these guru's insist that any finish which seals the briar will degrade a pipes smoking properties by preventing it from breathing, I once got involved in the debate and wish I hadn't.

I deal with a lot of estate pipes and have noticed very little difference that can be attributed to the finish, the amount of grain on the other hand does seem to make a big difference.

Varnish, especialy coloured, is used by a lot of the factories to hide the horrors underneath, I've seen many a perfect pipe that was stripped only to reveal a mass of fills, so people think that a varnished pipe is a bad pipe. That is a good reason to avoid using it.

DMI wrote:the amount of grain on the other hand does seem to make a big difference.

This is nonsense also.

Rad

a better question would be,
has anyone wrecognized any kind of affects that wisible sandpits would have to the pipes smoking abilities?

daniel wrote:a better question would be,
has anyone wrecognized any kind of affects that wisible sandpits would have to the pipes smoking abilities?

Well my best smoking pipe is my shop pipe. Its a cobbled together morta with a horn stem that i buggered up (cut it too thin and you can see the tenon inside the horn) and a Morta bowl that has two splits that go clear through to the bowl. The stem and bowl dont even fit together properly and the bowl is sanded to 40 grit maximum. It looks awful yet it smokes perfectly even when i drool all down inside and its gurgling like a bugger (i drool a lot when im clenching and working). Even the two splits dont make a difference, you get the odd puff of smoke come through halfways down the bowl but thats all.

Eventually when i get round to it i will flush up the stem and shank and finish the bowl a big better so i can smoke it in public, but for now its smoking fine

So do flaws really make a huge ammount of difference? Personally i think on of course not. If the pipe is drilled well and the flaws are gaping holes then the pipe will smoke fine, as to aesthetics however, that a different story.

A better question would be, what type of finish is on super glossy high end pipes. Don't tell me carnuba.

pennsyscot wrote:A better question would be, what type of finish is on super glossy high end pipes. Don't tell me carnuba.

Shellac and carnauba.

TJ

ToddJohnson wrote:

pennsyscot wrote:A better question would be, what type of finish is on super glossy high end pipes. Don't tell me carnuba.

Shellac and carnauba.

TJ

doesn't Rad also use some moonshine straight from the still?

ToddJohnson wrote:

pennsyscot wrote:A better question would be, what type of finish is on super glossy high end pipes. Don't tell me carnuba.

Shellac and carnauba.

TJ

Does that mean you're out of Buteran Saliva, Todd? I thought that was the secret...

Sasquatch wrote:

ToddJohnson wrote:

pennsyscot wrote:A better question would be, what type of finish is on super glossy high end pipes. Don't tell me carnuba.

Shellac and carnauba.

TJ

Does that mean you're out of Buteran Saliva, Todd? I thought that was the secret...

That's for curing them with, dummy. You would never use that for a finish. Silly Sasquatch.

TJ

Oh Jesus, now he tells me. And I'm down to half a jar.

I wish I could prof it but I can't, however this happened to me.
In the early days I had 1 pipe, then got another one. This 2nd pipe was (and is) a Vauen 9mm, not that cheap but a bad pipe anyway.
It goggled a _lot_, it was a black billiard with a not so thin shiny coat that I assume was some kind of Shellac.
One day I removed this coat with a Drevil and a felt wheel.
Surprisingly the wood inside wasn't that bad, I'm not 100% sure it is briar but at least it have no large fills.
And a big difference, the pipe goggled a lot less and dried visibly faster (quite important when you only have 2 pipes and are learning to smoke aros).

So, Yes, the finishing affects the way the pipe smokes, QED.

Pretty amazing the turns these threads take!

vasco wrote:
So, Yes, the finishing affects the way the pipe smokes, QED.

Unscientific psychosomatic quantum decoherent experimental process with unsupported conclusion.

In other words, I disagree. I think it's a myth.

kbadkar wrote:

vasco wrote:
So, Yes, the finishing affects the way the pipe smokes, QED.

Unscientific psychosomatic quantum decoherent experimental process with unsupported conclusion.

In other words, I disagree. I think it's a myth.

Is not !!!!!!! ))

Ok, keeping it scientific.

-> So, Yes, the finishing affects the way that that pipe smoked, QED.