Meer question

[ftrplt]

Need a little help/advice here!!! I own a slew of Meerschaum pipes, mostly bought in Turkey (many at Eskisehir, where the meer is mined). Many are old (one 40+) and unsmoked. Question is,

1. Is the beeswax on my pipes (smoked or unsmoked) still any good?

2. If I need to rewax them, do I just rub the beeswax on them or do I melt the wax first and redip them?

3. Where/what is a good source for the beeswax?

Thanks in advance :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[Joseph76]

1. Without first seeing the pipe, I would have to guess. Odds are, if the pipe is unsmoked, the bees wax coating is fine. If the meer pipe was never heated and touched, or soaked in a bath of alcohol , I don't see how the wax could of been affected. Was the pipe stored in the case? Is the outside of the meer glossy/translucent? I wouldn't worry about re-waxing unless the finish looks very chalky.

2. If you need to re-wax, the easiest method is rub a little piece of bees wax on the pipe while you are smoking it. The heat from the bowl will allow the wax to be applied to the exterior rather easily. After you are done smoking and the pipe is rested and cool, buff the exterior gently with a clean cotton rag. If you don't plan on smoking the pipes, you could re-apply the wax by melting it in a double-boiler and then painting it on with a brush (be sure not to get wax on the inside of the bowl, in the chamber).

3. Any natural food store. Whole Foods (where I live) carries it.

 

[ftrplt]

J-76....Thank you, sir!!!! Confirmed my thoughts. :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[LL]

If the outside of your pipe gets hot enough to melt wax on contact, you're doing it wrong. :lol:

The only way to re-wax a meer that I've seen which turns out consistently well (not blotchy/streaky), is to dip the pipe in heated wax, then blast with a heat gun (the paint stripping kind, not a hairdryer) until uniformly thin and smooth.

Be sure to remove the stem first to keep from melting it. Rig a stick in the mortise as a "handle"

 

[ftrplt]

LL....Thanks!!! I've seen that procedure in my various pipe books, usually when the/a European pipemaker dipped his meeers in whale oil. My current plan is to try a couple of methods on one of my lesser meers and see what happens!!! My appreciation to all for your comments!!! :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[Joseph76]

If the outside of your pipe gets hot enough to melt wax on contact, you're doing it wrong. :lol:

You aren't waxing a pipe that has never been waxed, you are simply adding a small amount of wax to the exterior.

Simply puff a little bit more aggressively, to heat up the bowl a little bit more. Obviously, this is not the perfect technique you want to practice for normal smoking but a bowl dip is a completely different ball-game, and I believe unnecessary unless the pipe has never been waxed or looks like pure chaulk.

 

[LL]

If the outside of your pipe gets hot enough to melt wax on contact, you're doing it wrong. :lol:

You aren't waxing a pipe that has never been waxed, you are simply adding a small amount of wax to the exterior.

Simply puff a little bit more aggressively, to heat up the bowl a little bit more. Obviously, this is not the perfect technique you want to practice for normal smoking but a bowl dip is a completely different ball-game, and I believe unnecessary unless the pipe has never been waxed or looks like pure chaulk.

I agree about the need of re-waxing vs. a virgin surface, but the problem is crevices. Touching a bar of wax to a figural pipe---which 99% of meers are---will only hit the high spots.

 

[Joseph76]

If the outside of your pipe gets hot enough to melt wax on contact, you're doing it wrong. :lol:

You aren't waxing a pipe that has never been waxed, you are simply adding a small amount of wax to the exterior.

Simply puff a little bit more aggressively, to heat up the bowl a little bit more. Obviously, this is not the perfect technique you want to practice for normal smoking but a bowl dip is a completely different ball-game, and I believe unnecessary unless the pipe has never been waxed or looks like pure chaulk.

I agree about the need of re-waxing vs. a virgin surface, but the problem is crevices. Touching a bar of wax to a figural pipe---which 99% of meers are---will only hit the high spots.

I agree, with the art/museum pieces, I wouldn't use this method. But it works fine on smooth meer pipes and latticed meer pipes, the ones I see most people actually smoking.

If you have a museum piece, you also want to be careful with the wax dip method because you can easily chip them. A very thin coat applied by brush or q-tip might be a better alternative. :scratch:

 

[ftrplt]

I'm learning!!! I'm learning!!!! :cheers: FTRPLT