My First Estate Pipe

[smoker13]

Tomorrow the USPS is scheduled to deliver my very first estate pipe, a Manx Meerschaum prince, the Meerschaum being from Laxey Pipe Ltd from the Isle of Man, which is what really snagged the deal for me. I've long held the Isle of Man in mythical esteem due to the motorcycle races and all things boyhood dreams are made of.

Anyway, I've always stayed clear of estate pipes because it seemed kinda spooky to put a stem in my mouth which has been in God knows whose mouth. How are these things made ready for the new public, anyway? Sterilized in any way? Have I been an OCD% kook?

I've seen other estate pipes I've just never gotten unless the description read UNSMOKED.

Please let me know what to expect, and if I've been unnecessarily missing out.

Many Thanks - S13

 

[KevinM]

When you visit the local diner, do you bring your own silverware? Same idea.

 

[smoker13]

HA! Eloquently put, my friend, and my mind is now at ease. Many Thanks! - S13

 

[Stick]

Evening #13,

Provided it's come from a reputable / ethical seller, it'll be just fine. If done properly they're carefully sanitised; check out youtube for more info. If you're in the least bit of doubt you could also sanitise the stem yourself too. Fact is, and sticking with KevinM's example, a properly sanitised pipe gets cleaned better than cutlery in an eatery.

 

[Brewdude]

Evening #13,

Provided it's come from a reputable / ethical seller, it'll be just fine. If done properly they're carefully sanitised; check out youtube for more info. If you're in the least bit of doubt you could also sanitise the stem yourself too. Fact is, and sticking with KevinM's example, a properly sanitised pipe gets cleaned better than cutlery in an eatery.

Good wisdom here. I've never had a problem with concerns about an estate pipe and transmissible disease, and perhaps half my modest collection are estates.


Cheers,

RR

 

[huffelpuff]

You should have nothing to worry about. A reputable seller will usually use an alcohol retort to clean said pipe. Most folks using retorts are running everclear or at least 151 Bacardi through them. I don't know of any germ that will survive boiling alcohol so you should be quite safe to just jump in and light up. If it puts your mind at ease just pour a shot of your favorite high proof beverage and drop the end of the stem in there for as long as it takes to make you comfortable. Put the stem back on the pipe after drying it and Chuck that shot of whatever down the drain. Small price to pay.

Jim

 

[Bonanzadriver]

This is probably one of my favorite "Estate" pipes...

Hard to believe that it arrived to me looking like this....

Don't get me wrong, I spent hours reaming, cleaning, scrubbing, filing and polishing this little beauty, but I gotta tell ya, I am absolutely pleased with the way it turned out.


All of that to say this... If it looks, smells and tastes (when you place your lips on it and draw air through it) nice and clean, it probably is.

If you're still concerned, do what those of us who refurb these little treasures do, clean the stem with everclear, inside and out, and enjoy it. ;-)

 

[smoker13]

Bonanzadriver, that's an absolutely fantastic transformation you pulled off! Wonderful! You are indeed a talented and dedicated piper.

As an aside, where would one get some "everclear"?

 

[Corncobcon]

As an aside, where would one get some "everclear"?

Walmart carries it. At least in my part of the woods they do!

 

[Zeno Marx]

any liquor store will have Everclear. Or you can use 91% isopropyl alcohol.

 

[smoker13]

Well, I don't think I'll need it. The pipe just came in the mail about 20 minutes ago and it looks brand new. The inside of the bowl is only charred halfway down. I think the prior owner maybe only smoked it once or twice, never got through a whole bowl or something of the like.


At any rate, the pipe is great, I'm completely satisfied, and a whole new world of pipe collecting has opened up to me (like I needed that!)

 

[huffelpuff]

The best part is that the money you save buying estate pipes can be used to buy more pipes or to expand your tobacco cellar! Now do keep in mind that if you get even more adventurous there are piles of grubby neglected briar out there to be restored. You might find that you enjoy the serious cleaning involved in bringing some of them back. If you never do go that far you still win by saving great old briar from just going to the dump.

Jim

 

[Zeno Marx]

There are so many "best parts" of estate pipes. Selection, old quality, by-gone brands, savings. The only downside is the cleaning, which I happen to do to every single estate pipe. I don't care who sold it. Because let's be candid, cleaning a pipe is a matter of comfort and idiosyncratic standards as much as it is about sanitizing. I also think it is smart to develop your own cleaning process and to really get to know that pipe. To look at every millimeter of the pipe, inside and out.

 

[smoker13]

Good points, Zeno

 

[Bonanzadriver]

Bonanzadriver,  that's an absolutely fantastic transformation you pulled off! Wonderful!  You are indeed a talented and dedicated piper.

As an aside, where would one get some "everclear"?

Thanks smoker.

I started out by watching various youtube videos and scouring the various forums and blogs. My first victims were ol beat up drugstore briars. Once I figured it out I started getting more adventurous.

 

[monbla256]

When you visit the local diner, do you bring your own silverware? Same idea.

This for sure !! Besides, your missing out on some VERY FINE pipes my friend !

 

[fallsguy]

I never counted my pipes, but I'm sure that I have close to 300, including Cobs. Of these, maybe 30 are new, the rest are Estates. Given proper consideration, Estates are great pipes, often better than new ones. Your first won't be your last!

 

[JensDK]

I am back to pipe smoking after years of absence and building up a new (small) collection. Solution: Estate pipes. I've never regretted a buy so far. I look up local second hand sites and have gotten great pipes in pristine condition at ridiculously low prices. One, an old BBB, was in horrible condition, though. The taste was a mix of old urine and Egyptian mummy. I cleaned the interior with heated ethanol, polished the stem with tooth paste and olive oil and gave the plateau a careful, light sanding. After about an hour's work, the pipe looked good again and smoked perfectly clean.