My IMP Meer cracked. I almost did, too.

[alfredo_buscatti]

Kyle, see where your misery, anchored in the physical, in pipe smoking, gets you? The caring, detailed responses not to speak of the camaraderie.

Your brother BoBs are always ready to help, often with keen insight!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I suppose I deserve the thread derailment.

Smokingpipes.com rep said a very nice "you're SOL, kiddo" in an email response to me. I figured as much. The rep didn't sound like they were too knowledgeable as to the problem... *shrug*

We're very sorry to hear about the pipe and understand your concerns and frustration.

I checked with two of our pipe experts and we cannot be sure what may have caused this. If the threaded tenon was twisted in too tight, the heat from smoking the pipe may have caused the crack but there is no way to be sure.

This pipe was purchased on 01/02/12 and unfortunately is no longer covered under our pipe warranty. The tenon could be repaired/replaced but not sure if the crack goes beyond the mount inside the shank of the pipe.

We do not handle pipe repairs, but you may want to do a few searches online to see if anyone handles meerschaum repairs.

So, here I am. Admittedly a little ticked about the continued clowning suggestions, but like I said, I've earned it with 8,000 posts of my horseshit. Gotta suck it up. Went and dealt with the hospital and bills today, so I'm hardly in a mood to talk about things-that-cost.

Private message me with further knowledge of a willing repair person they may trust. Meanwhile, y'all have fun.

 

[Slartibartfast]

That pretty much just sucks. I feel for ya Kyle. Nothing like having the pretty smacked of something first time out of the box. Maybe Kirk's got the right idea; give 'em a call - nothing to loose I 'spose. ale:

In the meantime...laughter and medicina buena an' all. Hope these help...

In the eloquent words of El Duderino, That's a bummer man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Vlt-lpVOY

and just cuz kitties is cute...

 

[Rob_In_MO]

You sure ya didn't fill it full of that Smoker's Pride and puff like hell? :lol:


:lol!:

 

[Leyte]

Kyle, I sit here in my basement man cave at 65 degrees reading this thread as I smoke my cellered John Dengler Vintage Virginia in a Turkish Meer I bought from them having no clue that meer's were so temperature prone. I do love smoking virginia's and english blends in mine.

I am very sorry to hear of your experience and hope we can figure out some way to put your meer back to use as it should be.

Gary

 

[Harlock999]

Kyle, if you're not a vegan, next time you prepare scrambled eggs for breakfast,
beat the eggs, then put a nice dab of egg material on the cracked area of your meer.
That stuff hardens like crazy, and is about the same color as the pipe.
It's a cheap, all natural fix! :cheers:

 

[gravel]

I received an email last week from Walker. Walker Briar Works is no longer doing pipe repair. Just pipe cleaning.

They've just moved the repair facilities to another location. Mike is still doing the repairs:

http://www.walkerpiperepair.com/

:cheers:

 

[Dutch]

Kyle, I don't think that cold weather is the culprit, but instead the sudden increase in temperature of the bowl. The closer the ambient temps are to that burning tobacco, the less stress it causes on the material.

Just as with most bike wrecks, it's not the speed that actually kills you, it's the sudden stop when you hit an object. :lol:

 

[leftover421]

I'm sorry Kyle I really hope you can find someone to do a nice repair at a brotherly price.
I wish I knew how to do a Meer repair; I would hook ya up 8)

 

[Anonymous]

:cat: :face:

 

[williamcharles]

So, is this the first documented case of Meerschaum cracking due to smoking outside in cooler weather? I must say, I'm honored if that's the case, for as long as meerschaum has been around, I must be one special guy.

I heard one crack while being smoked inside a cabin while the smoker was sitting right beside the door. When the door was opened and the cold rushed in we heard the crack. That's all I know about it. I don't know if it was the cold or a freak accident or a hidden crack. I know it happened. The expression on the guys face was priceless.
It was hashed out in another thread months ago. We got nowhere then because of the points Kyle makes. Can't make bricks without straw.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Update: Yeah, I'm being a bit sore about this situation, my apologies. I'm one of those people that little stuff gets to me, but a good major tragedy? No problem. The breaking of the pipe has actually kept me up the last few nights, stupidly enough. Among other things, but this was a fixation point.

Meanwhile, Walker said no-go: they don't work on meerschaum. They forwarded me to Norwoods Pipe repair http://www.norwoodspiperepair.com/, and I'm messaging with Floyd now.

As far as temperature, I think anyone who wasn't born yesterday could tell you that when hot glass is cooled too fast, it cracks. This is common sense. Since meerschaum is not glass, different things will either make less (or more) breakage possible under similar conditions. Pressure, manufacturing (or naturally-occurring processes), moisture absorption (not an issue with glass, obviously), flexibility and structure all play parts. In my semi-exhausted Internet browsing of what breaks happen on meerschaum, besides dropping, the other main killer of meerschaum is over-tightening of the screw-in bone mortise pieces that go into the shank. Since this IMP is not that kind of setup, yet has the same sort of break, I can only imagine my first time smoking it found a flaw exploited possibly by an overzealous carver shoving the teflon ring in there. It's only a guess. Floyd at Norwoods said I may have to switch over to a screw-in bone setup to take pressure off the shank if a ring can be fitted.

One other thought I had is the use of the meerschaum itself. My SMS meer I started smoking last May. It has had plenty of time for tars and other stuff to seep into the porous meerschaum, which will definitely alter how the crystalline structure of the sepiolite would react under conditions compared to an unsmoked pipe. Which would suggest how many guys have "smoked meers in the cold for years with no problems."

Maybe it's worth mentioning that a newer meer should be smoked more cautiously, not hot, not under "extreme" conditions until it has a good blob of tobacco byproducts coursing through it. I don't smoke inside, so there's that, too. Season up new meers in spring and summer? *shrug* Meers are also pretty tough when they're relatively free from defect, possible manufacturing flaws and aren't abused, I've been reading.

All conjecture. But, as mentioned, kind of an obsession lately. I'm not comfortable with thinking I, through all my careful approaches and love for knowledge missed something so much so that I would be considered at-fault. That's what's been eating at me, mostly. I care about my pipes something fierce, they're good friends.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Floyd Norwood has apparently fixed my pipe, and it's on my way back to me. It cost less than $30, and turnaround was lightning-quick.

Pictures when it gets here.

8)

 

[williamcharles]

Glad to hear it Kyle. Enjoy.

 

[huffelpuff]

That's great news Kyle! I hope the repair holds up for you. Can't wait to the pics.

Jim

 

[Brewdude]

Well finally some good news then!

Sure will be interested to see the pics and especially how the repair went.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Dutch]

Floyd is just up the road aways from me, so I'm sure he will return it to you with some added southern charm Kyle. 8)

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Floyd actually called me to tell me personally. I can tell he's our kind of folk...what a swell guy. If the repair is as good as his service and personality, I think I'll like the pipe even more than when I first got it. Here's to hopin'.

8)

 

[Kyle Weiss]

The meerschaum in question came back from Norwood's Pipe Repair yesterday.

Floyd did an excellent job. The whole deal cost me less than $30, and though I have to work on the stem a little (it now extends a bit too deep into the shank--little bit of moisture trouble) it looks and performs great. It now sports a nickel band about 1/4" across, and is holding the worst part of the crack in place perfectly. The turnaround was quick, Floyd is friendly, and the results are very promising.

Granted, the pipe isn't as slick-looking as it once was, it is far better than I could have done myself in a pinch and certainly has personality now. As that crack fills in with color, it's going to look pretty cool down the road.

Whether you believe cold kills meerschaums, or like me, you figure in other factors (like the bad luck of poor design application), the good news is, Norwood's is the place to take an ailing meer. Sh*t happens, how we deal with it makes the situation a disaster or lemonade from lemons.

http://www.norwoodspiperepair.com/

My pipe has returned.

8)

(PS, I'd take pictures, but my SD card for my camera is on the fritz... :| )

 

[Slartibartfast]

Glad to hear it Kyle. Enjoy.