Pipes Don't Breathe!

[SpeedyPete]

What happens when you draw on a pipe? Air flows in via the bowl and exits via the stem. Maybe some smart guy will say yes, but that's artificial respiration. So be it but it's still respiration/breathing.

You heard about the rich guy who asked the medic what he was doing, trying to bring a body back to life? So the medic said: "I'm giving this person artificial respiration". To which the rich man replied: "To hell with artificial respiration, give the man the real thing, I will pay".

 

[Wet Dottle]

Interesting discussion. Without defending one side or the other, I can offer my observations, which seem to corroborate the idea that briar pipes don't breathe--or at least not as much as one might think.

I have several varnished pipes. I don't know what varnishing agent is used, but they all are Rinaldos, if that makes any difference. They smoke as well as any other non-varnished pipes, but they did not darken noticeably with time. After smoking, my fingers smell just like if I smoked any other pipe.

I've noticed waxed pipes darken with time, but the darkening happens at the bowl walls, where I hold the pipe, and not at the shank. The shanks of my pipes are always lighter than the bowls, but the shank is where most of the moisture collects. That is attested by looking at meerschaum pipes, which darken at the shank before anywhere else. These observations also suggest that the staining primarily comes from the fingers, not from tobacco.

I've reamed pipes to bare wood. The wood seemed dry and virgin, but I've never sectioned a pipe to say for sure. I've also carved smoked pipes from the outside to remove the stain. Once again, the wood seemed dry and not stained in any way.

I don't know what really happens, but it seems that there may be evidence to support both sides of the argument... I think.

 

[puros_bran]

Dr Grabow don't use no shellac on his pipes, nuff said!

True. But, do they burn out? He don't use no bowl coatings, neither.

A collector friend of mine bought a Grabow, promising that he'd give it a fair shot. He's had it almost two years, now. I asked when he was going to perform his experiment. He somewhat reluctantly admitted that he was afraid that it just might end up smoking well...

I've got an old Yellobole that's actually a pretty fair smoke.

Honestly I have no clue as I've never owned one. I was just attempting to be funny.  
If I was forced into a serious answer: They most definitely are porous. If that's what we are refering to as breathing, then yes they breathe.    I think it was Mike Brisset (RIP Dear Bro) that performed a test on an unfinished pipe where he took a piece of briar he'd carved and filled it with finish only to have it 'leaking' out of the pipes walls in a couple hours.  He also tried the test in reverse by floating an unfinished pipe in finish but the stain never made it to the bowl.  Why?  I have no clue.

 

[user 2031]

Somebody take a band-saw and cut an old well used pipe into very thin slices the way they do on the human body displays... should be easy enough to figure out from there.

 

[puros_bran]

It's been done many time Simple.. The problem is the same as just cutting up a human brain and trying to figure it all at from there... Stuff happens in a briar.. Differing temps, differing moisture, differing oils from differing tobaccos... Etc etc etc etc etc etc.

This is one of those instance where it's being over thought.. Just smoke the damn thing and be happy. Lol

 

[user 2031]

It's been done many time Simple..  The problem is the same as just cutting up a human brain and trying to figure it all at from there...  Stuff happens in a briar.. Differing temps, differing moisture, differing oils from differing tobaccos... Etc etc etc etc etc etc.  

This is one of those instance where it's being over thought.. Just smoke the damn thing and be happy.  Lol

I was just kidding... I had no idea someone really would slice up a pipe. :lol:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Looks like the sanity and direction came to this discussion after all.

Depending on how one looks at it. :mrgreen:

All I know is if it smokes great and the tobacco is great, I rinse and repeat.

8)