Shiny and "new" vs smoked w/ patina

[monbla256]

After almost 50 years of pipe smoking I realized I've become a patina pipe person. All my pipes have taken on the Patina of well use as opposed to the shiney "new" appearance they all had when I bought them. The most appearance care they get is the usual "nose oil" rub down while I smoke them and the continuous application of mineral oil to my bits after smoking 'em. I even do all this to my blasts and now enjoy the nice patina of well use in my pipe racks ! And yes, my rims of my pipe s are all black and burnt. :twisted:
Now what is your preference for your pipes appearance? :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Slowroll]

I buff my smooths quite often, but don't care if the rims are caked. Makes 'em look smoked, and broken in.

 

[huffelpuff]

Well let's see.......all of my pipes are tools that are well love and used by God! So patina all the way. The day I get a pipe that isn't too be smoked is the day I quit smoking.

Jim

 

[Richard Burley]

I like a patina so deep and dark that it looks like the pipe is exuding oil. "Naturals" tend to get that way over the years. The bird's eye comes alive, the grain pops, and the pipe looks as though it's been carried in some rogue's pocket forever and has stories to tell.

A new, shiny pipe by comparison looks sterile.

 

[Walkman]

My pipes are well used, but in good shape.  I like them better when they are no longer shiny and perfect, but the rims aren't burned (horrors  :shock:  :lol: ) and I run a pipe cleaner through them and swab out the bowls after each smoke.  That said, I don't smoke all day and this would be too time consuming if I did.  My dad smoked all day, rims were burned, and he cleaned his pipes when he could no longer draw smoke. :lol:  He's been gone thirteen years now and I sure do miss him. I started smoking a pipe a few years after he died.

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

I think "patina" on a pipe is just part of the natural smoking and handling process, no matter what causes it.  It adds character, and to me, it looks great.  It shows that there's a reason that a  pipe is well used.

"Pristine" pipes, (other than a brand new pipe) give me the creeps....and I have to ask myself....why isn't this pipe smoked, and just how fastidious is the owner.....?

However, even the caked up, clogged, dented, burnt, scratched up, pipes tell a their own story.  Maybe the owner used them while working, and couldn't care for them, or treat them more gently. He enjoyed them, bottom line.

Pipes are, after all, just objects of utility, and in the end, were made to be used and to be smoked.  

Patina matters.


Frank
NYC

 

[ftrplt]

Most of my pipes are like me, "lots of patina" and "well-aged!!" :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[Zeno Marx]

When I first started, for many years, I kept my pipes like new. After every smoke, attempting to make them look like they hadn't been smoked. It's in my nature. Overcare. I'm far less fastidious with my pipes now. Both mentally and physically, I enjoy how they are these days. They look smoked and well used. Things change. I change. I'll take the patina at this stage in my game.

 

[Brewdude]

The natural patina that develops with age gives my pipes that comfortable feel, just like an old and loved pair of jeans!


Cheers,

RR

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I am a patina guy all the way, as long as it's my patina.  

Yeah, 80% of what I own are estates.

 

[Corncobcon]

I like to keep my pipes clean, inside and out. Whatever patina forms while aging, it's fine with me. They all seem to improve with age!

 

[KevinM]

My pipes look burnished but maintained. I don’t want them to look too new, but I don’t want them to look disgusting, either. Wiping the pipe off with a wax impregnated cloth before replacing it on the rack is a pleasant chore. One of my pipe mentors had an interesting pipe maintenance approach. He bought and smoked well carved, Middle market pipes, usually billiards with a natural finish. He liked seeing the pipe color and darken. At the end of the day, the pipe had a cleaner run through it and a light polishing. But, if a pipe was damaged — a chip in the rim, a tooth hole in the bit — he refused to repair it and continued to smoke it as is. He regarded scars of use as markers of honor and service.

 

[Stick]

Another vote for a nice patina, provided it's my patina. I'm ok with estates, as long as it's been restored to 'as new' look ready for me to age again!

 

[cigrmaster]

I keep my pipes in excellent shape. I am more concerned with the insides more than the outside. After every bowl my pipe gets a good cleaning with fluffy and bristle pipe cleaners. I use Obidisian stem oil on my vulcanite stems and I wipe the top of any smooth rims. Once in a while I will use my Dunhill pipe cloth on my smooths but not on a regular basis.

I have never had a pipe sour on me and that is due to the care I take in cleaning the insides. I never want to rob myself of the flavors I expect out of the blends I smoke. I figure it is a waste of good tobacco smoking out of a dirty pipe. I see how much gunk is built up by just one bowl so I never smoke 2 out of the same pipe in one day. I always rest my pipes a minimum of 24-48 hours so they have a chance to dry and give me the smoke I expect.

 

[monbla256]

I keep my pipes in excellent shape. I am more concerned with the insides more than the outside. After every bowl my pipe gets a good cleaning with fluffy and bristle pipe cleaners. I use Obidisian stem oil on my vulcanite stems and I wipe the top of any smooth rims. Once in a while I will use my Dunhill pipe cloth on my smooths but not on a regular basis.

I have never had a pipe sour on me and that is due to the care I take in cleaning the insides.  I never want to rob myself of the flavors I expect out of the blends I smoke. I figure it is a waste of good tobacco smoking out of a dirty pipe. I see how much gunk is built up by just one bowl so I never smoke 2 out of the same pipe in one day. I always rest my pipes a minimum of 24-48 hours so they have a chance to dry and give me the smoke I expect.  

Save yourself some $s and get some mineral oil. It's the same stuff as they sell as Obsidian oil. Works the same at abut 5 times less for 5 times as much! :twisted:

 

[Brewdude]

I keep my pipes in excellent shape. I am more concerned with the insides more than the outside. After every bowl my pipe gets a good cleaning with fluffy and bristle pipe cleaners. I use Obidisian stem oil on my vulcanite stems and I wipe the top of any smooth rims. Once in a while I will use my Dunhill pipe cloth on my smooths but not on a regular basis.

I have never had a pipe sour on me and that is due to the care I take in cleaning the insides.  I never want to rob myself of the flavors I expect out of the blends I smoke. I figure it is a waste of good tobacco smoking out of a dirty pipe. I see how much gunk is built up by just one bowl so I never smoke 2 out of the same pipe in one day. I always rest my pipes a minimum of 24-48 hours so they have a chance to dry and give me the smoke I expect.  

This is way great advice Harris. Thanks for posting.



Cheers,

RR

 

[Idlefellow]

Most of my pipes are like me, "lots of patina" and "well-aged!!" :cheers: FTRPLT

This.

 

[KevinM]

Save yourself some $s and get some mineral oil. It's the same stuff as they sell as Obsidian oil. Works the same at abut 5 times less for 5 times as much! :twisted:

Heck, you might already have some mineral oil in the medicine cabinet. And baby oil is mostly mineral oil. ‘Course it also has a scent in it.

 

[SpeedyPete]

I bought my pipes to smoke and not to exhibit them.

That said, I do clean the airways and bowls after smoking.

I also have a buff, fixed to drill, to polish my smooth pipes and the stems from time to time.

I don't worry about rim darkening and I love the patina on naked briar.

All of my pipes are MINE, after all :bball:

 

[smoker13]

It's funny, I've been thinking about posting a thread about scorched rims, i.e. who cares about it or not.

Me, I try to keep my pipes looking good, clean them up after a smoke, rub 'em down with some TLC, especially the vulcanite/ebonite/bakelite stems.

I smoke outside, and brothers, it's just about impossible to keep from the inevitability of scorching the rim of that pipe, so I've learned to accept it as part of the pipe's journey. Actually, in some cases, after time the rims kind of "melt" inward to the bowl in spots and I have a few pipes where that's happened and I find them most endearing!

Keeping the insides clean, where it REALLY matters, goes without saying.