What would cause a pipe to blister

[Thistleoak]

I got this pipe a few months ago, it is nothing extravagant, last week it started to blister on the out side of the bowl. What would cause this? I dont think I am smoking too fast or too hot, scratching my head over this

 

[zompoc_priest]

i'm going to assume its a wooden pipe... from what i know about woodwork odds are is you the varnish or sealant on the pipe is not very heat resistant.

 

[Thistleoak]

Thats what zach and I were thinking. but he suggest I post it on here and tap into the wealth of collective knowledge

 

[zompoc_priest]

i am by no stretch of the imagination a pipe expert but from what i know of wood work in general and from what i read on a few "how to choose your pipe" websites they all say the same thing... varnish and sealants will usually bubble and blister, especially with hot burning tobaccos.

 

[George Kaplan]

Yep. That's what varnish does. Most quality pipe makers will use thinned shellac, or even just wax.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I have quite a few Russian, Finnish and Yugoslavian military rifles, and for some reason, the factory hand-grip wood "furniture" seems to occasionally bubble-up when I shoot them--they get hot. Shellac is often the finish of choice, and if it's too thick, will do just that if the heat can't escape.

8)

 

[Cigar2you]

Are there any pictures of the afflicted pipe?

 

[tech2576]

just ths finish, due to heat. I have a basket that has blisters all over, don't look pretty but smokes ok. It is my yard work pipe.

Kyle, if you don't have one, apply for your C&R FFL. Since you seem to enjoy that type of arms a C&R can save you a few bucks on arms, parts, ammo etc.

 

[Brewdude]

I've been concerned about this possibility on my Pete Kinsale XL21 since it has the acrylic finish. Looks great but had seen some concerns on the Pete site.

Happy to report that the pipe is smoking fine after some several dozen pipe loads. But there again I don't heat up the bowl too much anyway no matter what the 'baccy is.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Mphill]

No pipe should blister no matter how you smoke it. End of story. I am returning my second Peterson Kinsale for blistering. About to give up on Peterson. Quality control is obviously a problem. Do you think they might be outsourcing to China ?? Finish including the embossed P looks cheapl

 

[KevinM]

-- Captain Obvious sez, did you check the inside of the bowl to be sure there's not some defect leading to a burnout?

-- I've noticed in perusing new pipes that the bean counters seem to be up to their nefarious tricks. In mass market pipes short cuts seem to be taken particularly in finishing steps and, often, mouth pieces. My ffirst pipe, a 50-year-old Dr. Grabow bent, still looks and smokes fine and has held its age better than some of my much younger, more upmarket briars.

-- I'm fond of Dublins and have noticed it's harder to find a nice, well made, new, traditional Dub. Some new Dubs look a lot like a billiard with a slightly canted bowl. I've wondered if it's just harder/more expensive to make a Dublin with its assymetric bowl.

-- All the above makes the refurb/estate pipe look like a better buy and fills a niche between ebay and new.

 

[sisyphus]

-- I'm fond of Dublins and have noticed it's harder to find a nice, well made, new, traditional Dub. Some new Dubs look a lot like a billiard with a slightly canted bowl. I've wondered if it's just harder/more expensive to make a Dublin with its assymetric bowl.

Dunhill, Ferndown, Ashton, Northern Briars, James Upshall, all still in production and all produce a quality, traditional Dublin, and besides Dunhill all moderately priced. Huybrecht and Trever Talbert's Ligne Bretagne also make a nice English style Dublin.

If you want cheaper there are plenty of GBDs, Sasienis, BBBs, etc on eBay. No reason to ever buy some third rate shellac coated, mass produced pipe, IMO.

 

[KevinM]

Sisyphus -- I had it firmly in my head to buy from a B&M and just wasn't seeing a lot to choose from. I perused the Net with mixed results, depending on what shape the sellers stock was in. So I ended up trying my luck with a trustworthy seller of refurbed pipes. I found a very nicely grained Upshall Dublin, neither too chunky nor too delicate, neither too billiard nor too zulu, and priced fairly compared with new. I'd expect it in Monday's mail if it weren't a steenkin' holiday. Thanks for mentioning Northern Briars, which I hadn't heard of. Very, very nice products. Wish they were closer, posted prices and dimensions, and put a little more light on the subject. But the quality does shine through.

 

[rothnh]

I stay away from "painted" pipes for this exact reason. The painted finish can also scratch and crack (as when being dropped) quite easily. Plus, while others may disagree, the sealed finish causes the pipe to smoke hotter.

As for Petersons, I own 6, but I stay away from the lower end Petes they're making now. Anyone considering buying one should stay away from the ones with painted finishes and, if looking for a lower end Pete, go to a B&M and carefully examine it before pulling the trigger.

All that said, I just got a Peterson Donegal lovat from Marty Pulver. It's a like new estate, with a silver band hallmarked to show it was made in 1979 (the current model has a nickel stem and sells for $80-$90. I paid $45). So the moral is, consider an fine, older estate Pete, from a reliable vendor > a new Pete that retails for less than $200.