meershaum pipe care questions

Care for meerschaum pipes

First, and most importantly, don't drop it. Meerschaum is fragile, and it is very unlikely that your pipe will survive a dive to the kitchen floor. Second, do not allow a cake to build in the bowl. The forming of cake can be slowed considerably by, after letting the pipe cool and holding it with a cloth, removing loose dottle from the bowl with a pipe cleaner and "reaming" the bowl out with a twisted paper towel. This does not eliminate the formation of cake, however. If your pipe does start to build a cake, do not use a standard pipe reamer. The appropriate method instead is to use a sharp knife with a rounded tip and to carefully scrape the cake off the block, keeping the blade perpendicular to the surface at all times.



Meerschaum experts often warn about extremes in temperature, and caution against taking a hot pipe into cold weather or putting it down on a cold surface. The best manner to rest a hot meerschaum in any case is with a pipe holder that holds the pipe by the stem, and not the bowl. For a cold meerschaum, the pipe should be returned to its case, but only after it is fully cool and dry.



Most modern meerschaums have a two part connection between the stem and shank, originally invented by Andreas Bauer of Vienna. Because the mortise insert unscrews counter-clockwise, it is important to remove the stem by turning it clockwise only. The mortise insert should only be removed when it is damaged or otherwise in need of replacement, and if either part of the "push-pull" tenon and mortise is removed the other part should be replaced as well. The tenon should be regularly unscrewed from the stem in order to permit cleaning behind it, as tar can collect in this space and affect the pipe's performance. Meerschaum is a very absorbent, inorganic material, and does not require the same "rest period" that briars do. Still, I would at least allow the pipe to cool and dry completely before loading up and smoking it again.



Many meerschaum aficionados claim that to ensure proper "coloring" of the bowl you should never hold the bowl with your bare hands while smoking, and continuous holding of a hot meerschaum pipe can go so far as to embed fingerprints into the pipe itself. Many choose to take the chance given the convenience of holding the pipe like any other, but holding by the stem will ensure that wax is not removed and dirt is not deposited on the pipe.



Meerschaum colors because of its thin coating of pure beeswax, which assists nicotine and tobacco oils in migrating in and out of the block of the pipe. If it is smoked too hot, or handled too much, the wax coating will be removed and the color will stop migrating. Should the pipe begin to look dry or chalky in spots, pure beeswax can be melted with a hair dryer on low heat and applied directly to the pipe while smoking, using a cotton swab to leave an even coat. After the pipe has cooled it can be buffed with a cotton cloth to remove any excess wax and return the shine to the block.