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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 12:32:58 GMT -5
I just finished cleaning a 'new' (1909) gourd calabash. I've never smoked one of these, or even looked at one closely, so excuse my ignorance. This one has a silver rim and I believe it has old cork under the rim. I've cleaned it. Do I need to get a meer insert? I haven't seen any of the silver rim ones with the meer insert.
Sorry if this is in the wrong place, or this topic has been discussed - I couldn't find an advanced search feature to check post titles.
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Post by sperrytops on Mar 15, 2021 12:40:30 GMT -5
Pictures?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 13:27:56 GMT -5
I can't post pictures here. I have a new website that I will begin playing with this week, and I'll begin storing photos there so that I can link to them here. But it's just a typical calabash with a silver rim. If no one has experience with those, I understand - I just hate to order a meer insert for a pipe that doesn't require one. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 15, 2021 13:33:02 GMT -5
I just finished cleaning a 'new' (1909) gourd calabash. I've never smoked one of these, or even looked at one closely, so excuse my ignorance. This one has a silver rim and I believe it has old cork under the rim. I've cleaned it. Do I need to get a meer insert? I haven't seen any of the silver rim ones with the meer insert. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, or this topic has been discussed - I couldn't find an advanced search feature to check post titles. The silver is usually on the Meershaum rim. I don't understand what you have. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 13:36:45 GMT -5
I just finished cleaning a 'new' (1909) gourd calabash. I've never smoked one of these, or even looked at one closely, so excuse my ignorance. This one has a silver rim and I believe it has old cork under the rim. I've cleaned it. Do I need to get a meer insert? I haven't seen any of the silver rim ones with the meer insert. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, or this topic has been discussed - I couldn't find an advanced search feature to check post titles. The silver is usually on the Meershaum rim. I don't understand what you have. Silver ON the meer? That's something I haven't seen. Here's a link to the ebay photo of mine:  |
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 15, 2021 13:38:28 GMT -5
The silver is usually on the Meershaum rim. I don't understand what you have. Silver ON the meer? That's something I haven't seen. Here's a link to the ebay photo of mine: No link. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 13:47:59 GMT -5
Weird - I'm staring right at the picture in your quote. Sorry, I can't do anything more about that, but I appreciate your response. It's just a silver cap going over the rim of the bowl. I thought this would be an easy question, but apparently I've bought something weird.
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Post by daveinlax on Mar 15, 2021 14:20:18 GMT -5
The silver is usually on the Meershaum rim. I don't understand what you have. Silver ON the meer? That's something I haven't seen. Here's a link to the ebay photo of mine: A silver cap is fairly common and can be very collectible!  The answers are in the hallmarks. |
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Post by pepesdad1 on Mar 15, 2021 14:21:07 GMT -5
Doesn't look like it needs a meer insert...looks to me like the bowl is right there under the silver ring.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 14:27:37 GMT -5
Thanks guys. I've been eyeing calabashes lately, and this one is a BBB and my Grandfather's birth-year, so I might have paid a little high for it. My Grandfather was probably the most fun human being I've ever met - most anything important in life I learned from him. I retired early because I didn't like working for other people. Back then my Mom said, "you've got a lot of my Daddy in you. He hated working and just wanted to play all the time." Nothing wrong with that. Regarding that silver lining - to me it looks like a sheet of cork is wrapped around the bowl and begins up under the silver cap. My understanding (from googling  is that you would still normally have a meer bowl over the cork, so the tobacco isn't burning against the bottom of the gourd. But until I hear something definitive, unfortunately this pipe will have to remain unsmoked. |
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Post by daveinlax on Mar 15, 2021 14:30:58 GMT -5
No, this piece never had a meerschaum cap. I would leave it as is until you research it. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 15:39:10 GMT -5
No, this piece never had a meerschaum cap. I would leave it as is until you research it. Thanks Dave! |
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 15, 2021 15:45:39 GMT -5
I opened it in a different browser and I can see it now. That's probably Meershaum right under the silver. The cork is the gasket for the bowl.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 17:27:23 GMT -5
I opened it in a different browser and I can see it now. That's probably Meershaum right under the silver. The cork is the gasket for the bowl. It's not meerschaum - it's either cork or it's gourd. Now that I know I don't need a meerschaum insert, I need to figure out what can be done with the pipe. Is it ready to smoke? |
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 15, 2021 17:31:26 GMT -5
I opened it in a different browser and I can see it now. That's probably Meershaum right under the silver. The cork is the gasket for the bowl. It's not meerschaum - it's either cork or it's gourd. Now that I know I don't need a meerschaum insert, I need to figure out what can be done with the pipe. Is it ready to smoke? A gourd is only 1/8 of an inch thick. Are you Sure that it's not Meershaum? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 17:37:03 GMT -5
It's not meerschaum - it's either cork or it's gourd. Now that I know I don't need a meerschaum insert, I need to figure out what can be done with the pipe. Is it ready to smoke? A gourd is only 1/8 of an inch thick. Are you Sure that it's not Meershaum? I see what you're saying, and it does make sense. As you said - the cork would be the gasket for the meer insert, so it makes no sense that the inside of this pipe would be anything other than meerschaum. Also, it still has some cake build-up inside the bowl - I scrubbed most of it out, but was nervous about the hard stuff near the airway, as I know gourd is fragile. But if it's not gourd? Being ignorant about something you need to know is tough  |
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Post by trailboss on Mar 15, 2021 19:08:56 GMT -5
It is a meerschaum Pipe, shaped Calabash with a silver ring. Some calabash pipes are gourd, some are wood, both would have a meerschaum insert. This one is all Meerschaum (sans stem) and a nice find. The coloring tells the story, and a nice story it tells. Gramps would be proud to smoke this one! daveinlax....spot on. : |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2021 21:16:54 GMT -5
It is a meerschaum Pipe, shaped Calabash with a silver ring. Some calabash pipes are gourd, some are wood, both would have a meerschaum insert. This one is all Meerschaum (sans stem) and a nice find. The coloring tells the story, and a nice story it tells. Gramps would be proud to smoke this one! daveinlax ....spot on. : That's what I thought when it arrived (meerschaum), based on the coloring. But being calabash-ignorant, I started digging around, and decided it must be a gourd. Also, it's very light. I know how to get a 'quick' definitive answer: just pop out the pins, remove the silver cap, and see if there is a separate smoking chamber insert. But now that I've smoked it (and it smokes great), I'm just going to let things be and enjoy it. |
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Post by trailboss on Mar 15, 2021 21:28:35 GMT -5
Polish the silver and melt some beeswax to work into the meerschaum.
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 15, 2021 21:32:12 GMT -5
It is a meerschaum Pipe, shaped Calabash with a silver ring. Some calabash pipes are gourd, some are wood, both would have a meerschaum insert. This one is all Meerschaum (sans stem) and a nice find. The coloring tells the story, and a nice story it tells. Gramps would be proud to smoke this one! daveinlax ....spot on. : That's what I thought when it arrived (meerschaum), based on the coloring. But being calabash-ignorant, I started digging around, and decided it must be a gourd. Also, it's very light. I know how to get a 'quick' definitive answer: just pop out the pins, remove the silver cap, and see if there is a separate smoking chamber insert. But now that I've smoked it (and it smokes great), I'm just going to let things be and enjoy it. Don't ever do that!! (pop the pins out) Can you say fra-gi-le? |
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Post by trailboss on Mar 15, 2021 21:36:08 GMT -5
I agree don’t screw with any pins.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2021 9:26:18 GMT -5
This still applies: "I'm just going to let things be and enjoy it."
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2021 12:00:13 GMT -5
More googling, reading, and discussion with Steve Laug who has restored several pre-wwi Calabash pipes. After all that and the information you all have generously provided: Mine is definitely gourd with a smoking chamber that is ready to smoke (no meer insert required). BBB offered several calabash styles prior to WWI - I've been able to look at BBB catalog images to confirm this. Some calabash pipes had a smoking chamber of clay or asbestos, but according to Pipedia: "BBB sets up a special department to manufacture the calabashes, using only scum to make the furnace whereas some [of] their competitors use plaster of Paris and even of asbestos (asbestos)." Steve believes 'scum' is clay. I should have just asked Steve to begin with, or searched his site, but better late than never! Here's a link to one of Steve's BBB Calabash restorations: Rebornpipes Calabash Restoration |
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 16, 2021 14:40:15 GMT -5
It's hard to picture a gourd calabash with a non removable bowl. Mine gets really nasty really quickly.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2021 17:40:32 GMT -5
It's hard to picture a gourd calabash with a non removable bowl. Mine gets really nasty really quickly. Agreed. It was not easy to clean this thing the first time, and I really need to go over it a few more times. The problem is getting the pipe-cleaners/brush all the way through the airway and getting the insides of the airway scrubbed. But this sort of pipe was common - there is an even lower-end one that looks similar to a meer-lined briar. I assume the bowls on such pipes are mahogany, but I don't know. |
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Post by trailboss on Mar 16, 2021 18:32:08 GMT -5
Maybe I am missing something here, but there is no such thing as a gourd calabash where the body of the pipe is strictly just a gourd. You would burn the pipe out in short order. A gourd calabash requires an insert...I have seen a few calabash pipes carved from briar, and quite a few from Meerschaum. Of course neither of them require an insert.
I have the utmost respect for Steve Laug, but I reckon he needs an eye exam if he thinks this is a gourd pipe.
The coloring matches a well smoked Meerschaum pipe carved calabash style, and from the picture the texture of that medium confirms it. I do think that makes it more valuable than a gourd calabash pipe.
I will say no more on it, as I don't want to be argumentative, just sharing my opinion...I have a lot of old meerschaum pipes.
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Post by Ronv69 on Mar 16, 2021 19:26:45 GMT -5
Maybe I am missing something here, but there is no such thing as a gourd calabash where the body of the pipe is strictly just a gourd. You would burn the pipe out in short order. A gourd calabash requires an insert...I have seen a few calabash pipes carved from briar, and quite a few from Meerschaum. Of course neither of them require an insert.I have the utmost respect for Steve Laug, but I reckon he needs an eye exam if he thinks this is a gourd pipe. The coloring matches a well smoked Meerschaum pipe carved calabash style, and from the picture the texture of that medium confirms it. I do think that makes it more valuable than a gourd calabash pipe. I will say no more on it, as I don't want to be argumentative, just sharing my opinion...I have a lot of old meerschaum pipes.He says that he sees a cork gasket around the edge. The only reason for that is a removable bowl. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2021 20:20:24 GMT -5
Maybe I am missing something here, but there is no such thing as a gourd calabash where the body of the pipe is strictly just a gourd. You would burn the pipe out in short order. A gourd calabash requires an insert...I have seen a few calabash pipes carved from briar, and quite a few from Meerschaum. Of course neither of them require an insert.I have the utmost respect for Steve Laug, but I reckon he needs an eye exam if he thinks this is a gourd pipe. The coloring matches a well smoked Meerschaum pipe carved calabash style, and from the picture the texture of that medium confirms it. I do think that makes it more valuable than a gourd calabash pipe. I will say no more on it, as I don't want to be argumentative, just sharing my opinion...I have a lot of old meerschaum pipes.He says that he sees a cork gasket around the edge. The only reason for that is a removable bowl. I'm not sure if you two are referring to my pipe or the one Steve restored. Both are gourd with either linings or inserts UNDER the silver band (By 'insert' I mean something attached to the sides of the gourd and not meant to be removed). As trailboss points out, they can't be just gourd. I currently have 54 meers (I keep a spreadsheet) and have sold half that many. Steve has handled many more than that. This is not meerschaum - it feels completely different. As far as the cork gasket - I was told that it HAD to have a cork gasket. That was based on the responder feeling that it HAD to have a removable meer bowl. I ran with that as fact. Based on what's been said here, and conversations with Steve, I now know that having the silver rim means it never had a removable bowl, and that what I was looking at in the smoking chamber was either clay, meerschaum or something else that could handle fire. Thanks for everyone's help. I'll look for a meerschaum calabash and report back when I have one in hand. |
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Post by trailboss on Mar 16, 2021 20:26:22 GMT -5
Well maybe I am wrong. I missed the part about a gasket. I have never seen a gourd that colors like a meerscahaum...but then I reckon we all see firsts. Nice looking pipe by any measure. Check the hallmarks out though, sometimes they can be hard to read, but they can really bring you to the well of information.  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2021 21:05:19 GMT -5
Well maybe I am wrong. I missed the part about a gasket. I have never seen a gourd that colors like a meerscahaum...but then I reckon we all see firsts. Nice looking pipe by any measure. Check the hallmarks out though, sometimes they can be hard to read, but they can really bring you to the well of information. I stated in my first post that mine is a 1909 BBB - the hallmarks are very clear. Steve showed his hallmarks as well. You and I are having the exact opposite experience - all the gourds I'm finding images of look almost exactly like mine and Steve's. I know they're gourds because other pictures of the same pipes show the top with the bowl removed, and you can see the uneven, wavy gourd wall. You can find examples on ebay, but in other places on the internet as well. I would like to see a picture of a gourd calabash with a different type of coloring - please post. Thanks. |
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is that you would still normally have a meer bowl over the cork, so the tobacco isn't burning against the bottom of the gourd. But until I hear something definitive, unfortunately this pipe will have to remain unsmoked.
