Smoking pipe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article covers pipes designed primarily for smoking tobacco. For pipes designed for other substances, see smoking pipe (non-tobacco).
A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking tobacco. The smoking pipe typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (also called a bit).
The bowls of tobacco pipes are commonly made of briar, corncob, meerschaum, and clay. Less common are cherrywood, olivewood, maple, mesquite, and oak. Generally a dense-grained wood is ideal. Minerals such as catlinite and soapstone have also been used. Clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl. Many pipes are carved with a great deal of artistry.
Stems and bits of tobacco pipes are usually made of vulcanite, lucite, Bakelite, and soft plastic. Less common are stems made of reeds, bamboo, or hollowed out pieces of wood. Expensive pipes once had stems made of amber.
Unusual, but still noteworthy materials include gourds, as in the famous calabash pipe, and pyrolytic graphite [1]. Metal and glass are uncommon materials for tobacco pipes, but are common for pipes intended for other substances.
Tobaccos used for smoking pipes are often carefully treated and blended to achieve flavour nuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using staple ingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spice tobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco of Cypriot or Syrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or South American origins. Traditionally, many U.S. blends are made of American Burley with sweeteners and flavorings added to create an "aromatic" flavor, whereas "English" blends are based on natural Virginia tobaccos enhanced with Oriental and other natural tobaccos. There is a growing tendency towards "natural" tobaccos which derive their aromas from artful blending with selected spice tobaccos only and careful, often historically-based, curing processes. Pipes can range from the very simple machine-made briar pipe to highly-prized handmade and artful implements created by renowned pipemakers which are often very expensive collector's items.
Many find that the enjoyment of smoking pipe tobacco is greatly increased by the wearing of specific, and preferably matching, smoking attire (see slippers, smoking jacket, and dressing gowns). Pipe smoking was common among seamen.
Contents |
[edit] Materials and construction
The material and shape of a pipe has a profound influence upon the aesthetic of a smoke.
[edit] Briar
The majority of pipes sold today, whether hand made or machine made, are fashioned from briar ((French) bruyère). Briar is a particularly good wood for pipe making for a number of reasons. The first and most important is its natural resistance to fire. The second is its inherent ability to absorb moisture. The burl absorbs water in nature to supply the tree in the dry times and likewise will absorb the moisture that is a byproduct of combustion. Briar is cut from the root burl of the Tree heath (Erica arborea), which is native to the rocky and sandy soils of the Mediterranean region. Briar burls are cut into two types of blocks; ebauchon and plateaux. Ebauchon is taken from the heart of the burl while plateaux is taken from the outer part of the burl. While both types of blocks can produce pipes of the highest quality, most artisan pipe makers prefer to use plateaux because of its superior graining. A synthetic material called brylon is also in use. Brylon has many similar properties as briar.
[edit] Meerschaum
Image:Meerschaumpfeife.jpg Meerschaum (hydrated magnesium silicate), a mineral found in small shallow deposits mainly around the city of Eskisehir in central Turkey, is prized for its plasticity which allows it to be carved into many decorative and figural shapes. It has been used since the 17th century and, with clay pipes, represented the most common medium for pipes before the introduction of briar as the material of choice in the 19th century. The word "meerschaum" means "sea foam" in German, alluding to its natural white color and its surprisingly low weight. However, meerschaum is a very porous mineral that absorbs elements of the tobacco during the smoking process, and gradually changes color to a golden brown. Old, well-smoked meerschaum pipes are prized for their distinctive coloring.
[edit] Clay
Clay in this case is almost always a very fine white clay. Low-quality "clay" pipes are actually made from porcelain slip poured into a mold. These are porous, of very low quality, and impart unwanted flavors to a smoke. Top-notch clays, on the other hand are made in a labor-intensive process that requires beating all air out of the clay, hand-rolling each pipe before molding it, piercing with a fine wire, and careful firing. Traditionally, clay pipes are un-glazed. Clays burn "hot" in comparison to other types of pipes, so they are often difficult for most pipe-smokers to use. Their proponents claim that, unlike other materials, a well-made clay pipe gives a "pure" smoke, with no flavor addition from the pipe bowl. In addition to aficionados, reproductions of historical clay styles are used by some re-enactors. Clay pipes are traditionally disposable items and the large quantities discarded in the past are often used as an aid in dating by industrial archaeologists.
[edit] Calabash
Calabash gourds (usually with meerschaum or porcelain bowls set inside them) have long made prized pipes, but they are labour-intensive and nowadays quite expensive. Because of this expense, pipes with bodies made of wood (usually mahogany) instead of gourd, but the same classic shape are being sold as calabashes. Both wood and gourd pipes are functionally the same. They both have an air chamber beneath the bowl which serves to cool, dry, and mellow the smoke. There are also briar pipes being sold as calabashes. These typically do not have an air chamber and are named only because of their external shape.
The construction of a Calabash pipe generally consists of a downward curve that ends with an upcurve where the bowl sits. This low center of gravity allows for the user to easily hold the pipe by the mouth alone, leaving his hands free. This advantage was often used by actors who wanted to depict their character smoking while permitting them to do other business simultaneously. That is why the character Sherlock Holmes, who never used this kind of pipe in the stories, is stereotypically depicted as favoring it because early dramatic productions, especially those starring William Gillette, made this artistic decision. In fact, Sherlock would have probably disliked the calabash because of the above-mentioned mellowing effect. He preferred very harsh tobaccos.
[edit] Corncob
On the other end of the scale, "corncob" pipes made from maize cobs are cheap and effective, even if some regard them as inelegant. The cobs are first dried for two years. Then they are hollowed out to make a bowl shape. The bowls are dipped in a plaster-based mixture and varnished or lacquered on the outside. Shanks made from pine wood are then inserted into the bowls. The first and largest manufacturer of corncob pipes is Missouri Meerschaum, located in Washington, Missouri in the USA [2]. Missouri Meerschaum has produced the pipes since 1869. General Douglas MacArthur and George Lincoln Rockwell were perhaps the most famous smokers of this type of pipe, along with the cartoon characters Popeye and Frosty the Snowman.
Corncob pipes remain popular today because they are inexpensive and require no "break-in" period like briar pipes. For these two reasons, corncob pipes are often recommended as a "Beginners pipe." But, their enjoyment is by no means limited to beginners. Corncob pipes are equally valued by both learners, and experienced smokers who simply desire a cool, clean smoke. Pipesmokers who wish to sample a wide variety of different tobaccos and blends also might keep a stock of corncobs on hand to permit them to try new flavors without "carryover" from an already-used pipe.
[edit] Hookahs
A Hookah, Ghelyan, or nargila, is a middle eastern water pipe, commonly used to smoke shisha (a type of tobacco) or cannabis, that cools the smoke by filtering it through a liquid chamber. Often ice and milk or lemon juice are added to the water. Traditionally, the tobacco is mixed with a sweetener, such as honey or molasses, although fruit flavors have also become popular. [3]
[edit] Use
Smoking a pipe requires more apparatus and technique than cigarette or even cigar smoking. In addition to the pipe itself and matches or a lighter, smokers usually require a pipe tool for packing, adjusting, and emptying the tobacco in the bowl, and a regular supply of pipe cleaners.
[edit] Packing
Pipe tobacco can be purchased in several forms, which vary both in flavour (leading to many blends, or the opportunity for the smoker to blend their own tobaccos) and in the physical shape and size to which the tobacco has been reduced. Most tobaccos resemble cigarette tobacco, but are substantially more moist (so they must be kept in airtight packaging), and are cut much more coarsely. This makes it rather difficult to roll pipe tobacco into cigarette papers; but finely cut tobacco does not allow enough air to flow through the pipe, and overly dry tobacco burns too quickly with little flavour. Some kinds are cut into long narrow ribbons. Some are pressed into flat cakes which are cut up. Others are tightly wound into long ropes, then sliced into discs. Flake tobacco (sliced cakes or ropes) may be prepared in several ways. Generally it is rubbed out with the fingers and palms until it is loose enough to pack. It can also be crumbled or simply folded and stuffed into a pipe. Some people also prefer to dice very coarse tobaccos up before using them, making them easier to pack.
In the most common method of packing, tobacco is added to the bowl of the pipe in several batches, each one pressed down until the mixture has a uniform density that optimizes airflow (something that it is difficult to gauge without practice). This can be done with a finger or thumb, but if the tobacco needs to be repacked later, while it is burning, the tamper on a pipe tool is sometimes used. If it needs to be loosened, the reamer, or any similar long pin can be used.
[edit] Lighting
Matches, or even separately lit slivers of wood, are usually considered preferable to lighters. Some people complain that lighters impart an inappropriate taste to the tobacco. Because a lighter must be held sideways, putting the fingers much closer to the flame, they can be harder to use with pipes than matches are. However, lighters especially made for pipes exist that minimize or eliminate these issues. When matches are used, they are normally allowed to burn for a couple of seconds to remove the sulfur from the tip, and to produce a fuller flame. The flame is then moved in circles above the tobacco while the smoker puffs on the pipe to draw the flame into the tobacco. Most smokers will tamp out this initial lighting after a few seconds, pack the surface down more tightly, and relight. If the tobacco catches fire during either light, it can be put out; the goal is to have the surface smoldering evenly.
[edit] Prevent Burning
To prevent your wood pipe from burning, make a 50/50 mix of honey and water and use your finger to spread it around the inside of the bowl. Let this mixture dry. After a few bowls, the mix will create a barrier that will be burn resistant. Some people argue that this method is not effective, and can also add a flavor which may be undesirable to smokers. Most Briar pipes are already pre-treated to resist burn, and if smoked correctly, the cake will build up properly on its own.
[edit] Smoking
Pipe smoke, like cigar smoke, is usually not inhaled. It is merely brought into the mouth and then released. It is normal to have to relight a pipe periodically. If it is smoked too slowly, this will happen more often. If it is smoked too quickly, it can produce excess moisture, producing a gurgling sound in the pipe. A pipe cleaner can be used to dry it out. The bowl of the pipe can also become uncomfortably hot, depending on the material and the rate of smoking. For this reason clay pipes in particular are often held by the stem. Meershaum pipes are held in a square of chamois leather, with gloves, or else by the stem in order to prevent uneven coloring of the material.
[edit] Cleaning
The ash and the last bits of unburned tobacco (the dottle) need to be emptied after smoking, and the pipe should be cleaned with some regularity. A cake of ash eventually develops inside the bowl. This is good for controlling overall heat, but if it becomes too thick, it needs to be scraped down.
[edit] Sweetening
When tobacco is burned, oils are vaporized and condense on the walls of the bowl, in the existing cake, and in the shank. Over time, these oils can oxidize and turn rancid, causing the pipe to give a sour or bitter smoke. An effective measure called the Professor's Pipe-Sweetening Treatment [4] involves filling the bowl with salt and carefully wetting it with strong spirits. Some people find that regularly wiping out the bowl with spirits is helpful in preventing souring. Commercial pipe-sweetening products are also available.
[edit] History
The history of pipe(s) come from the ancient world when the pipe was invented and reinvented around the world. The earliest evidence is the Dudeen of Irish origin, made from clay. The Celts, and Germanic tribes were inventors of such artifacts. Goths brought the idea from all around Europe, such as the Norse, and possibly Huns. Romans, and Greeks also used pipes. The Arabic and Oriental world, however, developed many shapes, and material uses for pipes. Glass and especially Porcelain were later used.
Smoking is also regularly associated with Philosophers, and many argue that the pipe produces calm and concentration when doing one's most difficult meditation.
- Bayne-Jones, Stanhope, Burdette, Walter J., Cochran, William G., Farber, Emmanuel, Fieser, Louis F., Furth, Jacob, Hickam, John B., LeMaistre, Charles, Schuman, Leonard M., and Seevers, Maurice H. (January 11, 1964). "Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Office".
- Henley, S. Jane, Thun, Michael J., Chao, Ann, and Calle, Eugenia E. (June 2, 2004). "Association Between Exclusive Pipe Smoking and Mortality From Cancer and Other Diseases". Journal of the National Cancer Institute 96: 853-861. DOI:10.1093/jnci/djh144.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://www.pipes.org/: The nexus of pipes on the net.
- http://www.aspipes.org/ Official page of the alt.smokers.pipes Usenet group.
- http://pipepages.com/: 20th Century Pipe Advertising and Catalogs.
<span class="FA" id="de" style="display:none;" />
de:Tabakspfeife es:Pipa (de fumar) eo:Pipo fr:Pipe it:Pipa he:מקטרת mk:Луле nl:Pijp (rookgerei) nds-nl:Peupe (reukgrei) no:Tobakkspipe pl:Fajka pt:Cachimbo sl:Pipa fi:Piippu sv:Pipa (rökdon) tr:Pipo
![[3]](http://www.survivorweb.com/archives/hookah.jpg){kind=link}