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=== Other Materials === | === Other Materials === | ||
Most pipemakers and collectors would probably agree that Briar (a term with considerable range) is the choice for tobacco pipes. Briar grain can be excellent aesthetically for the small-scale work that tobacco pipes are. Briar can also have other properties which are desirable, a sweet, mild aroma when cured properly, and a resistance to burning. Still, some pipemakers use other materials, like Ebony (wood), | Most pipemakers and collectors would probably agree that Briar (a term with considerable range) is the choice for tobacco pipes. Briar grain can be excellent aesthetically for the small-scale work that tobacco pipes are. Briar can also have other properties which are desirable, a sweet, mild aroma when cured properly, and a resistance to burning. Still, some pipemakers use other materials, like Ebony (wood), African Blackwood, and Morta (fossilized or petrified wood). | ||
I have seen no examples of European classical pipes made of Catlinite, the Red or Black "Pipestone" used by Native American (Indian) pipemakers. | |||
It is believed that the Mayan people of Central America were among the first pipe smokers several thousand years ago and archaeologists have found pipes dating from around 2,000 B.C. (Source: http://www.bat.com/ ...British America Tobacco company) | |||
I, personally, have used Hard Maple, Black Walnut, and even sticks from the Photenia (Redtip) shrub for experimental pipes, and I also have smoked them regularly. These woods were merely cut and then dried thoroughly for several years. I smoke my pipes, perhaps too heavily, and once they are broken-in good, saturated with tar, and the bowl heavily caked, I wonder if any of the wood's material properties have much effect on the quality of the smoke? | |||
Also see the "[http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Materials_and_Construction#Alternative_Woods_Used_For_Pipe_making Alternative Woods Used For Pipe making] section in "Materials and Construction" | Also see the "[http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Materials_and_Construction#Alternative_Woods_Used_For_Pipe_making Alternative Woods Used For Pipe making] section in "Materials and Construction" |
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