Meerschaum-lined briar from Tanganyika?

[Benzadmiral]

Hello, all,

I remember someone here PIF'd a pipe like this last year: a sandblast briar stamped "Made in Tanganyika," with a meer-lined bowl. I'm considering buying a similar one on the 'Net from a good seller. Are these pipes solid smokers? What little I've been able to find about the models labeled "Kilimanjaro" is that the company used pressed instead of block meerschaum. Is that true of all lines? If so, does it affect the smoke much in the case of a liner?

And Pipedia mentions the Kilimanjaro as being of "East African pipewood." Is that the same as briar?

 

[Columbo]

I can’t speak to that maker, but I have a meer-lined one. Just one. A German. Not a cheap pipe, but not an overly expensive one either. I like it better than the full meers, as it is a little less care to keep. Whether mine is pressed or block, I don’t know. My understanding is that most meer liners are pressed nowadays. Mine is holding up just fine.

If the price is right, I wouldn’t invest too much thought over pressed vs. block in a liner. The outer shell is going to sustain the harder handling duties. As long as you don’t go digging hard into it with a pick axe, and it is reasonable density and thickness, it should be fine.

The outer shell material on a well made lined meer is fairly irrelevant to smoking behavior. If the outer shell material is impacting the smoking, the liner is substandard. Mine is oak, and it behaves like any other meer once lit. Except I don’t have to worry what’s on my hands as I smoke it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I can’t speak to that maker, but I have a meer-lined one. Just one. A German. Not a cheap pipe, but not an overly expensive one either. I like it better than the full meers, as it is a little less care to keep. Whether mine is pressed or block, I don’t know. My understanding is that most meer liners are pressed nowadays. Mine is holding up just fine.

If the price is right, I wouldn’t invest too much thought over pressed vs. block in a liner. The outer shell is going to sustain the harder handling duties. As long as you don’t go digging hard into it with a pick axe, and it is reasonable density and thickness, it should be fine.

The outer shell material on a well made lined meer is fairly irrelevant to smoking behavior. If the outer shell material is impacting the smoking, the liner is substandard. Mine is oak, and it behaves like any other meer once lit. Except I don’t have to worry what’s on my hands as I smoke it.

Well, the guy wants $50. It looks good in all the photos. My real concern is that it may be too long for me: He says and has confirmed that it is 6.8". Doesn't look it in the pics, though.

 

[Columbo]

Well, the guy wants $50. It looks good in all the photos. My real concern is that it may be too long for me: He says and has confirmed that it is 6.8". Doesn't look it in the pics, though.

At nearly 7”, you can wear a hat and do Bing Crosby impressions with it.

All kidding aside, a long airway is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Benzadmiral]

At nearly 7”, you can wear a hat and do Bing Crosby impressions with it.

All kidding aside, a long airway is not necessarily a bad thing.

I like my 5.5 to 6-inch pipes; but 7" . . . I adjusted the pic on my screen so that it measures about 7", and that bowl must be huge.

 

[CANES]

I have a Kilimanjaro. It's a huge pipe and a great smoker. I'm sure the bowl is pressed meer but it really doesn't affect the smoke. I doubt it's briar, though. Most of the African meer pipes like mine are not briar. Again, doesn't really matter. It's a hard wood and the chances of anything burning through the meer and then the wood are pretty slim. The only downside to the pipe is the stem. It's similar to a Turkish meer with the cheap tenon and screw in bit deal- plus a thick pipe cleaner won't get down the airhole.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I have a Kilimanjaro. It's a huge pipe and a great smoker. I'm sure the bowl is pressed meer but it really doesn't affect the smoke. I doubt it's briar, though. Most of the African meer pipes like mine are not briar. Again, doesn't really matter. It's a hard wood and the chances of anything burning through the meer and then the wood are pretty slim. The only downside to the pipe is the stem. It's similar to a Turkish meer with the cheap tenon and screw in bit deal- plus a thick pipe cleaner won't get down the airhole.

View attachment 1599815

Huge is not really attractive to me. It's a straight pipe, so I probably wouldn't have trouble with a pipe cleaner. It would be interesting to have, but maybe awkward to smoke. I need to think about this.

 

[CANES]

Huge is not really attractive to me. It's a straight pipe, so I probably wouldn't have trouble with a pipe cleaner. It would be interesting to have, but maybe awkward to smoke. I need to think about this.

I haven't bought a new pipe in over 20 years but when I got this one it was around $25. I would check Ebay, etc. for African meerschaum and see what they're going for. $50 seems a bit high for what you get (pressed meer, unknown wood, vulcanite stem)- but the seller may be thinking it's unique from the way you describe it.

On mine, the shape of the stem has nothing to do with the way a pipe cleaner runs through it. The air hole is just drilled too small at the lip. I went and bought a pack of cheap "crafts" pipe cleaners from the dollar store and they were thin enough to use on this pipe- but "real" pipe cleaners by Stanwell or whoever will not fit. This is the only pipe I have of that type, so not sure if all of them have the same small airhole or not. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.

Do you have a picture you can copy from the seller's page? It sounds interesting.

 

[Benzadmiral]

This is it:

 

[CANES]

By the looks of it, and knowing what I know about mine, the bowl will be quite large and the pipe will be quite heavy. You won't be clenching it but holding it.

I like the look of it, though. Good luck deciding.

 

[Columbo]

This is it:


View attachment 1600164

For $50, go for it. Offer him $30, and see what happens.

It's nicely proportioned.

 

[Benzadmiral]

For $50, go for it. Offer him $30, and see what happens.

It's nicely proportioned.

I may try that. This morning I paid for a front-end alignment for the Buick and for 3 more months of phone service, so I'm not sure I want to spend any more just now.

 

[Columbo]

I may try that. This morning I paid for a front-end alignment for the Buick and for 3 more months of phone service, so I'm not sure I want to spend any more just now.

You run a well-disciplined situation.

A big hat tip to you.

 

[Benzadmiral]

You run a well-disciplined situation.

A big hat tip to you.

Gotta watch the nickels, and the dollars will take care of themselves.

(Then, of course: "Hey! What's that, a Peterson Canadian? Only $128? You bet!")

 

[Benzadmiral]

By the looks of it, and knowing what I know about mine, the bowl will be quite large and the pipe will be quite heavy. You won't be clenching it but holding it.

I like the look of it, though. Good luck deciding.

I'm not the clenching type, at least never for very long within a given smoke session. But my gosh, if it's nearly 7" long, that bowl must be over an inch wide!

 

[Columbo]

You might want to consider a rubber bite on that one.

It might make a clench not so bad.

Looking at the liner thickness on your picture, the chamber bore looks to be in the .75-.80" range. Just a WAG. That's still a very generous chamber width, and plenty deep looking at the shank line.

 

[Benzadmiral]

You might want to consider a rubber bite on that one.

It might make a clench not so bad.

Looking at the liner thickness on your picture, the chamber bore looks to be in the .75-.80" range. Just a WAG. That's still a very generous chamber width, and plenty deep looking at the shank line.

The listing says the chamber width is .91," depth 1.94" !

 

[Columbo]

The listing says the chamber width is .91," depth 1.94" !

Wow. If that chamber bore is .90+ ", then the outer diameter on that bowl has got to approach 2".

That's a big boy! Reminds me of the other 'coal mine' pipe another posted here a while back.

I'd be inclined to pick it up just for the novelty of it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I decided against it, not because of the funds, but because it didn't really call to me. The thought of such a large bowl just didn't appeal. Instead I picked up a French meer-lined straight billiard, a CHAP Bruyere. I love the grain and color, and it's 6" long.