Parts of a pipe

Fills

Rim Charring

Teeth Marks

Burnout

Grain

What to look for in an estate pipe

What I look for in an estate pipe and even a new pipe is the general smoking quality it can provide.  Smoking pipes are all about airflow and you want to make sure that this flow is consistent and gradual from the bowl to the end of the mouth piece.

Teeth Marks – Teeth marks are fine on an estate pipe but you want to make sure that they are buffed out as much as possible and do not create a rough bite and feel for when the pipe is new to you.  No tooth mark should be too deep either.  Very deep tooth marks in stems call for another stem completely, as it will obstruct the flow of air right at the end of the stem.

Rim Charring – Rim charring does not affect the smoking quality unless it is so bad that a significant chunk of the briar has been burned away.  Rim charring does reduce the collectibility and price of a pipe however.  But it is usually only affects aesthetics unless the bowl becomes uneven on the rim because of it.

Fills -Sand fills are not going to affect smoking quality but it is nice not to having them for aesthetic reasons.  While fills won’t affect the immediate smoking quality of a pipe it is possible that fills can affect the long term structural quality of the pipe.  The smaller the fill the better.  Bigger fills can create structural gaps within the briar, and when smoked the material of the fill will expand and contract at a different rate and threshold of heat than the briar wood.  The fill will also absorb moisture differently.  If you don’t give a pipe with fills, a good rest time between smokes, generally around a day, then it would be safe to assume that any future cracks were caused by the frequent smoking of the pipe immediately after having just smoked it.

Burnout – I find burnout in a pipe unacceptable.  I will not sell a pipe that has burnout or ‘spider webbing’.  Burnout is just going to make the pipe smoke unevenly and can cause the tobacco to go out when it reaches the place of the burnout.

Grain – The grain of the wood in a pipe can affect the cost drastically, but does not affect smoking quality at all.  The straighter the grain the rarer the block of briar.  The more the grain follows the contour of the pipe the more artistry and talent was put into making it.  So if you are concerned with the way your pipe looks, whether in your mouth or setting on a stand, then consider this aspect of a pipe, otherwise don’t worry about it.