Cracked my new pipe?

[admin]

While cleaning out my pipe this morning I noticed what appears to be a crack inside the bowl.
The pipe is a T. Cristiano, hand made in Italy. I was hoping that maybe this is just a crack in the "cake". However, I have only had this pipe a few months and have smoked it about 6 - 8 times. I don't think there is enough cake built up to crack, so I am thinking the wood cracked.
I don't know for sure, and would appreciate any feedback.
Here is a picture:

You can see a larger, clearer version here:

http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/cristiano-cracked-02.jpg

 

[admin]

This pipe came natural inside the bowl, bare wood. I'm just going to keep smoking it until it explodes in my face.
That's what she said! LOL.

 

[admin]

Now I am thinking I must have smoked this one more than I thought. I looked at another Christiano that I bought the same day as this one and it doesn't even have half the cake. You can still see wood at the top of the other one.
I usually keep everything in an even rotation, but I think I took this one on a couple of trips with me and it got smoked more.
I have read about the only filing up 1/4 of the way and increasing as you go to build up even cake, but I haven't practiced it.

 

[python]

To me it looks like a crack in the cake. I can't be positive though. From the picture I would almost bet that it is the cake that is cracked and not the bowl.
Sometimes during cleaning, if you use alcohol, the liquid will soften the cake up a little in the heel and sometimes small chunks of cake come off.

 

[admin]

That's a relief!
Now I can have my cake and smoke it too!