Does This Pipe Have a Fungus?

[milk]

This is a cheap Redman made Richmond pipe. I decided to soak it in alcohol to get the finish off. I think I’ll sand it down as well and see what happens. I’m just stymied about what ails this fella. I’m dealing with this just for fun. This pipe is smooth so whatever mars it is, sort of, in it. But what be ailing it? It’s under the finish and you can’t tell me their looked this way when it was sold?

 

[Sigmund]

If it is its dead. When Ive messed with cheap pipes and stripped them I have found all sorts of discoloration. Thats part of why they were cheapo pipes and stained dark. I will be interested in hearing what our pipe makers say who know briar well. With really cheap pipes I dont think anything was considered not usable briar. Even if it needed to be dark and full of fills. Everything older aint necessarly better!

 

[milk]

If it is its dead. When Ive messed with cheap pipes and stripped them I have found all sorts of discoloration. Thats part of why they were cheapo pipes and stained dark. I will be interested in hearing what our pipe makers say who know briar well. With really cheap pipes I dont think anything was considered not usable briar. Even if it needed to be dark and full of fills. Everything older aint necessarly better!

Hmm…it’s not stained very dark. You could be right. It’s still hard for me to believe anyone would buy/sell a pipe looking like this. I plan to sand it down tonight and see what it looks like. I’m curious.

 

[Sigmund]

Oh...they would. Back in the day most guys didnt collect pipes. They were nicotine delivery systems. They were cheap (some of them) and they would bang them on their heels to empty them. When the pipe died or had too much cake they would toss them aside for a new one. Its hard to find old French pipes without fills, often many. There are some Ive found with a ton of cake and when I tried to work on them it was obvious that if they didnt have cake they would have burnt out due to being terrible briar. Not many but a few.

Im not suggesting that there were not high grades of pipes. Simply that there were more low grades than exist today (not counting ali express stuff). It was a much wider public and pipes targeting nearly every income bracket. If it was shaped like a pipe and held tobacco it was fair game to someone.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

Its tars and oils moving through briar, that's why you can only see it in the end grain (birdseye) it moves through the grain capillaries. If it's not burnt out it should clean up fine, give it an salt/alcohol soak and wipe it off with alcohol then buff it.

 

[milk]

Its tars and oils moving through briar, that's why you can only see it in the end grain (birdseye) it moves through the grain capillaries. If it's not burnt out it should clean up fine, give it a salt/alcohol soak and wipe it off with alcohol then buff it.

That’s so interesting. Huh! Thanks!

 

[Sigmund]

@RustiePyles CPG Is that part of why more open grain patters will be graded lower in the pipe world or is it just a visual part of the grading?

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

@RustiePyles CPG Is that part of why more open grain patters will be graded lower in the pipe world or is it just a visual part of the grading?

I'm not sure it has much to do with grading, I think that's more subjective and typically has more to do with grain uniformity that pattern. If you look at older straight grain pipes you'll see this same phenomenon on the rim where the end grain is, on cross grain pipes it'll be on the cheeks like this.

 

[tobakenist]

Birdseye.