How About the All-Black Pipe, Visually

[Hillcrest]

My new Vauen Olaf bent egg is my first all black sandblast pipe. Like others above I too felt the maker was hiding flaws by doing that sandblast. I now have to say that while I can see the deep furrows along growth lines and the pits where birdseye would exist, the sandblast provides a durable surface that is worry free and allows me to be less careful about scratching the finish of a smooth pipe. I never thought they were formal looking but all the non-smokers I know have complimented the 'distinguished' look of the pipe !
I do have two rusticated pipes, a Peterson's and a Savinelli, that I thought were beautiful and elegant but I have received the most compliments on the all black pipe ! Of course it is a bent egg that mimics the lines of a swan neck ...

Update: I now have to correct the following statement : " I now have to say that while I can see the deep furrows along growth lines and the pits where birdseye would exist, the sandblast provides a durable surface that is worry free and allows me to be less careful about scratching the finish of a smooth pipe."

Apparently, the black coating is coming off (flaking off) on the left side of the pipe underneath the growth lines or the underside of the growth lines ... however you would describe that. A Nonsmoker wouldn't notice it ... you have to tip the pipe almost upside down to see it. I would still recommend for the price I paid. A sharpie magic marker could correct it, it being so fine, or some dye. But not enough to worry about yet.

 

[MilesDavis]

I am not a fan of smooth black pipes. I am a big fan of sand blasted black pipes and own a number. Most of my black pipes have Cumberland stems. These are a few of mine.

Very pretty!

 

[telescopes]

Update: I now have to correct the following statement : " I now have to say that while I can see the deep furrows along growth lines and the pits where birdseye would exist, the sandblast provides a durable surface that is worry free and allows me to be less careful about scratching the finish of a smooth pipe."

Apparently, the black coating is coming off (flaking off) on the left side of the pipe underneath the growth lines or the underside of the growth lines ... however you would describe that. A Nonsmoker wouldn't notice it ... you have to tip the pipe almost upside down to see it. I would still recommend for the price I paid. A sharpie magic marker could correct it, it being so fine, or some dye. But not enough to worry about yet.

My experience with black pipes after 40 years of owning them is that briar detests a black finish. Think about it. When you get home, you can’t wait to take the tux off. The same with black finish. Over time, the finish will wear off some hee and there. Of course not always, but from my experience more so than stained finishes.

 

[Hillcrest]

My experience with black pipes after 40 years of owning them is that briar detests a black finish. Think about it. When you get home, you can’t wait to take the tux off. The same with black finish. Over time, the finish will wear off some hee and there. Of course not always, but from my experience more so than stained finishes.

I think I agree in this case. Vauen's site says the finish is a matte black stain but it seems to have some paint or lacquer in it. I would think they briar should breathe a bit; that a rusticated finish is inhibited by a lacquer stain unlike wax which may allow breathing and cooling. I have been wondering why it gets so hot even when smoked slowly and I suspect its the finish. But how to remove it without damaging the rustication is an issue. I have noticed it has particularly artistic circular growth rings from a small bullseye directly at bottom center of pipe up and around the bowl to the rim. It must have been a remarkable piece of briar and probably should have had a light brown stain and wax finish to show it off. The pits that it has are at the thickest part of the bowl so I am no longer concerned about them.

 

[cigrmaster]

Very pretty!

Thank you.

I read an article about the Castello smooth black pipes and how they got the stain. There are some kind of black bugs and when mushed it is used to color the pipes. I forget what bug they used but I found it interesting.

 

[mso489]

That would make an interesting ad. You should buy a Castello smooth black pipe; we're mashing up some bugs right now to make the stain!

 

[Chasing Embers]

But how to remove it without damaging the rustication is an issue.

Acetone on a cloth.

 

[clynch]

Love em.

 

[anotherbob]

Many posters write about how grain isn’t that important right. Then, many of these same posters seem to infer that the black is hiding the grain and possibly defects. Which is it? I really don’t understand this bias against black. Black is Beautiful. Right?

I think they're saying grain doesn't effect smoking quality. I personally don't see any clear indication of grain effecting how a pipe smokes, but I really love looking at it. A black pipe to me is like a fluffy sweater on a beautiful painting (mild misdirection).

 

[Chasing Embers]

I think they're saying grain doesn't effect smoking quality. I personally don't see any clear indication of grain effecting how a pipe smokes, but I really love looking at it. A black pipe to me is like a fluffy sweater on a beautiful painting (mild misdirection).

black pipes

 

[telescopes]

I think they're saying grain doesn't effect smoking quality. I personally don't see any clear indication of grain effecting how a pipe smokes, but I really love looking at it. A black pipe to me is like a fluffy sweater on a beautiful painting (mild misdirection).

I agree that most are saying that the grain doesn’t impact the smoking quality, but I have seen this argument applied to those who maintain they don’t like sand blasting and rustication because it might hide defects.

 

[anotherbob]

I agree that most are saying that the grain doesn’t impact the smoking quality, but I have seen this argument applied to those who maintain they don’t like sand blasting and rustication because it might hide defects.

You mean people say hey I don't like blasts or rusties and other people say oh who cares about that stuff. Then the same who cares about that say yuck black pipes can't see the grain or know what kind of flaws it's hiding.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have seen this argument applied to those who maintain they don’t like sand blasting and rustication because it might hide defects.

Having known several carvers, sometimes they do to save a pipe with a pit. Other times when they see a nice ring grain, they blast to accentuate that characteristic.

 

[telescopes]

Having known several carvers, sometimes they do to save a pipe with a pit. Other times when they see a nice ring grain, they blast to accentuate that characteristic.

Agreed. I don't buy the argument that somehow a pipe with a blast or rustication or a paint job was made that way because it had some type of defect. I am sure individual carvers are more picky about why they do what they do to a pipe, but at a factory setting, I just am not sure it matters. Maybe someone is sorting, but a pipe with anything more than a cosmetic "defect" will not make the grade for any type of work or at least shouldn't. Certainly pipes with outstanding grain might be sorted for more natural smooth finishes.

 

[Hillcrest]

Agreed. I don't buy the argument that somehow a pipe with a blast or rustication or a paint job was made that way because it had some type of defect. I am sure individual carvers are more picky about why they do what they do to a pipe, but at a factory setting, I just am not sure it matters. Maybe someone is sorting, but a pipe with anything more than a cosmetic "defect" will not make the grade for any type of work or at least shouldn't. Certainly pipes with outstanding grain might be sorted for more natural smooth finishes.

I would think (mere conjecture) in a factory setting a strong consideration would be on sales, demand and speed of production and filling quotas. I notice a lot of new 'fresh' pipes on a particular website all seem to be black sandblast or black rusticated lately ... maybe they are easier to make with less attention to detail ???
A few natural and smooth would be nice but then they are usually 3-4x the price and probably sell less often. The goal is to make a living and profit in the end.

 

[telescopes]

I would think (mere conjecture) in a factory setting a strong consideration would be on sales, demand and speed of production and filling quotas. I notice a lot of new 'fresh' pipes on a particular website all seem to be black sandblast or black rusticated lately ... maybe they are easier to make with less attention to detail ???
A few natural and smooth would be nice but then they are usually 3-4x the price and probably sell less often. The goal is to make a living and profit in the end.

Yes. Although oddly enough, Dunhill, who was well known for being very picky about the briar they selected, had a very wide offering of sandblasted pipes for sale. Of my six Dunhill pipes, only two are smooth and I think the sandblasted pipes absolutely outshine them.

 

[Hillcrest]

Yes. Although oddly enough, Dunhill, who was well known for being very picky about the briar they selected, had a very wide offering of sandblasted pipes for sale. Of my six Dunhill pipes, only two are smooth and I think the sandblasted pipes absolutely outshine them.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find more (percentage wise) smooth pipes attractive than rusticated or sandblasted but I do acknowledge that some are beautiful. P.S. No knowledge or experience of dunhill's other than what i've seen on this site.

 

[marlow-se]

I'm not really a fan of black pipes, although I agree with most here about blast vs. smooth. I only have one black sandblast, a Dan Pipe shape reformed. To mso's initial point I like it for the variety, both in shape and finish. I recently sold my only Dunhill because I felt it was a shame that there was not even a hint of wood looking at it. It was a Shell from the year 2000. I replaced it a couple of weeks ago with a Root Briar.