[转帖]Pipe smoking- Meerschaum Style
以下有关海泡石烟斗的文章摘自 Pipe & Tobacco Magazine 2002, Springhttp://www.pt-magazine.com/current/images/Spr02.jpg
Pipe Smoking- Meerschaum Style
By Stephen A. Ross
Have you ever considered smoking a meerschaum pipe? The odds are that most of us have, and proudly display a couple of meerschaums in our collection. As early as the 17th century, people enjoyed smoking tobacco from meerschaum pipes and marveled at meerschaum’s ability to slowly change its color from its natural white to a reddish-brown. Most of today’s tobacconists continue to carry a number of meerschaum pipes, and there remains a strong cadre of meerschaum enthusiasts who welcome its ability to provide a clean-tasting smoke while almost magically changing color. Most of these meerschaum devotees have spent years smoking and experimenting with meerschaum pipes and have developed strong opinions about meerschaum pipes. We asked a panel of experts—SMS Meerschaums’ Beth Sermet, C.A.O.’s Cano Ozgener and Butera Pipe Co.’s Mike Butera—to share their wisdom. Each expert has kindly shared knowledge about which tobaccos smoke best in a meerschaum, cleaning meerschaum pipes, meerschaum’s coloration process, tips to enhance your meerschaum’s coloration, and the standards they use to judge a meerschaum’s color. Although they may disagree on certain points, our experts agree on one thing: They hope you will join them in their immense enjoyment of smoking meerschaum pipes.
According to our experts, the same criteria should be used when you are considering purchasing a pipe made of briar or meerschaum. Butera says, “You want to look at the same things. Although meerschaum is more porous than briar, it will still collect moisture. You want to make sure you can run a pipe cleaner through the entire pipe and you will want to check to see that the draft hole is at the bottom of the bowl.”
Another important item to consider is whether to purchase a pipe made from block or pressed meerschaum. “Block meerschaum is carved from stone that has been dug out of the earth, and pressed meerschaum is composed of meerschaum pieces that have been crushed, mixed with vegetable glue and formed into blocks. There’s a difference in the smoking quality in the beginning, but once they are broken in, they provide a similar smoking experience,” according to Butera. Our other two experts disagree with Butera and think there is a difference between the smoking qualities of block and pressed meerschaum. “It’s day and night,” Ozgener says. “The bonding material used in pressed meerschaum interferes with the natural way the tobacco smokes. The block meerschaum is lighter; it smokes much cooler; it breathes better; and it better absorbs tobacco’s tar and nicotine. Block meerschaum will also color better than pressed meerschaum, which doesn’t color without the use of artificial products. Well-made tobacco is intricate and you want it to be as unaffected as possible.” Sermet agrees, adding, “Pressed meerschaum is much less expensive than block meerschaum. Pressed meerschaum carves very much like block meerschaum, but you can’t achieve the extremely fine detail you see with block meerschaum.” Although pressed meerschaum has qualities similar to those of block meerschaum, Sermet states that a meerschaum pipe’s material should be clearly identified. “Other than our cala bash pipes, we don’t carry any pressed meerschaum pipes and we don’t think pressed meerschaum pipes should be considered equivalent to block meerschaum. Pressed meerschaum is mostly used in cigarette lighters and calabash pipes, and you must make sure that when you’re buying a meerschaum pipe, you’re buying one that’s made from block meerschaum.” Whether you decide to buy a meerschaum pipe carved from natural stone or one made from pressed meerschaum, there’s a vast variety of sizes, shapes and carvings from which to choose. A meerschaum pipe allows a smoker to display his own individuality, and someone thinking about buying a meerschaum should use great care when considering which pipe to buy.
Once you’ve decided what meerschaum to purchase, it’s time to choose your tobacco. Our panel agrees that the best tobacco to smoke is the tobacco you like. “Enjoyment of the tobacco is the first and most important thing. The fact that meerschaum also colors is an added benefit,” Ozgener says. “I wouldn’t recommend people switch blends just for coloration,” Sermet adds. “All tobaccos smoke great in meerschaums,” Butera says. “It takes a little longer for a meerschaum to break in using Latakia, but it’s great, too. Tobacco in a meerschaum smokes very dry and very neutral. There’s nothing added to the flavor of the tobacco, so what you get is the true flavor that the blender intended for it to have. It’s similar to smoking a clay pipe.” Butera has experimented with the effects of different tobaccos on meerschaum’s coloration process and found that “Latakia and aromatics will generally give the meerschaum a purplish-brown color, and Burleys and Virginias will cause the meerschaum to develop a golden hue, but eventually, all tobaccos will darken the meerschaum into a burgundy color. The most important thing is to smoke what you like, because the more you smoke, the quicker the pipe will change color.”
Cleaning a meerschaum pipe is very similar to cleaning a briar, but there are some special considerations to keep in mind. Sermet advises that when cleaning a pipe, it’s important to make sure the bowl and the shank are equally supported. “Don’t hold only the bowl, or the shank will twist off. It’s also important to periodically check the mortise and tenon to make sure the fitting is tight because moisture can deteriorate the fitting. I would also swab out the meerschaum’s bowl with a soft pipe cleaner to prevent cake accumulation. I wouldn’t use any cleaning fluids except perhaps brandy.” Ozgener agrees with much of Sermet’s advice, “The quality of the smoke from a clean meerschaum pipe is much better than from an unclean meerschaum pipe. Clean the stem with a pipe cleaner and disengage the mouthpiece only when the pipe is cool. You have to support the shank of the meerschaum when you disengage the stem. Then you clean the pipe’s shank and clean the inside of the bowl with a blunt object. In my opinion, you don’t want any cake residue in meerschaum. The cake can expand and contract at a different rate than the meerschaum, which could cause the pipe to crack.”
Butera generally agrees with Ozgener and Sermet, but thinks that decisions about cake or cleaning fluids should be left to the individual. “I personally like to have cake on all of my pipes because I think it provides a cleaner, drier and more delicious smoke. Some people think that cake will prevent a pipe from coloring as quickly, but I don’t think that’s true. If you decide to build a cake, don’t let it get any bigger than a nickel’s thickness. I’ve smoked a lot of meerschaum pipes in my life and I’ve never had one break because of the cake in it. As far as cleaning a meerschaum is concerned, you can use pipe sweeteners, but avoid getting them on the outside surface of the meerschaum.”
The meerschaum’s ability to change color is enhanced by a coating of molten wax. Each carver has his own formula for mixing in the proportions of beeswax and paraffin to create this wax. According to Sermet, “The more beeswax mixed in with paraffin, the better the pipe will color.” Sermet once cut open a meerschaum to see how wax helps a meerschaum color. “The moisture of the tobacco and the residue bleed into the pipe from the un-waxed smoking chamber. The meerschaum acts as a sponge and pulls these liquids into the pipe. The wax holds the residue on the surface instead of letting it evaporate.” Butera says, “Meerschaums are easy to color. Smoke your meerschaum pipe a couple of times each day for three or four weeks until it’s become saturated. You’ll know it’s saturated because it will be heavier and it will take a lot more pipe cleaners to keep it clean. Once it’s saturated, let it dry out for approximately one month. The residue that was absorbed by the pipe will slowly move toward the pipe’s surface and the beeswax will keep it from evaporating.”
The beeswax is the most crucial factor in developing a nicely colored meerschaum pipe. There are two important things to avoid if you want to preserve your beeswax—don’t handle the pipe with dirty hands when it’s warm, and avoid getting the pipe too hot. Ozgener says, “The softened beeswax can pick up dirt or leave the impression of fingerprints on the pipe’s surface.” Sermet recommends smoking the pipe 10 times holding only the stem. “After your 10th time smoking the pipe, the wax should be adjusted to your smoking style. After that, handle it however you like.” Butera admits that he handles his meerschaums when he smokes them, but emphatically warns, “You have to have clean hands because the beeswax will pick up dirt. When it softens, the beeswax will take any dirt on your hands, which will then penetrate into the wax and be extremely difficult to get out. Another thing to watch out for is to keep the pipe from getting too hot—otherwise, you will melt the wax.”
Butera has revived the use of the coloring bowl, a tool that smokers used a century ago to aid the coloring process. Butera’s coloring bowls fit into a meerschaum’s bowl and allow you to smoke your tobacco without getting the pipe too hot. “It turns your entire meerschaum pipe into a shank and allows the pipe to color more evenly, because it won’t get too hot and you won’t melt the wax.” If you decide to use a coloring bowl to help you color your meerschaum, Butera suggests you attach it to your pipe before you smoke it for the first time.
A meerschaum’s color is judged by three factors—its uniformity, depth and beauty. “Uniformity of color is most important for me,” Ozgener says. “I look to see if the pipe is colored throughout its surface, or if there are splotches where it doesn’t color as well. Sometimes a pipe colors darker in some areas than in others, but I would prefer to see a pipe that’s colored all around even though its coloration isn’t dark. The second thing I look for is depth of coloring, or how dark the pipe has become. It tells you how much a person has smoked his pipe.” Butera agrees that uniformity is more important than depth, but adds, “You’ve got to realize that block meerschaum is a natural substance. Like other natural substances, block meerschaum will have varying degrees of porosity throughout its structure that will make it absorb moisture at different rates. This will cause the meerschaum to color unevenly. You have to look at the pipe’s color with the knowledge that some areas aren’t going to color as well. If its color is nearly even, you know that the smoker didn’t overheat the pipe. I think the pipe’s darkness is not as important.” Sermet agrees that uniformity and depth of color are important, but argues that judging how a meerschaum’s color enhances the overall composition of the pipe is paramount. “There are some examples of pipes I’ve seen that didn’t have an even coloration but were simply stunning to see. It really depends on the pipe’s design. I look to see the overall effect of the coloring on the pipe and ask myself if it’s more beautiful after it’s been colored.”
Meerschaum pipes have been around for a long time, and they have developed a devoted group of admirers through the years. These advocates of meerschaum smoking have created techniques and methods that each believes will best transform a white meerschaum pipe into a stunning work of art through the coloration process. Now that you’ve read our experts’ advice, you are armed with the information you need to develop your own works of art while enjoying one of your favorite pastimes. Go ahead—now’s the time to smoke your pipe, meerschaum-style. P&T
这篇文章很有用，解释了我心中的一个疑惑：烟斗染的颜色。
看来海泡石烟斗好坏除了做工外一个重要的因素是能否被均匀染色。
海泡石一、二
除了好玩以外，海泡石烟斗最大的好处就是可以连续使用，不象石楠木的，每天只能最多用两次，因为海泡石是一种疏松、透气的材料。不过据在下自己的经验，现代产的海泡石烟斗透气性不如以前的（用于对照的是两个60年代的），不知是否现代的制作工艺在表面用了较多的蜡质和颜料，减弱了透气性（新自英国购得但产于土耳其的海泡石烟斗表面白得耀眼，显见涂刷了较多的颜料）。海泡石烟斗在使用的过程中会因为吸收焦油而逐渐由淡粉红色而转至琥珀色，的确有些人士认为抽烟时手指的触摸会使色泽不匀，需要戴上手套，但就在下而言，宁愿色泽不匀也不想戴着手套，那样会太无趣的。让你戴着手套去抚弄……，你干不干？
产至土耳其的海泡石是最好的，因为色泽纯白，较少杂质。
另外，海泡石烟斗以整块海泡石雕成的为佳，通常都会注明Block meerschaum，质量较次的是用石粉压制而成的。
海泡石烟斗的清洗较为容易，因为海泡石本身会吸收大部分的焦油和水分。需要注意的是，抽完烟后需要过一段时间才能用通条去清理烟斗的底部（U形部），因为那里积聚的水分会泡软海泡石，这时使用通条会损伤烟斗。 我这新手要买海泡石烟斗试试吗？ 最好還是買個普通的,
用上手了, 再考慮买海泡石烟斗试试也不遲.
畢竟海泡石烟斗打理比較困難.
看過前面的貼子, 我想原因你也約知一二了.
但大前題還是要看你自己吧,
煙斗畢竟是一種享受, 若果你認為如此打理煙斗也是你的享受之一的話,
那又有何不可了.
若然你是新手的話, 小弟建議還是來個踏踏實實的開始比較好~ 不知dunhill有沒有出海泡石頭斗?有的話不知多少錢? Dunhill 有海泡石斗的。
不过觉得似乎 Dunhill 不是出品海泡石斗的专家，虽然品质应该有保证的。
或者您可以留意一下 C.A.O.等品牌。
Dunhill 还有陶土烟斗呢，不过好像只是为 special events 特别发行，并没有常规出售。
不知道有没有 Dunhill 玉米斗？
[此贴子已经被LeslieNg于2003-4-16 1:56:53编辑过]
我在一家古玩铺发现不少旧（二手）海泡
石斗，颜色均泛黄，是否这种斗经过使用都如此？影响收藏价值吗？这种斗的质量优劣主要
根据什么决定，是材料还是造型？
据CNSMOKESHOP赐复：有关二手海泡石烟斗，我们相信此为 Estate Pipe。因为海泡石烟斗经过使用，烟油会渗透
而出，令钵面变红、变金。不过，亦有可能是闲置多年，甚至经过『旧化』的新斗。测试方
法很简单，使用过的海泡石烟斗，斗钵内部一定是黑色的。我们觉得其收藏价值主要反映在
年代的久远性，故请您确认这是较老的旧斗，虽然其实也无从得知。我们的意见是：这种『
古董二手斗』恐怕并无甚收藏价值，如作为日常使用，则倒不如购置新斗或较新的二手斗。
至于海泡石烟斗的质量和价值，敝店认为主要反映在 材料是否为天然整块海泡石、烟斗大
小，当然，设计、雕刻细致度、出品人，甚至年份也是很值得考量的。越往高端发展，后者
的比重越明显。
皮簧客按：哪家古玩店回答我看中的一个好象是海盗斗，驾前是4800，离谱了吧！
海泡石烟斗资料
以下是我在www.altinokpipe.com 买的海泡石烟斗资料，这三个是艺术斗，每个69美金。质量很好，实物比照片还好。每个都有一个很贴身的皮合，外面还有一个布套。http://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612211067227.jpg
http://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612213756642.jpg
http://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612215962657.jpg
海泡石烟斗资料
这是几个用于日常抽烟的SMOOTH 斗，有一个已经送给朋友，价格从44.5-69美金，质量与包装同上，用了三个月后只是外面不均匀的发黄，其他并无任何损伤。据朋友讲，如果烟油不易渗出或渗出很均匀，应该怀疑是石粉斗。此斗毫无石粉味，也未见石粉脱落，抽烟的感觉比石楠根斗要干燥、凉爽，一天用2-3次也无不良反映。http://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612271264016.jpghttp://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612272875447.jpghttp://www.pipevillage.org/community/attachments/dvbbs/uploadImages/200311612274189109.jpg