| Author | Message | ||
     Tom Mueller Member Username: Tommueller Post Number: 191 Registered: 04-2008 |
Can any generalizations be made regarding the desirability of the type of grain of a briar pipe? Is this quality a factor in the grading of a pipe? I've seen beautiful examples of birdseye, straight and flame grains. Of those I own (no flame grain), my favorite is probably a birdseye. Beautiful to the eye and good smoking. | ||
| Todd Bannard Member Username: Sasquatch Post Number: 678 Registered: 05-2006 |
The grain of briar has really got nothing to do with the smoking qualities of a pipe. The quality of the smoke is ensured by having good solid briar that is boiled and cured correctly. But as to which way you cut the block - it has nothing to do with how a pipe will smoke. Birdseye or straightgrains generally sell for more because they are visually appealing, and take more skill from the pipemaker to produce. Put another way - it is unlikely that you would find a really beautifully finished pipe with excellent grain which was made out of poor briar. Any pipemaker with the skill to bring out the best in a piece of briar also takes care to use briar that was treated correctly. | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 1474 Registered: 03-2006 |
Other factors being equal, I expect straight grain tends to command the highest price, followed by flame grain, followed by birdseye, followed by splotchy stuff that has no name. I've seen beautiful examples of all four, including the last category. | ||
| DAVID IRVING Member Username: Dmi Post Number: 10 Registered: 08-2008 |
I was talking (emailing)about this a while ago when someone sent me a link to The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking By Dr. Fred Hanna, Ph.D. In the article the Dr. talks about the qualities of types of briar based on thier origins. My response was that as the briar is boiled to remove the resin etc it should not be a factor.I then pointed out that of the 500 or so pipes I have cleaned in the last year the ones with most grain adsorb the least gunk and this must affect they way they taste/smoke. When you buy a pipe it is not always possible to tell how good the briar is, think sandblast, rustic and the dreaded varnish. Is a sandblasted pipe made with nicely grained briar? This applies in a similar way when buying briar, you only have the sellers word that it has been boiled, cured and stored properly. The best briar for pipemaking comes from the outer edges of the root ball, there are more veins (grain) than in the centre which is designed to hold water like a sponge. From my point of view the spongey nature of the centre of the ball is less desirable for pipe making due to its adsorbant nature and lack of grain. | ||
| Melvin S. Schwartz Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 4335 Registered: 02-2002 |
Mr. Hanna expresses his opinion as do other knowledgeable people in the pipe-smoking community. Not everyone agrees with Mr. Hanna and his opinions, which is not to say that is a big issue. Anyway, R.D. Field has a website where he has Published Articles that someone may find helpful: http://www.rdfield.com/Articles/Published%20articles.htm | ||
| Tom Mueller Member Username: Tommueller Post Number: 195 Registered: 04-2008 |
Thank you Mr. Schwartz and Irving. I will comment further after re-reading and digesting both articles. |