| This article will provide you with some of the most | | | | · Clay - if you are wanting to buy a clay |
| basic information on tobacco pipes, from the parts that | | | | tobacco pipe, it is worth spending the few extra dollars |
| make them up to the materials they are made out of. | | | | to get one made from an expensive clay rather than |
| Tobacco pipes are made up of three major parts: | | | | a cheap clay. Cheap clay pipes can add bad flavors to |
| · The bowl - this is the small chamber in which | | | | a smoke. They are also porous and low quality. Good |
| the tobacco is placed. | | | | clays, on the other hand, can make some great pipes. |
| · The shank - this is the thin stem that leads to | | | | Many say that these good clays (made into good |
| the bit. The smoke travels up the stem. | | | | pipes) give a tobacco smoker a pure smoke, meaning |
| · The bit - the bit is the mouthpiece of the pipe. | | | | that there is not flavor besides that which the tobacco |
| There is not just one material that tobacco pipes are | | | | itself imparts. |
| made out of. They are made from many different | | | | · Wood - if you have a wood tobacco pipe |
| materials. Some of the most popular materials include: | | | | and you want to be sure that it will not burn, you can |
| · Briar - this is the most common material for | | | | spread a mixture of honey and water into the bowl. |
| tobacco pipes. Why is it so common? Because, | | | | After you use the pipe a few times, the mixture will |
| although it is a type of wood (more specifically, it | | | | create a burn resistant barrier. |
| comes from the root burl of the tree heath), it is | | | | · Glass - hand-blown glass pipes can be very |
| naturally resistant to fire. Also, it does not absorb | | | | beautiful and interesting. You will find that there is a |
| moisture | | | | large variety of colors and styles of glass tobacco |
| · Corncob - this is a very cheap material to | | | | pipes. A benefit of glass pipes is that they cannot |
| make tobacco pipes from. In fact, because corncob | | | | affect the flavor of the smoke. |
| makes such cheap pipes, it is no wonder that the | | | | · Metal - there are such things as metal |
| people who built "Frosty the Snowman" did not mind | | | | tobacco pipes, but you will likely see them more |
| sticking one into the snowy mouth! Yes, they are | | | | commonly used with other drugs like cannabis. |
| cheap, but they are still effective. | | | | Aluminum, brass, and steel are the metals generally |
| · Meerschaum - before briar tobacco pipes | | | | used to make metal tobacco pipes. The problem |
| became so popular, meerschaum and clay were the | | | | associated with metal pipes for tobacco smokers is |
| materials of choice for pipes. Meerschaum is a mineral | | | | that the metal bowls need to have a break-in period of |
| that can be carved into beautiful shapes - you will find | | | | resination. Before this happens, the smoke will have an |
| many interesting and intricate meerschaum pipes. | | | | aftertaste. |