Clay Pipestem Black core

[steelheadwill]

Have found a lot of pipes & stems, this is my first with the black core,
anyone know the reason, or seen one before?
Thanks for looking! & HH. herbie

 

[timekiller]

Have found a lot of pipes & stems, this is my first with the black core,
anyone know the reason, or seen one before?
Thanks for looking! & HH. herbie

Reason just the material it was made from I would guess. Seen one yes find them alot with the black core.
Take Care,
Pete,

 

[Newt]

It might be plain ole clay wrapped with Kaolin clay to save money.
Newt

 

[Lucas]

Possibly carbonized Kaolin. All black pipes are pretty common by the 1840's. They still make them in Germany. The black ones are supposed to smoke cooler.

So, maybe black core for cooler smoke, white outside for traditional white look?

 

[ivan salis]

smoking can stain them as well -- used to smoke pipes -- clay pipes as well --the brown tobbaco stain would discolor the outside of the pipe --but inside where it was heavy --the hole area would turn black -over time it would get bitter --thus they would often break a little bit of the stem off to get a fresh bit to put in the mouth (less bitter that way)

 

[Lucas]

--thus they would often break a little bit of the stem off to get a fresh bit to put in the mouth (less bitter that way)

Actually, they used to wash them, and dry them by the fire. You can also put them in the fire to burn out the tar. Breaking a bit off the stem is mostly folklore based on remains of broken pipes... they break when you drop them. They break even more when buried for 200+ years.

OK they call them "ebonized" not carbonized. My bad!

 

[ivan salis]

those are very nice long church warden type pipes (straight rather than curved however like most church wardens) -- the shorter cheap throw away types used in taverns was the type i was speaking of them busting the tip off of --

 

[Lucas]

http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/winter08/stuff.cfm

Myths That Should by Now Be History
WHEN MEN SMOKED, THEY OFTEN SHARED THE SAME WHITE CLAY PIPE. FOR SANITARY REASONS, THEY WOULD BREAK OFF THE TIP OF THE LONG STEM BEFORE PASSING ON THE PIPE.
It makes sense to us today, with our knowledge of germs and communicable disease. But colonists didn’t know about germs and could not more than suspect that sharing a pipe or cup was unsanitary. Yet this myth has survived for decades, probably because someone applied modern logic to understand why historical archaeologists were unearthing thousands of bits of broken pipe stems. The long slender stems of white clay pipes are fragile, as anyone who has handled a reproduction carelessly can attest. They had to be long so that the heat from burning tobacco in the bowl of the pipe would not be conducted as far as the lips.

http://historymyths.wordpress.com/2010/05/22/

Myth #4: When men smoked, they often shared the same white clay pipe. For sanitary reasons, they would break off the tip of the long stem before passing on the pipe.
”. . . and that’s why archaeologists find so many bits of broken pipe stems in so many excavations.”

Well, it certainly makes sense to us today, with our knowledge of germs and the spread of disease. But early Americans didn’t know about germs, and so it would not have occurred to them that sharing the same pipe was unsanitary. Yet this myth has survived for decades, probably since someone applied modern logic to understand why historical archaeologists were unearthing thousands of bits of broken pipe stems.

And the real reason? The long slender stems of white clay pipes are fragile, as anyone who has handled a reproduction carelessly can attest. Why did they make them so long then? They needed to be long so that the heat from the burning tobacco in the bowl of the pipe would not be conducted as far as the lips. Our forefathers did share pipes–and drinking containers for that matter–but no one broke off the end before passing theirs on.

 

[steelheadwill]

Thanks to all who responded!
as usual, T-Net Members are The Resource for Hard to find info!

 

[Michellets]

What a black core such as is seen in the pipe stem you have, would indicate is that it was probably fired in a reduction atmosphere for an extended period of time. It may also be indicative of the type of fuel used, coal (sagger fired), oil, wood, or gas, and even perhaps the type of kiln it was fired in (salt, soda, etc...) I would think that perhaps the pipe was a secondary object in the kiln being fired (less important part of the kiln load), and a reduction (no oxygen) atmosphere was desired for other primary items in the kiln such as glazed pottery. The glazes and colors in the kiln probably needed a reduction atmosphere in order to achieve certain colors or hues, thus during the body reduction stage (1400-1800 degrees) the atmoshere in the kiln was reduced. Many pieces of old pottery have black/grey cores in the clay body.....look closely at the shards.... HH, Ml

 

[timekiller]

Here are some indian pipe pieces I find.Also black but through out the clay.So material & firing will turn them black for sure.

 

[Newt]

Here are some indian pipe pieces I find.Also black but through out the clay.So material & firing will turn them black for sure.

Can you give me a better shot of this pipe. I have one very similar and have been told it was a shamines? pipe.
Newt

 

[timekiller]

Here are some indian pipe pieces I find.Also black but through out the clay.So material & firing will turn them black for sure.

Can you give me a better shot of this pipe. I have one very similar and have been told it was a shamines? pipe.
Newt

That's just the steam part Newt,you probably know that though,I don't know what tribe it's from as there were many here on the coast and they over lap.But we find them in all kinds of shapes.Here's a couple more shot's some are some the old man found.They have finger nail prints still in them and would be along the lines of what this type steam went on.