Pipe Help.

Garabaldi · May 23, 2011

Found this at a colonial site. I don't think its a clay pipe, but seems more like the bowl has been carved from a nut. :dontknow:

Do you think its old? :icon_scratch:

Breezie · May 23, 2011

Hey G, Very cool pipe you found! You might want to do some research on 'Meerschaum' pipes. :thumbsup:

Breezie

NGE · May 24, 2011

Ya took the wind outta me sails, Breezie. I was gonna say the same thing......NGE

diggummup · May 24, 2011

Isn't Meerschaum usually carved from a single piece? That looks like the bowl is a different material. Like Garabaldi said, a nut of some type. :icon_scratch:

taz42o · May 24, 2011

Could be a nutshell, here are some made from nutshell.

http://www.originalartisan.com/shop/products/?ptag=nut-shell

Garabaldi · May 24, 2011

taz42o said:
Could be a nutshell, here are some made from nutshell.

http://www.originalartisan.com/shop/products/?ptag=nut-shell

I think you nailed it taz. The ones on the site look just like the one I found. I think there was a stone at one point on my bowl. I guess its Artisan.
The question now is how old is it? $:-\$

Daedalus · May 24, 2011

Looks like a pipe carved out of Walnut ! That is a nice one.

taz42o · May 26, 2011

I dont know if the one you have is old or not .
Seems like those nutshell pipes all come from south America.
I have found reference of them as early as 1600s.
It would be nice to figure out what kind of nut it is, I have seen ones online made from Tagua nuts and brazil nuts but yours is not one of those.
The ones from the artisan site look to be the same type of nut as yours but they do not tell what kind it is.

"South Brazil in I650 the traveller Jan Nieuhoff found a great Indian tribe smoking pipes with bowls made of nut-shells and with stems of reed "

stefen · May 26, 2011

It appears that the leaf structure is composed of a ceramic fired clay...if its not applied after firing, then the bowl would also be of ceramic, one would think.

Wood will not stand up to the kiln temperatures needed to fire the clay.

The ceramic, however, may then been applied after firing with the bowl (maybe wood) being fitted afterwards. Clay shrinks in the firing process so some carving and fitting would be required.

DirtDigler · May 26, 2011

Did you find this pipe bowl in the ground? Seems like something organic would be prone to rot if it was a period artifact found in the soil. Clay pipes can be generally dated by the bowl size. Older ones having a smaller size. I don't know if that would translate to your pipe, or not. Yours looks fairly small. Have you found much modern trash at your site? Is it well traveled today, or out of the way?

diggummup · May 26, 2011

Judging from the size of the bowl and the condition of the nutshell, I think it's a fairly modern (1980's) weed pipe.

mrs.oroblanco · May 26, 2011

That is just REALLY cool!!

Beth

DirtDigler · May 27, 2011

Now a weed pipe is a valid explanation as to why it survived. Because it hasn't been around very long. Ceertainly a possibility.

diggummup · May 27, 2011

DirtDigler said:
Now a weed pipe is a valid explanation as to why it survived. Because it hasn't been around very long. Ceertainly a possibility.

That's my point in a nutshell! :headbang:

stefen · May 27, 2011

Doesn't look like it was used or there be residue and tar in the bottom

Garabaldi · May 27, 2011

DirtDigler said:
Did you find this pipe bowl in the ground? Seems like something organic would be prone to rot if it was a period artifact found in the soil. Clay pipes can be generally dated by the bowl size. Older ones having a smaller size. I don't know if that would translate to your pipe, or not. Yours looks fairly small. Have you found much modern trash at your site? Is it well traveled today, or out of the way?

I found it on top of the ground in the woods. The site dates back to the early 1600's, but kids smoke weed in the woods. I saw them when I was detecting. From the looks of the inside of the bowl, looks like it has not been used in a while. :dontknow: