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RE: Rare Smoking Pipes - Silver Mounted Peterson Meerschaum - SmokeWithMe Collection Recollections
I've only known 1 person who smoked a pipe and I thought the smell was wonderful. It was probably a sweet blend. I checked out your opening blogs on pipe smoking. There's so much more than I ever knew to it. I love the burl one pipe that you had a pic of.
It surprised me that there would be so many burl pipes. Typically burls aren't so easy to come by for woodworking because they are rather unpredictable. You can't just plant a 'burl making tree'. From what I know of them, you can't even decide that you have the right environment and have them just show up.
90% or more of the pipes sold today are carved from the root burl of the Mediterranean heath tree. It's perfect because it's extremely dense but porous, and resistant to fire. It's kind of funny to think that we use wood to create a little furnace, but I've read that you can throw a lump of briar into a roaring fire and it'll just sit there and char a little around the edges.
Unfortunately it takes 30 years for the burls to grow and then they need several more after harvesting to cure and dry out. But the grain of each one is unique. A perfectly carved pipe with a straight grain can sell for thousands!
During WW2 Americans got desperate and tried using rhododendron burls and cherry-wood, but the pipes were too prone to burning through. Corn cob pipes actually smoke pretty well, which is why the company that makes them is called "Missouri Meerschaum."
It's really odd that the burls wouldn't burn well but I think you're right. I may have seen similar effects while woodworking (wood can easily get burned by the friction that some tools make). Burl is considered a very hard wood and difficult to work with but they are very sought after. It's just amazing (I think) that they are porous but fire resistant. You would think that a more porous wood would be more apt to feed a fire. Maybe the pores are filled with something that the tobacco burns off? - just thinking out loud.