The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-05-08
HOW TO COLOR A PIPE.



PoInts On drowning u Meenschaum.
"NOw. ! have about as good a meer.
Schaum pipe Us one wants 10 sec" said
the writer 10 q tObaccOnist and PHI Q.
maker. u foreigner. who learned his
trade in Vienna, by the way, ard /
want 10 know how ! shall start in To
color IT,"
1T Is we'll you ask me IL you don't
know" was the reply. for If you at.
tach anything more than u sentiment.
al value u tie pipe you can Just about
double its value by careful colorimg.
"Meerschaum pipes need about as
much care as a baby. First Of all you
must get a inlse bowl. that is u bowl
Of brier woOd or meerschaum which
you must III into the top 81 your pipe.
Don't use the lower bowl for smoking
al oil. but the false one. or you may
burn your pipe and almost spoil it
Then, TOO. you must keep your pipe
case we'll brushed out II pieces Of
tobacco are allowed 10 get in il they
harden and scratch the pipe all up.
And you must keep the pipe wiped,
too. for the same reason, and also so
that il won't have u dirty look. Your
false bowl must be wet just u little oil
the inside before you use il, and be
smoked very carefully until il gets a
crust. or you will have TO throw il
away and get another.
''Plug cut tobacco is the best to use,
as Il is not as hot as most fine cuts and
is not Us likely 10 burn the bowl"
Isn't u meersclaum pipe ruined
after il has been burned once1" ASKED
the writer.
mo. That is q mistaken idea. II
you burn your pipe so that you lind il
wont color any more, bring il in to
Us aud we will boil il in wax. and
then you try your luck again. All
m~eersclaums are boiled in wax; and
when a pipe is Overheated that waxy
polish OH lis surface disappears, and L
looks dull and chalky. In making q
carved pipe they cut out the design in
the rough and boil tile pipe in wax.
Then they finish the carving and boil
il in a again, and the pipe is ready
for market.
'Now. here lisa pipe in the shape Of
Q wOman's head, with q wreath Of
flowers across the forehead. The
wreath. you see. is white and chalky.
and the rest lIas the familiar waA lin
ish. That is because the wreath was
carved after the pipe had been boiled
in wax the second time; in carving
the wreath the workman cut below the
wax finish. When the pipe is cOlored
the wreath will remain white as you
see il now, and the effect will he very
dne."
Where aFe the most ~meerschaumS
madef"
In Vienna. Pipe making is a trade
there and there r very few first class
pipe makers outside Sienna aud PeSth.
American work is often pretty. but il
lacks the finish Of the European.
Foreign pipes Hre lighter aud more
graceful than the American.
In a first class pipe half Of the
value ought to be in the amber; but
both m~eeTschaum and amber arc Of all
qualities. For instance. one bundle Of
meerschaum may he worth $50. while
another exactly the same size may be
worth $500. The lighter the letter is
the general rule"
Where do you get most Of your
meerschaum."
I'VE get most Of ours from Asia
Minor, where il is mined, the town Of
Fouish furnishing the principal sup
plies. The Austrian merchants buy il
at Smyrna. Meerschaum is also found
less abundantiy in Greece and some Of
the Greciam islands; in Mor1vIa and in
Morocco. where il is used when fresh
as a substitute for soap. A variety
used as q building stone is found in
South Carolina. It's name, 'meer
schaum,' is the German for sea foam.
snd is given il only because Of its sp
pearance.
AN imitation m%eSrschaum used for
making pipes is made Of hardemei
plaster Of Paris. treated with parailin
and colored by gamboge and dragon $
blood. The French also use as sub
stitute for m~eerscllaum a preparation
made chiefly Of potato. Tie artificial
meerschaums cannot easily be distim
guished from the real. but they are
usually heavier and freer from blem
isles, caused by the presence Of foreign
minerals In many genuine nIeer
SchaumS.
by the way, that new pipe Of yours
is now worth from Sl2 TO SIS. Color
il up we'll and in two months you can
sell il for $25. Yes, this false bowl
will cost you twenty-five cents. Dos
ton Globe.
why AISFtar HardsnS.