The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-20
HOW TO COLOR A PIPE
CHlCAGO'S LEADING MEERSCHAuM
EXPERT Is A WOMAN.

All About It-Rich Coloring Obtained
by Careful Use and Timely Boiling-A
Masculine Weakness.
Perhaps the ono person in this city who
Is most deeply versed in the secret of pipe
coloring is woman, and 1t is needless to
say that she never took SO much as a sim
gle Whit Of smoke from pipe In her life
Her interest In pipe coloring is purely pro-
fessional and very large proportion of
the most beautiful pipes colored liz Chi
cage during the last 20 years have passed
through her hands, or, more properly,
through her kettle. for she is past mas
ter in the unique profession Of meerschaum
boiling She has treated thousands of
pipes for smokers of this city and has un-
doubtedly done more to disseminate gen.
eral knowledge of the difficult art of meer
schaum coloring than any other resident
of this city.
While it cannot be said that this woman
"pipo DOCTOR" as she is frequently called
by her patrons, gives regular lessons or
paid instruction, her advice is constantly
sought by the men who find that their
pet pipes are not acquiring the rich hue
which they desire, and her position may
best be described as that of consulting
colorist" Although she maintains shop
or office in Clark street and there conducts
u large business in the sale and repair of
fine pipes, she Goes not venture to do her
boiling in SO public place, as the process
is secret one and is the evolution of
many years of patient study and expert
ment. The rudiments Of her odd craft
were learned in France, where she was
born, but the formula for the boiling
mixtures which she now uses bear little
resemblance to those which she was orig
inally taught. They are distinctively her
own, and she guards them with the most
| jealous care.
"A great many young men," said this
matronly woman whose life has been spent
| in studying pipes, "bring me meer-
| schaums which they have smoked for six
| or eight months and ask why the pipes
| have failed to acquire the dark coloring
| seen in the meerschaums of those who are
| veterans in the art They inquire, in
| helpless sort of way, if think boiling will
| improve the color or if the meerschaum is
of an inferior quality which would not
| take on rich hue if smoked for dozen
years. always know that such custom
| ers are beginners and have never before
| attempted to color a pipe. They imagine
| smoking is the only essential process in
| pipe coloring and that boiling should be
| resorted to only when the meerschaum
burns, becomes scratched or is OF an in
feror quality. This is an almost universal
mistake among those who are inexperi'
| enced in this smokers diversion.
"The fact is that the finest meerschaum
ever imported into this country could not
be given perfect color without being
boiled in oil at just the right stage in its
development. Simply smoking it, no
matter how great the care exercised to
prevent burning or how rich and juicy the
tobacco, would never in the world secure
the desired result. 1t is in knowing just
when the pipe is ripe for boiling that the
smoker is able to display triumph OF
Judgment and skill which will make him
enved by his less successful competitors,
for there is keen spirit of rivalry in this
matter, particularly among young men OF
the fashionable and student classes.
"There are scores of veteran colorists
who invariably smoke their meerschaums
altogether too long before having them
boiled. This is the universal tendency,
and the number of men who have their
pipes boiled at exactly the proper stage
may almost DO counted on the fingers OF
two hands. OF course it is absolutely i'm
possible to make any hard and fast rules
regulating the length of time that the
| pipe should be smoked before being sent
to the kettle. Many things enter into that
consideration, but chiefly the quality OF
the meerschaum. If the latter is very soft
the pipe in the hands of a steady smoker,
will be ready for the oil in week, while a
hard pipe will require three weeks of al
most constant smoking to make it ripe
for it's hot bath.
"The standard of shading at which most
smokers aim is a very dark brown, almost
black, for the base of the bowl and the be
ginning of the stem and a rich cherry fol
the upper portion of the bowl. This gives
n variety of shading. AS the pipe !:
smoked after coming from tho kettle TIT
| dark brown base and stem will gradually
become charcoal black, while the cherry
colored upper half of the bowl will acquire
yellowish tinge."
"Can you regulate the coloring by varia
tiops in your method of boiling?" this ex
pert was asked.
Certainly" was the prompt reply
"The bath in my kettle is not plain oil b!
any means. 1t contains herbs and various
! other ingredients which, to degree a
least, regulate the color impaired to TIT
meerschaum. But of course 1T would no
do for me to go into particulars regarding
my formula for boiling. That is my trad
secret which has cost me years of expert
menting.
1.-THE public in general has no idea o
the pride which hundreds of men take II
their handsomely colored meersohaums
| Women in particular regard this penchan
| as the most foolish of all masculine weak
nesses, but in spite Of this sentiment tn
smokers still continue to make pets O
their pipes and treat them as tenderly
| the women do their poodles. One gentle
| man brought me an old blackened pipe Q
ordinary clay, with its stem broken OF
short. He had handsome amber mouth
piece attached to it by means of silve
ferrule and paid the bill without com
plant. The pipe had become companion
to him, and the price of the finest meer
schaum in the shop would not have tempt
: ed him to part with 1t. "-Chicago Post.
Heartfelt.
Lord Darlington, when governor 9