Bob Nicholson on wed 13 jun 01
There's a lot of dicussion of using food-safe glazes
for functional ware, but I have a related question
that I haven't seen addressed anywhere.
I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
smoking purposes). Aside from the known
health effects of smoking anything, how safe
is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
Should I worry about glaze content, or about
hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
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m markey on thu 14 jun 01
Janet Writes:
---SNIP----
The neatest I ever saw (but did not function
well) was a pipe bowl made of the same material
developed by NASA for space rockets.
Whatever body you chose, it will have to withstand high
localised temperatures, constant tapping, stay cool
enough to hold and then pop into a jacket pocket
without a long cooling down period. I refer only to
tobacco smoking. :-)
=======================================
Hi Janet and Everybody!
It appears that it may take a rocket scientist to solve this matter!
Best wishes!
Mohabee NakedClay@Hotmail.com
Cool night in the Mojave. The stars overhead are becoming brighter, as the
moon slowly wanes.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
Philip Poburka on thu 14 jun 01
The 'Clay Pipes' I recall, or rather recall of, were not glazed, but rather,
typically, of a plain white-Clay...small bowl, and many had longish stems,
curveing slightly...or even very long stems...these had been pretty popular
thruout the eighteenth and a good chunk of the nineteenth Centuries...thence
faded...remained in rural settings...faded for good...at least over
here...in America.
Certain 'Formularies' used to mention 'Pipe-Clay' as an ingredient or
material which would figure into recipes for things...
Fine white Clay...of some sort!...delicate...slender tapered stems...
Curious...good for you!
Good luck...please advise of results!
Philip
Las Vegas...
> There's a lot of dicussion of using food-safe glazes
> for functional ware, but I have a related question
> that I haven't seen addressed anywhere.
>
> I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
> smoking purposes). Aside from the known
> health effects of smoking anything, how safe
> is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
> Should I worry about glaze content, or about
> hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Spot the hottest trends in music, movies, and more.
> http://buzz.yahoo.com/
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
C TRIPP on thu 14 jun 01
Hi Bob,
Last summer we visited a "working" museam at Amberley, West Sussex, UK and
watched a man making pipes. He used only ball and china clay and did not
glaze any part of his pipes. They were once fired and came out a very
smooth, pure white. He based his work on methods used for centuries and was
quite "close" about his formulas.
He showed us a sample of a long long stemmed pipe that would have been used
several centuries ago as a communal pipe. After each person smoked his
fill, he snapped off a bit of the stem and passed the pipe on to his
neighbour at the inn. (The snapped off bits ended up in middens to be
excavated years later by archeologists.)
Best regards,
Carol
On Wed, 13 Jun 2001 17:51:55 -0700, Ceramic Arts Discussion List wrote:
> There's a lot of dicussion of using food-safe glazes
> for functional ware, but I have a related question
> that I haven't seen addressed anywhere.
>
> I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
> smoking purposes). Aside from the known
> health effects of smoking anything, how safe
> is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
> Should I worry about glaze content, or about
> hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Spot the hottest trends in music, movies, and more.
> http://buzz.yahoo.com/
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
_______________________________________________________
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Martin Howard on thu 14 jun 01
The old white clay pipes, so often found in the garden, were made from clay
know as pipe-clay. They were usually unglazed.
I think this was because the pipe needed to breath and dissipate the heat
through the pores of the clay.
The bowls of the pipes were small; designed and used for the bud of the hemp
plant, cannabis, not for tobacco, as commonly and erroneously thought.
One day, when we have our freedom back to grow what we wish, there could be
a profitable market for these kinds of pipes again.
I do not smoke hemp or any substance, but I suggest that everyone grows a
single plant of hemp in their front garden as a political gesture for
freedom.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Roger Korn on thu 14 jun 01
I have an old Dutch pipe - the sort of thing that was common in Ireland
about 30 years ago. It has a beautiful patina on the porcelain body that
results from use. I realized that it had become precious to me, so I
cast a split plaster mold and futzed around with my porcelain throwing
body until I had a slip that would cast in about 4 minutes - just fill
the mold and pour out the stem after 4 minutes. Getting the wall
thickness right was the tricky part.
Anyway, the resulting pipes were fired to ^10 and used unglazed. The
patina starts forming almost from the start and just gets better. So why
glaze at all? It's a "tasty" pipe and very satisfactory.
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
Bob Nicholson wrote:
There's a lot of dicussion of using food-safe glazes
for functional ware, but I have a related question
that I haven't seen addressed anywhere.
I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
smoking purposes). Aside from the known
health effects of smoking anything, how safe
is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
Should I worry about glaze content, or about
hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
Terrance Lazaroff on fri 15 jun 01
To all;
I mentioned last week that 1001POTS 2001 edition in Val-David, Quebec, was
also holding a retrospective on a ceramist, potter, Gaetan Beaudin. He is
getting on in age and cannot make pots like he used to but can he make a
mean clay pipe. I will see him soon and I will ask if he has any
documentation on his process that he would be willing to share with us.
Wait for it.
Terrance
http://1001POTS.com
Steve Mills on fri 15 jun 01
Traditional clay tobacco pipes are unglazed (so absorb the tar) and give
a very cool smoke courtesy of the long stem.
Steve Mills
ex smoker for a while now
Bath
UK
In message , Bob Nicholson writes
>There's a lot of dicussion of using food-safe glazes
>for functional ware, but I have a related question
>that I haven't seen addressed anywhere.
>
>I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
>smoking purposes). Aside from the known
>health effects of smoking anything, how safe
>is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
>Should I worry about glaze content, or about
>hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Spot the hottest trends in music, movies, and more.
>http://buzz.yahoo.com/
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Janet Kaiser on fri 15 jun 01
Bob
Dig around anywhere in and around the older European
towns and cities and one of the main ceramic finds, are
bits of clay pipes. They were unglazed and liable to
break because the long stems were pretty fragile. They
had to be long so the heat was less by the time the
inhaler got the smoke into their mouths and lungs.
Of course in those days, they did not come apart so the
user could clean the stem or insert a filter... Modern
ceramic pipe bowls I have seen are unglazed vitrified
stoneware. The neatest I ever saw (but did not function
well) was a pipe bowl made of the same material
developed by NASA for space rockets.
Whatever body you chose, it will have to withstand high
localised temperatures, constant tapping, stay cool
enough to hold and then pop into a jacket pocket
without a long cooling down period. I refer only to
tobacco smoking. :-)
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
> I'm interested in making ceramic pipes (for
> smoking purposes). Aside from the known
> health effects of smoking anything, how safe
> is this? Does the bowl need to be glazed?
> Should I worry about glaze content, or about
> hi-fire versus low-fire glazes?
John Eden on mon 18 jun 01
I have a collection of clay pipe bowls, the earliest approximately 1610
about the size of a small acorn. Bryan Newman ( English potter) and I
found them in the River Thames at Greenwich at low tide. We got very good
at spotting them in the mud and acquired a considerable number of them
ranging from the early 17th.c to the late 19th.c .
When I left England we split our collection up between us. I did a fair
amount of research at the time and found out all kinds of fascinating
information about clay pipes and the smoking of tobacco. For instance,
King James 1st. detested smoking and he was resolved to put it down.
In his "Counterblast to Tobacco" published in 1604 he called it the
"filthie habit" and wrote the following.
"Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hatefull to the nose, harmfull
to the brain, dangerous to the lungs and in the blacke stinking fume
thereof neerest resembling the horrible stigian smoake of the pit that is
bottomless."
Martin Howard may be right, people smoke anything but I believe that the
tiny early bowls in England were mainly the result of the price of tobacco
that came via Spain in the late 16th.c., 3 shillings an ounce, an enormous
sum at the time. But within fifty years it was down to 8 pence an ounce
because Virginia which sent its first consignment in 1613, was producing
half a million pounds by 1627. Correspondingly the size of the clay pipe
bowl increased.
I can't believe I remembered all this.
Cheers, John.
John Eden
Ceramics Dept.
John Abbott College
Quebec, Canada
514-457-6610 ext.395
jean mitton on wed 18 jul 01
Dear Clay arters,
The Clay pipes are still made in Gouda in =
Holland. It is a simple two piece brass press mould, the hollow bowl is =
formed by a press plug of brass, and an approx. 1/16 diameter rod =
pierced through from stem end of mould to bowl. This conversation took =
place a while ago I am a good procrastinator too!
=20
Regards to all Ron Mitton South Africa.
Lyn Peelle on wed 30 jan 02
Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay pipes??
My Son is an SCA (Mediveal) fighter and has a regional "war" coming up and
would like me to make him a clay pipe. Was wondering if anyone has any info,
tips or otherwise words of widsom to pass on.
Thanks,
Lyn
Jones Pottery on wed 30 jan 02
I asked about how to do this too and found out to make/keep the long stem
hollow, use a long piece of straw or similar organic, combustible thing that
will burn out during the firing. The bowl is easy. Hope this helps, Chris
www.jonespottery.net
> Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay
pipes??
john mertens on wed 30 jan 02
Lyn
Used spaghetti stick rolled in cornstarch-Just a dusting-Paperclay (Cone 04)
rolled/wrapped around the spaghetti string till clay was leatherhard-
Worked for me-Spaghetti burned out at bisque firing
tropifauna@accglobal.net
Millie Carpenter on wed 30 jan 02
Lyn
I realize that this might not be much help but in Old Salem in Winston-Salem, NC,
they make this type of pipe out of a local white clay. it is a slip cast thin
pipe, fairly low fired, or maybe just bisqued. they called them tavern pipes
because the tavern owner could loan them to guests, breaking off a piece of the
stem so that the next person would have a clean stem. they started off almost a
foot long. the 2nd type of pipe that they used was a press molded pipe head,
again the local clay was used, a lot thicker, and fired higher, unglazed. the stem
was a local river reed. if you are going to try it. I would suggest the
separate head and reed, it is sturdier. they still have and use some of the old
molds that were used in late 1700' by the German Moravians who settled there, (
they are related the to Moravian Tileworks People)
What SCA region is your son in. My son is in Tenn. in college now so that is his
region for the time being.
Millie in MD, 77 degrees today, Sat out on the city dock in Annapolis today,
it is odd weather for January, but I can live with it
Lyn Peelle wrote:
> Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay pipes??
> My Son is an SCA (Mediveal) fighter and has a regional "war" coming up and
> would like me to make him a clay pipe. Was wondering if anyone has any info,
> tips or otherwise words of widsom to pass on.
> Thanks,
> Lyn
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Roger Korn on wed 30 jan 02
Just make a solid pipe form from wood or clay and use it to make a plaster
slip-cast mold in two pieces, split along the vertical-longitudinal plane. Keep
your slip on the thin side (SG 1.65 or so) and pour through the mold from the bowl
to the end of the stem, blocking off the flow with your thumb when the mold is
filled. Watch the thickness build in the bowl, thumb over the stem hole, then drain
when it looks about right. Cast-up times are short and the mold dries quickly - I
usually cast for about six minutes, drain, open the mold in 30 minutes, let dry for
a half-hour and repeat. Seven pipes in a day out of one mold. I used everything
from white earthenware to porcelain (porcelain wants a bit more deflocculant than
earthenware) with good results, once the slip viscosity is tuned right.
A great project for getting the feel of slip casting, and your aging hippy friends
will love you.
Smoke in Peace,
Roger
Jones Pottery wrote:
> I asked about how to do this too and found out to make/keep the long stem
> hollow, use a long piece of straw or similar organic, combustible thing that
> will burn out during the firing. The bowl is easy. Hope this helps, Chris
>
> www.jonespottery.net
>
> > Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay
> pipes??
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
--
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
In AZ: PO Box 463
4215 Culpepper Ranch Rd
Rimrock, AZ 86335
928-567-5699 <-
In OR: PO Box 436
31330 NW Pacific Ave.
North Plains, OR 97133
503-647-5464
Martin Howard on thu 31 jan 02
Most of the pipe clay piped found in gardens in the UK have bowl shaped just
like the buds of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa.
That would be logical, because at that time anyone who had a large area of
land had to grow a certain amount of hemp to produced yarn for the sails,
ropes and cloths of the British Navy.
I think very few of those pipes ever had tobacco in them.
It was too expensive.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Updated 27th January 2002
bob huskey on thu 31 jan 02
I found this link some time ago on Clayart. It is a very large site by a
maker and collector of clay pipes :
http://www.dawnmist.demon.co.uk/index.htm .-- Original
Message -----
From: "Lyn Peelle"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 12:36 PM
Subject: Clay Pipes
> Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay
pipes??
> My Son is an SCA (Mediveal) fighter and has a regional "war" coming up and
> would like me to make him a clay pipe. Was wondering if anyone has any
info,
> tips or otherwise words of widsom to pass on.
> Thanks,
> Lyn
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
Natalie Winter on fri 1 feb 02
In message <49.17acbb82.29898912@aol.com>, Lyn Peelle
writes
>Does anyone out there have any experience making long handled clay pipes??
>My Son is an SCA (Mediveal) fighter and has a regional "war" coming up and
>would like me to make him a clay pipe. Was wondering if anyone has any info,
>tips or otherwise words of widsom to pass on.
>Thanks,
>Lyn
My partner Heather is something of an expert on clay pipe making, more
than two-thirds of her sales being clay pipes. It does seem to be a very
specialised branch of pottery! On our website there is a *huge* amount
of information on clay pipes, including history and fabrication
techniques, and Heather is always willing to give assistance and advice
if the website doesn't cover your requirements.
Hope this helps
Nali.
Natalie Winter in Exeter, SW England
The Dawnmist Website: http://www.dawnmist.demon.co.uk
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