Castello strange drilling

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loneredtree

loneredtree

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I excitedly purchased a Castello Sea Rock Extra at a local "junk Shop" and Raced home with my prize. I did not do my due diligence sad to say. I discovered that the draft came in under the chamber. I have never seen one like this before.Kirsten and Falcon pipe draw through the bottom of the bowl and work fine. Anyone know if this will smoke fine?

:affraid:

Here is a photo. sorry for the size but the draft shows up. scan over to the right.

PVCA3.jpg


yZ9yt.jpg
 
I wouldn't worry about it. I have a Boswell pipe that's drilled the same and it smokes great.
 
Thank you Boxer. It has not been smoked. Do not want to sell a bad pipe. The shape does not speak to me and I may let it go.
 
That drilling should eliminate that unburned dottle that shows up opposite the draft hole with some pipes.
 
I have numerous pipes drilled that way, especially smaller pipes. Most Il Duca pipes have a draft hole
right at the center of the chamber. It's only an issue when smoking a blend that may have a lot of small
pieces of tobacco that could get stuck in the hole.
I've never seen a Sea Rock "Extra". Is that how it's stamped?
 
At the risk of sounding like a goof, the way I see it, calabash pipes are drilled out at the very centre of the bowl... Do calabash pipes not smoke like a dream? Mine does.
 
Harlock: Stamping is CASTELLO , SEA ROCK BRIAR, SA 15P Never seen the "straws" type filter before. The date I would guess is in the 60s.

Rusty: Good point. I would think that this would be the ideal drilling except for clogging due to small pieces.

Thanks
 
They just drilled the tobacco chamber a millimeter or so shallow. Shouldn't affect the smoking adversely unless you're smoking a blend with lots of moisture which could cause some gurgling.

Feel free to send it to me if you don't want it! :D
 
Uh . . . Gents . . . the problem is somebody drilled the airway all the way through the chamber and into the opposite wall (!) :affraid:

Send it back.

Castello has been starting to turn out substandard work for a couple of years now. Not that Italian stuff was ever a model of precision workmanship anyway.

:face:
 
Is it possible that the drilling and the "New Straw Inner Tube" thing are related? It may be by design.
 
All right. Everybody settle down and read the damn post. Purchased at a junk shop, so "send it back" is a little out of the question, right?

The pipe is drilled in a way that German pipemakers might strive for - there's a tradition in both Calabashes and the Austrian clays of having the draft hole right in the middle of the bottom of the bowl.

As noted, the only drawback is that occassionally you get the thing packed up and it doesn't smoke right. It's not my preferred drilling arrangement because of that.

Even if the draft hole goes past the center of the tobacco chamber, it won't affect the smoking - two pipes along and it'll basically cake over. I have a Stanwell Queen that was overdrilled in this way and it's not even visible now, let alone a factor in the smoking.


So. Enjoy it, looks like a beautiful pipe, and you may find that incautious packing leads to trouble once in awhile, but I think that what you are looking at is a perfectly decent pipe, even if it's not what the maker might ordinarliy produce.

Light er up and enjoy!
 
Thanks for the posts people. I would have to take a time machine back to "return it" :geek:

I am happy to own a Castello at last and at a reasonable price. I will see what all the hype is about soon.

:sunny:
 
Yak":zx15ei7z said:
Uh . . . Gents . . . the problem is somebody drilled the airway all the way through the chamber and into the opposite wall (!) :affraid:

Send it back.

Castello has been starting to turn out substandard work for a couple of years now. Not that Italian stuff was ever a model of precision workmanship anyway.

:face:
Click to expand...

Huh? The pic doesn't even show the opposite wall. There's no way for you to know that.
 
Just checked it. Perfect. Drill stopped at the far end of the draft hole. :drunken:
 
Yak":2xf588c9 said:
Castello has been starting to turn out substandard work for a couple of years now. Not that Italian stuff was ever a model of precision workmanship anyway.
Click to expand...

you are just being silly
 
loneredtree":0ugej5g4 said:
Just checked it. Perfect. Drill stopped at the far end of the draft hole. :drunken:
Click to expand...
ill buy it off you for thrice what you paid. pm me
 
I've got a few drilled like that. They are usually made of Algerian Briar, and of French Make. I don't know what the common factor there is all about though. Maybe it is a geographical preference. I seldom have any trouble, other than as others have stated... If I have any small bits of tobacco, they'll get sucked up in the draw. It's a tad annoying, but no real bother.

That's a rather pretty looking pipe, and draft bore error or not, I'd be happy to own that beauty. The Rustication is beautiful, and I love the bold dark black color.
 
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