Curing

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M

Milan

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Is there a certain responsibility when briar is first received by a pipe maker for he or she to properly cure the briar? I believe there is. Whether the briar is oil cured or air cured... it must be cured beyond the processing procedures such as boiling and kiln drying. There is nothing worse than a pipe that has not been cured properly. I makes everything taste bad.
Milan
 
From my limited experience, your briar dealer should do most of the curing. They understand that when you receive it you'll want to use it right away. Only for bulk orders will they give you some that is not quite ready to use. In that case, all you need to do is let it air dry.
 
I think that a bad tasting block can come from not being properly boiled. The boiling extracts all the bitter resins in the briar, then they are dried. Most briar cutters supply boiled and dried blocks that are ready to be made into pipes. I do think that letting briar sit longer would help, but alot of makers can't sit on their briar stash for a few years before they use it. I'd say being properly boiled is most important.

When I first starting getting into pipe making I bought a few blocks off of ebay, they seemed to have age on them but they tasted bitter. I'm thinking they were not boiled enough. I learned from that and now only buy blocks from reputable suppliers and haven't had a problem since.

But, maybe a more experienced maker can pipe in with a little more knowledge than I.


Abe
 
I'll never reboil any of my briar. It takes years to cure, or a massive kiln. Just make sure your briar is coming from a good source. I can provide some info on several if you need it.
 
I've been curious about this for alternative woods.

I have access to a fairly huge supply of wild cherry, which is already cut and drying (in a firewood shed).

I'm planning to cut it up into blocks and carve pipes out of it, but other than extended air drying wasn't sure how to treat it.

Should the cherry blocks be boiled first and then setup to dry? or is air drying sufficient?

Thanks for any info our outside links on this as well.
 
Well briar mills do most of the job, thats why we try to find a properly air-cured briar.

A pipemaker can store the briar for more air-curing or try his magic with oil-curing.
 
roogles":2jyrca7v said:
I've been curious about this for alternative woods.

I have access to a fairly huge supply of wild cherry, which is already cut and drying (in a firewood shed).

I'm planning to cut it up into blocks and carve pipes out of it, but other than extended air drying wasn't sure how to treat it.

Should the cherry blocks be boiled first and then setup to dry? or is air drying sufficient?

Thanks for any info our outside links on this as well.
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As far as i know,you should leave the bark on the wood.A natural branch may be used as a shank in its natural position.However,i do not know if it is cured as briar.It is my guess that yes.
 
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