Dunhill Query...

[Rusty Mouse]

I was looking at a few Dunhill pipes the other day and noticed that some of them had something like this sticking out the draft hole:



At first, I thought it was light, but then I noticed it on a few other Amber Root Dunhills. I know of metal rods being inserted to reinforce very skinny shanks on some pipes, but I wouldn't consider the one on this pipe skinny at all.

Why have they done this? I was also under the impression that having metal incorporated into the inner workings of a pipe was a bad thing...

 

[sisyphus]

aluminum inner tube. Orlik used them too. Just remove it and save it in case you ever sell the pipe. Serves no purpose in a world with readily available pipe cleaners.

 

[Ocelot55]

That's an innertube. That is what the old Dunhill patents were all about. Supposedly it keeps the innards of the pipe clean. You can clean out the tube, or discard it after it gets beat up. As far as I know Dunhill only uses them on straight pipes.

 

[Rusty Mouse]

AHA! So that's what was meant by "missing inner tube" when I saw some estate Dunhills for sale. Here I am thinking of an inner tube for a tire!

I'm lazy, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea for someone who doesn't care much for cleaning, but does it affect the smoking qualities in any way? Like I said, the way I understood it was pipe smoking + metal = condensation which leads to unpleasant things.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Interesting. I learned something new today...Dunhill included light weaponry with their draft hole production, they can be removed, and have a particular name.

8)

 

[monbla256]

AHA! So that's what was meant by "missing inner tube" when I saw some estate Dunhills for sale. Here I am thinking of an inner tube for a tire!

I'm lazy, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea for someone who doesn't care much for cleaning, but does it affect the smoking qualities in any way? Like I said, the way I understood it was pipe smoking + metal = condensation which leads to unpleasant things.

They were Dunhill's variation of what has been called a "stinger". Kaywoodie, Dr. Grabow etal had a variation and you can smoke 'em with or without. My new Cumberland came with one and I pulled it out and it smokes just fine! Some folks swear by 'em, others swear AT 'em. try yours both ways and see what works best for YOU.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Some folks swear by 'em

I have yet to find a pipester who swears by stingers. :lol: I'm sure one or two exist, though.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I have a few old dunnies with inner tubes, though I don't use them. The history is interesting. They were really designed to be disposable. Alfred Dunhill thought that his well to do customers could just throw the inner tube away when it got clogged and then install a new one, so they wouldn't have to worry about cleaning their pipe.