Olive-wood Pipe, No initial break-in?

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Mikem

Well-known member
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Joined
Dec 14, 2007
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Location
Sullivan Indiana
While tinkering in my shop/garage yesterday with the lathe I happened to notice an olive-wood pipe sitting on the shelf. I had forgotten I even had it. Some of you remember Johan Slobart of South Africa who would make some great olive-wood pipes. Many years ago he gifted me an unfinished pipe that had some very large fills in it. It need some final sanding, stem shaping, etc. He gave it to me because he knew I was a wannabe pipe carver. Still do :lol!: . I had finished the stem and sanding and laid it on the shelf (along with two other pipes) and forgotten about them until yesterday.

I decided to give it a try last night. In my experience with olive-woods (which I have five, six now) the initial break in period is always a little different compared to a briar or meerschaum pipe in the fact that an olive-wood leaves a slight tangy or olive oil type taste in the blend until the bowl builds up a cake. It's not an objectionable taste, just something a little different. This pipe left no aftertaste in the blend on the initial smokes. It was pure blend while smoking. I wonder if the oils in the wood which I assume is what gives it this tangy taste evaporated from sitting so long in my garage during at least two hot summers. I wonder if kiln drying olive-wood before making a pipe with it you would have the same outcome. Where is Mike B when you need him :) ?
 
I've never owned an olive wood pipe but they are awfully beautiful.
 
I'd like Permission to poke around in your garage,,,,,
 
mark":xbyb3jvb said:
I'd like Permission to poke around in your garage,,,,,
:lol!: You never know what you will find in that mess. Missing tools, five gallon buckets of paint (new), fishing tackle and pipes. When I found the olive-wood pipe I found two others also. What's the old radio show that every time you opened a closet door everything would fall out. Thats my garage/workshop.
 
I have one, a long squat bulldog I purchased in 1970 in Sacramento, Ca. I love it!! Smokes cool, very light weight. Don't remember any particular oily tast to it; but that was 38 years ago!! :lol!: :pipe: FTRPLT
 
Two summers in an Arizona garage would fry the oil out of any wood. My parents lived in Casa Grande for many years and they had a shed out back, you could just about cook a turkey in it during half the year.

Natch
 
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