MBSD Meerschaum Silver Floral Billiard Reverse Calabash Block Meerschaum Pipe, New

Description

Much like the MBSD Meerschaum Silver and Silver Cap lines, the Double Silver is comprised exclusively of sterling silver-mounted meerschaum. But, as the name suggests, Double Silver pipes are mounted not once, but twice. Each features a sterling silver cap at its rim, protecting the bowl and chamber from slips of the flame and lava build-up, as well as a sterling silver fitment at the shank end, typically in the form of an army mount. Each is made using the same high-grade, fast-coloring Turkish block meerschaum found on our other various meerschaum lines, but with even more finery than any of the meers we’ve offered thus far.

So-called “reverse calabash” systems are a rather ingenious addition to modern pipe making. The traditional calabash employs a two-piece bowl, with a chamber “cap” sitting atop a large, hollowed out body. This increased space within the pipe allows the smoke to cool and dry as it passes from the chamber to the mouthpiece, which is good, but it also means that the body of the pipe has to be rather large, or that the chamber has to be rather small, so that there’s space in the hollowed section of the bowl for the desired effect. Reverse calabashes get around this by housing the hollow chamber in their shanks, which are thickened just enough to let heat and moisture dissipate as smoke passes through them. While reverse calabashes have historically been used in briar pipes, especially artisan briars such as those of Michail Revyagin and Tom Eltang, such systems are arguably even more suited to the medium of meerschaum, due to its porous, absorptive properties.

This Double Silver line meerschaum serves as a great example of the advantages of the reverse calabash. A beautifully ornate, floral and guilloche carved rendition of the classic billiard, the design features just a slight extra stoutness in its shank to house the aforementioned system. This allows it to remain around 6 inches in length and 1.5 ounces in total weight—something traditional calabashes could only dream of.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.67″ / 42.41mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g