| September 5, 2008, 4:23 pm |
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What purpose do bowl coatings provide? Do they hide foul flavor from substandard briar? Do they hide flaws? Why do pipe makers use them? What's in them? Bowl coatings are one of those things that some smokers look for in a pipe, and other smokers completely avoid. There seems to be some myths and urban legends associated with them, and new pipe makers aren't quite sure why to use them either. It seems that bowl coatings get lumped into the "pipe making topics of doom" that many people hae questions on, but don't dare ask for fear of being labeled a heathen. When I first started making pipes, I never used bowl coatings. Mostly because I had no idea what was in them, or why the benefits where. What I did know was that a lot of high-grade and mid-grade pipes had bowl coatings, and pipes with bowl coatings seemed to break in faster and with less trouble. I didn't immediately attribute this to the bowl coating alone, I considered it part of some of the alchemy of pipe making - that last 10% or so that nobody really talks about in depth, and that doesn't have a solid answer. As I began selling more an more pipes, I asked a couple pipe makers about the bowl coatings, and why thye should be used. The answer surprised me. It seems that pipe makers use bowl coatings for a variety of reasons: it provides a "finished" look to the pipe; break-in happens faster since the cake has a nice surface on which to form; and it provides a protective barrier for the briar during break-in. Notice that, at least among the makers I asked, none of them report using it to hide flaws. The next questin I asked was, "What's it made of?". If you ask a dozen pipe makers what they use in their bowl coatings, you will get a dozen different responses. The ingredients range from buttermilk, to sodium silicate, to pumice, and back again. The one thing that most recipes have in common is some sort of carbon - either activated charcoal or some kind of ash that won't impart flavor. The next ingredient is a binding agent - typically something to make the carbon wet and allow it to be applied to the inside of the bowl. For a lot of bowl coating recipes, that's the extent of the ingredients. Some coatings are slightly more complicated, but the basic premise is the same. So what are the benefits? In truth, the benefits are largely aesthetic. When staining a pipe, if you're using porous wood (that would be a good thing) some stain may seep into the inside of the pipe and show on the walls of the tobacco chamber. This can't be sanded out, since it traveled all the way through the wood. Coating a bowl here will hide those small spots of stain and look better - more "finished". Also, pipes with bowl coatings tend to photograph better than those without. I have no idea why, they just seem more "together" in photos. And yes, the relatively rough surface of a bowl coating does provide a nice ready surface for new cake to form upon. This can speed break-in for those smokers that like a good cake build-up. Even smokers who do not like or want a cake buld-up may find that the small amount that forms readily has benefits. Note, I did not mention that bowl coatings are used to hide flaws. Certainly they can, and I have seen mass-produced pipes with massive flaws in the bowl partially hidden by bowl coating. However, unless the flaw is very small, coating the bowl will not hide it. Under casual viewing, perhaps, but all one has to do is look into the bowl and see the crack or deformity. When I see something like this I consider it only a failing of quality control, not that the manufacturer was actually trying to hide the flaw. When buying a handmade pipe from an artisan, you won't have to worry about that at all. Since each pipe is continually being inspected by the artisan, each and every flaw will be readily apparent, and the block of briar tossed if a flaw of that size does show in the tobacco chamber. Also, I did not mention that the bowl coating will protect the briar during break in. In my opinion, the coating is too thin to be of real benefit. When applied, it is no thicker than a thin layer of paint, and it's insulative properties are minimal. Briar has an excellent ability to withstand heat and flame. A bowl coating for that purpose would be uneccessary. Foul tasting wood is also not a reason to use a bowl coating. Foul wood should be tossed or further cured, and not made into a pipe until it is free from nasty flavor. A thin coating of carbon isn't going to stop that ugly taste from coming through, and the smoker will be in for a rude awakening as soon as the briar warms up. Could I be wrong? Certainly. However, pipe makers that use bowl coatings to hide flaws or improper curing in the wood are more rare than the indigenous North American zebra - and are usually found out and called on the error of their ways in very short order. |