Sources for Clay Pipes

[SparksBird]

I have a question, does anyone have a contact for some who makes clay pipes? The reason I ask is that I have an original clay pipe from Vicksburg that I am interested in reproducing. I have talked to several ceramics professors but they pretty much were no help. Does anyone have a source for a repro clay pipe maker who could handle this task?

Rick Musselman
Buckeye Mess
GHTI

[DukeRPSC]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

http://vegassmokes.com/pipes/england/ClayPipes/Gallery/clay_pipes.htm

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

David's post above gives you the best source for these pipes.
We (Tidelands Archaeology) buy them as type pieces. Even the bore of the pipe is the correct size for each period. (The older the pipe the larger the bore). The 5'' Claw and Egg is similar to a pipe that was very popular in camps here in NC. We have found bowls similar to the 5" Chief Chaka too.

Old World Fine Clays http://www.bytor.com/pipes/pipes.htm will give you a great overview of the pipe history and how they were originally made. They only sell one type of 19th century pipe and all of their pipes are expensive.

[DukeRPSC]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

[QUOTE=Vuhginyuh]David's post above gives you the best source for these pipes."

Dang!! Don't tell me I got something right!!

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

David's post above gives you the best source for these pipes."

Dang!! Don't tell me I got something right!!

Yes...you did.

One historical note, these pipes were not broken off at the mouth of the stem when passed around or shared!
When a stem was broken it was re-pointed with a strange little tool similar to the old pencil sharpeners we all had in our notebook pouches when we were young(er). You all know the little twist type...the little plastic rectangle with the hole for the pencil and the offset blade that shaves the point as you turn it.

In our area of interest a penknife or a shard of glass or stoneware with a crisp edge will certainly work well. You really do need to re-point them if they snap, they are uncomfortable with the rough edge.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Hey Pards

How common would clay pipes be in our time period? Would they be as common, less common, or more common than wooden pipes?

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

They were very common and popular in the period but I'm not sure how well favored or practical on campaign.

Quite a few short stemmed pipes (5'') have been found in permanent camps and garrison areas at Forts Fisher, Johnston and Cashwell. Granted these are facilities with permanent quarters I have found fragments at Roanoke Island,Bentonville and the huge Federal camps in Goldsboro NC, both . This gives them a slim full war provenance.

Their (The Forts above) geographic relationship to the Blockade Runners does help the frequency of pipe fragments found. These white kaolin clay pipes are European in origin and manufacture...and very inexpensive.

Not having any metallic content relic hunters seldom find them in 19th century context and because of their fragile and somewhat boring nature they are largely ignored if found.

They were also somewhat disposable items in all periods because of their cheap price.

Another note, the redware bowled pipes that need a reed or stem are almost exclusively American and well known to be very popular with the soldiers of the time. Many were made at the pipe works in Pamplin, Virginia.

Rick if you find this burried in here, I sent you a private message that address your questions...


Here is an abstract from a Roanoke dig, CS Camp...

Food prep/consumption/shell/tins
8303
Architectural/iron/nails/hinges
3897
Furniture
8
Arms/military/shot/misc.
84
Clothing/buttons,etc
132
Personal
157
Medicine/hygiene
192
Domestic attributes
9
Activities/fishing/games
25
Smoking, stem fragments, kaolin
659
Unassigned material
814
Faunal/floral
276

***two catagories deleted

[markj]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Hi,

For what it's worth, archaeological accession reports for the Steamboat Bertrand (sank April 1865) indicate several hundred wood, terra cotta, or paste clay pipes were recovered from the wreck. The two main types of pipes found were terra cotta "elbow" pipes and wooden (mostly briar) pipes. No white ball clay pipes (or fragments thereof) were found during the excavation.

Here's a quick breakdown:

208 orange terra cotta clay
65 gray/brown paste clay
175 pipe fragments - unknown provenance

Based on the location of the reed or willow pipe stems found, they were "packaged" into shipping boxes along with the pipes.

212 wooden pipes of all types were also recovered, of which 182 were briar, and 30 were of indeterminate wood. The most common approximate bowl shapes were: Oom Paul, Apple, Billiard, and Canadian. The Oom Pauls were all large models while the rest came in varying sizes.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[va-yank]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Some time back I dropped my red clay "elbow" and it cracked in twain. Have been looking for a source for one to replace it for some time. It was purchased at a mainstream sutler, and, so the story goes, was actually made in the 19th Cent back east here. Supposedly a refuse pile of rejected pipes was found during modern times near the old factory and then sold to us gullible types.

Anyone else know what I am referring to? These were rather stout, squarish terra cotta pipe bowls with an elbow for inserting a reed stem. The supply seems to have dried up.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

I have several but can't recall where they came from. Pamplin or Pt Pleasant? Let me check.
GOT IT! POINT PLEASANT(sic?) Pamplin did not open 'till 1880.

This is similar to the common plain red earthenware pipes

http://www.norwestcompany.com/pipes.htm

NOT APPROVED VENDOR! JUST A SOURCE FOR REDWARE ELBOW PIPE ONLY! 3RD PIPE DOWN ON PAGE

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Artifacts from Roanoke.
P IS A RED PIPE STEM FRAGMENT, Q & R ARE IMPORTED WHITE KAOLIN FRAGMENTS W/DECORATION

[Amtmann]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Actually I'd research those pipes that were linked, before buying. Most of the Pollack pipes are from a later period than what we need.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/class/313/pipes/pipes.htm

http://www.claypipes.com/

http://www.knasterkopf.de/htm/einen.htm

http://www.dawnmist.demon.co.uk/pipdex.htm

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Actually I'd research those pipes that were linked, before buying. Most of the Pollack pipes are from a later period than what we need.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/class/313/pipes/pipes.htm

http://www.claypipes.com/

http://www.knasterkopf.de/htm/einen.htm

http://www.dawnmist.demon.co.uk/pipdex.htm

Thank you, you are right. But please read my posts. Actually, I listed only those that were similar to those we have found in CW camps... See your link to http://www.claypipes.com/ and you will find elbow and stemmed pipes similar to those pipes I mentioned, Odds and Ends 3,4 & 7 ca. 1850. These ornate Victorian pipes cheaply replicated popular and expensive meershaum mineral pipes.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

Originally Posted by Amtmann
Actually I'd research those pipes that were linked, before buying. Most of the Pollack pipes are from a later period than what we need.

If you look below the Pollack pipes you will see the redware elbow pipe was asked about!SEE ATTACHMENT TO POST # 10...

[Amtmann]

Re: Sources for Clay Pipes

I was just pointing out before someone thought that all the pipes linked (vegas smokes) were acceptable. Since I've been looking into clay pipes for almost 20 years, I sort of have a little knowledge on them.

BTW, what happened to answering the original question on this thread? Rick was looking for pipe MAKERS.

This sort of reminds me why I limit my posting.