I am sorely tempted! ( Meer mod )

Gentlemen, though I practice metrology and sincerely love material sciences...I have an artistic bent, also.

Recently, I purchased what I call my "Intro Meer". It's a simple Meer pipe with a lightly bent Dublin style stem and a light billiard shape to the bowl. Engraved on this pipe are grape bunches and leaves.

The pipe is smoked but was well cared for. It is simple, pretty and smooth.

Here is my dilemma....

I am VERY sorely tempted to seal solely the scroll work with a fine lacquer solution applied with an art brush under magnification. I am then tempted to paint the leaves, stems and grapes with high quality enamels. After curing I would then seal the artwork and the pipe with wax and smoke accordingly. Over time the art and the bowl would give the appearance of not just a loved pipe...but of old art.

Here is the proposed victim:





What say you gentlemen? Am I mad?

I think it would be beautiful.

Seems to me that the real issue is "are you prepared to accept the consequences should it not work out?" If the answer is yes, who cares what anyone else thinks? Go for it!

I would be afraid the lacquer and enamel would eventually peel off when the meer absorbed moisture as it was smoked. On the other hand, lacquer finish on briars is durable so it might work. As mtsgsd said, if you can live with the results in the event it doesn't work, give it a try. If you decide to go for it, post some pics of the finished product.

I am gonna play with the chemistry of my proposed actions a bit. I have to find some of my tools in my storage shed such as my Panavise and my sexy machinist's magnifier headpiece.

I have given thought to moisture, heat, wax and some of the chemistry. This will be an art piece, first and foremost but it WILL be smoked albeit very slowly and with very good tobacco.

As far as the materials used for this project, they'll be of the highest quality and of the closest match to the process as possible.

If you think it will work and you are willing to live with the consequences should it not work; then I say go for it! I think it would look pretty sweet.

Unlike briar, meerschaum is a sponge....the tars and moisture will leach to the surface. Wax penetrates the surface and seals these tars etc. I would think that the paint would lift over time. The idea sounds cool...not sure about the results though. There must be a reason it's not been done before..................
Hey, it's your pipe...paint it if you want to!

Do it and see what happens! Mind end up with a real unique piece of functional art!

...and THAT is what gives me pause......

Well....you've had some time to think about it. You gonna go for it?

Inquiring minds...

First off, that artwork that is already on the pipe will become more and more brilliant the more you smoke it! If ya wanna paint pipes, do it on a clay or a cob. Clay or even porcelin would be my choice.

Ed
Puff....smoke that meer!

My skills aren't as good as Leonardo but, I am working on it....

I would think if it did not stay on it would probably all come off or could be removed with little effort and you would be right where you started. no gain no loss.

Hell, I say go for it. The way you describe your plan I think it will look pretty sweet.
No idea if it will work, but I would guess it can be done.

I am still on the fence.....I am gonna hit the art stores this weekend and start looking at some enamels. I found my machinist's magnifier, so now I just need a Panavise and some REALLLLLY good, fine brushes.....wish I knew what happened to my old Panavise.

After that, I have to think about several things with the pigments and sealants. I have to take "aging" into consideration and mellowing as the meer gets older and more amber in tone.

For now, I am honing my resto skills on two other projects. One, a Courtley sitting pipe is awaiting a decision on what I want to do to finish it, I had to make a couple of fills and textured them. They truned out well but now I have to decide how to do the rustication in comparison to the flats on the sides of the pipe.

Currently, I have stabilized the fills on a very interesting Doc Grabow that had a horrid, thick finish on some otherwise gorgeous, flame grained briar. The fills are minor but do stand out due to the difference between the wood and the grain.

This one's gonna be a weee bit difficult.

As the enamel slowly dissapears, what is the problem in gently stripping and reapplying?