The anatomy of the pipe

Dating back to the end of the fifteenth century but still in use today, the pipe has changed over the years and is now made up of several parts, of which here is a short summary.

The head of the pipe (1) is made up of two parts: – The bowl (2): the more or less large part in which the pipe tobacco is placed and packed. Usually made of briar, bowls can also be found in clay, meerschaum and even corncob. – The shank (3): attached to the bowl, the shank of a pipe is hollow and carries the smoke towards the stem. Inside it is the draught hole (4). At the end of the shank is the mortise (5), which takes the end of the stem so that bowl and stem become one.
The stem (6), the second part of the pipe, carries the smoke from the bowl to the mouth. Once made of amber or bone, it is more commonly found today in acrylic, ebonite or Cumberland (a coloured ebonite). On the stem one therefore finds: – A peg, also called the tenon (7), which, depending on the model of pipe, takes either a filter directly (usually 3, 4 or 9 mm) or an adapter for a filter (8) fitted with a metal screw or ball system also known as a condenser (9). – The filter or the condenser regulate the flow of the smoke to make it smoother and hold back impurities such as moisture, nicotine and tar. – The bit: the end of the stem held between the teeth.(10) – The lens (11): the “outlet” of the smoke into the mouth, surrounded by the lip (12). On some pipes the lens is on the upper side of the bit, so that the smoke is released straight against the palate. These are the main parts found in the majority of pipes, whatever their shape or style!

A tip from Smoking.fr?!

Cleaning the stem and the shank of a pipe after each use with pipe cleaners and a suitable solution (such as Déniclean) is essential. This upkeep removes all the liquid and the soot left by the burning tobacco.