Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;HailCthulhu, post: 501098, member: 9661&quot;][Disclaimer: All knowledge of opium, its history, and the processes of smoking it were gained through legitimate research. My procuring of the pipes is not in any way indicative of its use. Do not do illegal drugs] </p><p><br /></p><p>Hey everyone! It&#039;s been a while since my last post, but I just couldn&#039;t resist bragging about my newest little find. Perhaps about a year ago I picked up what was labeled an &#039;oriental opium pipe&#039; by my local antiques shop.<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A-GAHORLSYQ/XGmuTbNtlWI/AAAAAAAAGZ8/i2qtqrsn_R8f1QPBRzdgNunfuDW77sTCQCL0BGAYYCw/h1920/8184269687493565772%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />&nbsp; </p><p>There is much contention around these as to whether they constitute as a genuine opium pipe or a traditional Kiseru tobacco pipe. I can say that I did genuinely clean the opium latex out of the bowl and Rau [stem] myself, and the remarkably long Rau is indicative of an opium pipe, as the opium must be constantly heated over a lamp in order to evaporate to give the desired effect. As lovely as it is, I found the Hizara [bowl] and Kuchimoto [lip] both to be undesirably drab, even crude in certain places. Well thankfully just yesterday I managed to procure a beautiful and functional replacement<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9zBPx_thp28/XGmujg_yNcI/AAAAAAAAGc0/qHPAV7mXUu8EP2flZbTYPylLRMGLDkr9gCL0BGAYYCw/h1072/5371602793268814255%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p>This Kiseru has some gorgeous embellishments on the Kuchimoto and the Hizara, which I will show in more detail both before and after polishing:</p><p>[Before]</p><p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U8S4Q8Q8tNs/XGmuhGbvVrI/AAAAAAAAGcQ/qHz6LQ1YYP8Xacbv3Ql3hUnYDbnn9Z9egCL0BGAYYCw/h2048/1538087730075188742%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xPrH-wpzBLw/XGmufYhIn8I/AAAAAAAAGcA/j08P7-mkBzscriwoO-LtOL4BdtASkWryACL0BGAYYCw/h1536/1984360585629915595%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p>[After]</p><p><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7j5jVUk_khU/XGmub_pN0KI/AAAAAAAAGbg/Nfa9EPo1B4gFIHwyBj9n-1AC0ioucLLVQCL0BGAYYCw/h2048/3473875017949107674%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EkJc2NXNeKo/XGmuV8FVyFI/AAAAAAAAGac/48gBtt1Eu1gdKBv4b4luP1A7FM5lSFRZwCL0BGAYYCw/h2048/5649310650977872591%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> <img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r9SvgyDU0kM/XGmuUx5LYeI/AAAAAAAAGaM/E8z-x52FpLIWAYEYvTxXFNKKx4dJKAd0gCL0BGAYYCw/h1536/3758966208579308167%253Faccount_id%253D3" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> </p><p>As you may see, the Naginata wielding soldier on the Hizara was squashed before I bought it, which is truly an awful shame. I replaced the Rau of the Kiseru with that of the opium pipe, because not only do I prefer it, but the Kiseru was unfortunately cracked and rotted. I&#039;ve still been unable to get rid of the smell of tobacco and rotting wood, which I guess is to be expected. </p><p>Any thoughts and opinions are welcome. </p><p>Do you think I&#039;ve slaughtered this piece by affixing it to a new stem? </p><p>Would anyone happen to be able to approximate the date of the pieces? </p><p>Could anyone recommend to me a way to clean out the pipe? I&#039;ve had absolutely no luck with everything from boiling it to running vinegar through it, and still, the smell and little bits of wood remain.</p><p>Could anyone recommend a process by which I could touch up the Hizara? As you can see I&#039;ve tried sanding and polishing, but I&#039;m afraid of doing more harm than good.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in