is a wheel made of many layers of cloth, leather, 

 etc., which revolves very rapidly. For pipe 

 buffing these buffs are usually Tripoli buff, 

 sheepskin buff, muslin and cotton flannel buff. 

 The Tripoli takes off any sediment held by the 

 edges of the grain. The sheepskin buff burns 

 the color fast into the wood. The muslin and 

 cotton bring out the grain and gives the wood 

 its final delicate lustre and finish, which are 

 done when the stem and mountings have been 

 put on. The pipes are then ready for final 

 stamping with name and packing. The process 

 is much the same with all other hard woods. 

 Pipe factories are found in most countries. 

 French briar pipes are justly celebrated, but 

 the American pipes are better made. 



Within recent years calabash has come into 

 vogue to a large extent as a pipe making ma- 

 terial. The calabash is a South African squash 

 and has a special softness of flavor. The curved 

 stem end of the calabash is used, being lined 

 with plaster of Paris, and quite a large trade 

 has sprung up in South Africa in growing 

 calabash for the pipe trade, the principal point 

 being Cape Town. 



THE PIPE STEM 



It is very important that suitable material be 

 selected for the mouthpiece of the pipe. In fact 



161 



