Mouthpieces - Quality and Materials

The Right Mouthpiece – Not to Be Underestimated!

In addition to good wood quality, the mouthpiece of a pipe should not be neglected. It is essentially the “interface” between the pipe bowl and the smoker, and its quality and composition play a significant role in the smoking experience of a pipe. For many freehand pipe makers, crafting the mouthpiece is often an unwelcome task. However, if it is not perfectly shaped, too thick, asymmetrical, or too hard, it will not provide much pleasure while smoking the pipe. There are various materials used in pipe making today. Let’s take a closer look at the most common ones.

Acrylic

Most mouthpieces are now made from acrylic, as this material offers significant advantages:

• It does not discolor with prolonged use.
• It remains attractive and shiny even after being displayed in the pipe shop for a long time.
• Acrylic is relatively hard, making it difficult to bite through and very durable.

However, there are also some disadvantages:

• The bite is relatively thick, making it less comfortable for many pipe smokers to hold in their mouth.
• Acrylic is quite brittle, so only certain shapes and bending radii are possible.

Due to its ease of machining on lathes and CNC milling machines, this material is mostly used by mass-market pipe manufacturers. Acrylic mouthpiece blanks are also available, which are then simply adjusted to fit the individual pipe.

Nevertheless, some freehand or handmade pipe makers manage to craft an acrylic mouthpiece that is not too thick and feels comfortable in the mouth. Notable examples are Poul Winslow and Castello.

Ebonite

For pipe smokers who enjoy older pipes or have discovered the advantages of the material, paracatuschuk or ebonite (they are the same) is a well-known term.

Let’s briefly go over the pros and cons:

Advantages:

• The mouthpieces can be made much thinner.
• They are much softer to bite, thus more comfortable to hold in the mouth.
• There are almost no limits to the pipe maker's creativity when shaping them, as the material is very easy to work with.

Disadvantages:

• Ebonite mouthpieces discolor with prolonged use, which is called "blooming."
• They also discolor when sitting on display in a pipe shop for long periods, turning beige-gray.
• They are easier to bite through and are generally less durable.

Overall, ebonite is the “natural” material. It is mainly made from vulcanized rubber. Due to oxidation, sulfur components rise to the surface, causing the characteristic discoloration of the mouthpiece. Contact with saliva accelerates this effect.

Pipe makers and advanced pipe smokers still appreciate the pleasant mouthfeel. Especially high-quality freehand pipes and those made in England often use this material today.

If you appreciate the advantages of this material, many pipe smokers purchase equipment to regularly polish their ebonite mouthpieces to restore their appearance.

Polishing wheels, machines, and polishes are available at specialized stores. If you are not skilled in polishing or simply don’t have the time or inclination, you can send your pipes to a professional who will care for your beloved pieces. Special mention goes to Christian Oehme, who offers his services at www.der-pfeifenputzer.de. He also custom-makes new mouthpieces and repairs pipes.

Signs of use on an ebonite mouthpiece can look like this:

After a brief treatment with a polishing machine, the pipe can shine like new:

Cumberland

Of course, there are other mouthpiece materials. One such material is the beautifully marbled Cumberland, which is essentially a colored variant of ebonite. It has the same properties but does not discolor as quickly. This material is often used in higher-end English and French pipes, as well as in freehand pipes.

P-Lip

When listing mouthpiece variations, the lip bite, also known as "P-Lip," must be mentioned. This mouthpiece has the advantage that the smoke is not directed directly at the tip of the tongue but rather to the upper palate. This is especially beneficial for beginners who wish to avoid tongue bite, and experienced smokers appreciate how easily these mouthpieces can be held between the teeth. Originally invented by Peterson, today Vauen offers nearly all models with either a P-Lip or a traditional mouthpiece. This variant is rarer in models by Savinelli or Hilson:

In general, there are mouthpiece variations for every type of pipe smoker. Occasionally, you can also find mouthpieces made of horn, but this material is quite fragile.

Find out for yourself – are you an ebonite or acrylic fan?