Tim

Clay pipes could be 'refreshed' to remove staining by placing them in a
fire for a period of time.  Whether they could then pass as new I dont
know.

There are references for at least Australian lower class pipe smokers
working hard to try to make their pipes last as long as possible and
having them black and erky and clagged with gunk becoming a matter of
pride.  This should be evident in archaeological samples that  show
reshaping of snapped stem sections for new moputhpieces.

There are also a number of documented uses for broken stem fragments,
although it would be hard to imagine this causing such archaeological
loss as you suggest.

Referecnes available if you need them.  Otherwise try Gojak and Stuart
1999 'The potential for the archaeological study of clay tobacco pipes
from Australian sites', Australasian Historical Archaeology, 17, pp.
38 - 49 for more wisdom.

Denis


Denis Gojak
Heritage Asset Manager
Planning NSW

PO Box 404
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