TEK - How to ID a "true" a opium pipe

[thebige]

A true opium pipe or yen tsiang(opium pistol) has two parts ,a bowl(not a damper as alot of people call it today,although Swim thinks this term came from "dampening" the edge of the bowl with a sponge to cool it between vape'n cooked pills,dunno for sure )and a stem that is made from bamboo,that is cut between the space between two joints and a quarter of the next one.Its said the best ones are 24in long and 4 inches in circumference.When the pipe is used correctly,smoke should pour from your eyes,ears,nose,mouth!I shit you not!Those that are 16in to 20in in length and one and a half inches to three inches in circumfrence are said to be imperfect as the bamboo has been cut too young,they dont color well,and are not as convient to handle(not well balanced). When they are new they are straw colored,but with alot of use they become black and glossy,as the opium seeps through the wood.Repro's and cheap ones are usally stained with dye.Some made of bone or ivory are not as desireable for true smoking,they lack flavor,and weigh too much,Although swim thinks they look nicer.They also take a very long time to color.But you can cover the inside with cooked opium to get a better flavor and quicken coloring.The bowl looks like a old ceramic doorknob,and can be made from red clay,jade sometimes soapstone.The bowl "press fits" onto the stem onto what's called a saddle(Metal covering part 3/4 the way down the pipe made of brass,silver etc.),sometimes you might have to use some cloth (no tape) to make the bowl sit in the saddle tightly.Usallyhollow, The shape of the Bowl is designed this way for a reason.........If other swimmers are interested,Swim can post his Traditional Opium Pipe Smoking Method and Use of the Tools found in a Opium Smoking Set(Chinese).lamp,yen hanck,etc. In Memory Of Mr. Sing RIP.......the kind,gentle old man who taught swim what he needed to know about O.... BigE !BEWARE!....Quite a few of the pipes found on internet web sites (Egay) are reproductions and should not command the prices that a antique pipe should.A reproduction pipe is fine for the mantle/ or display but if swim is starting your own opium den you would do best to search out pipes that are close to the ones decribed above.Also any other tips,knowlage or observations from Gekko's and Swims that have visited current opium dens in S.E. Asia and elsewhere around the globe would be greatly appreciated!P.S. Swim just met a smokin hot,Asian chick at the local Quick-E-Mart....love her eye's and accent......Swim hopes this will turn into something!