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I'm sure we've all seen the famous calabash pipe, favored by Sherlock Holmes. You know, the curly calabash with its distinctive shape? It is as much a part of Sherlock Holmes as his hat and magnifying DeerStalker.

The pipes are original gourd made from the calabash gourd. The African variety is considered best to use, like the European Union (mostly Greek) calabash gourds have rarely good shape preferred by manufacturers of pipe.

The main part of the gourd pipe is high, curved rod of African calabash gourd. The current bowl in which tobacco is smoked, is an insert, often meerschaum or porcelain. Who is inserted into the trunk hollowed gourd, with the help a cork gasket.

A shell, wood or plastic or other suitable material, is inserted into the narrow part of the gourd stem. This take the rod curved vulcanite pipe that is the part that goes in the mouth of the smoker. If this stem should be inserted directly into the gourd, it there would be a good chance of cracking or breaking.

Some gourd pipes are decorated with silver bands, even a silver cover around the summit the bowl. Thus we can see that these pipes are very labor intensive. What makes them expensive nowadays.

Calabash pipes smoke cooler and drier than many other types of pipes, because this construction means that the smoke passes through the bottom of the bowl of smoking effective in empty space of the flask below, which takes away much of the warmth and strength of smoke.

Now, where Sherlock Holmes comes in. The construction of the pipe calabash gives a low center of gravity. This allows the smoker to easily hold the pipe in his mouth alone. Actors would take advantage of this property, as it allowed them to represent their smoking character of a pipe while leaving your hands free for other scandals. Think of Basil Rathbone and William Gillette, who Both played Sherlock Holmes.

In fact, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never really wrote the Sherlock Holmes smoking a calabash pipe, and Sidney Paget illustrations usually had Holmes smoking a long stem (churchwarden) pipe.

We know that Sherlock Holmes himself preferred strong, strong tobacco, and would probably never given the gourd, hour of day, due to the effect of maturation on the mixture of smoke.

About the Author:

Chris Haycock is a real fanatic about early detective fiction. Having been hooked as a young boy. He has amassed a large collection of early detective/mystery novels. A particular favourite is Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you are also a fan, or just want to know what the fascination is, why not go now to http://www.sherlockandwatson.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Sherlock Holmes' Pipe - or Was It?

Basil Rathbone - Pretend He's Sherlock Holmes

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