http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/ Carpe Diem Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:44:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/comment-page-1/#comment-8222 Missy666 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:52:18 +0000 http://mikeyip.com/?p=2082#comment-8222 I also have two that my grand father got during WW II I also have two that my grand father got during WW II

]]> http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/comment-page-1/#comment-8218 Terry Falk Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:58:36 +0000 http://mikeyip.com/?p=2082#comment-8218 I have two that my father got during WW II. I have two that my father got during WW II.

]]> http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/comment-page-1/#comment-8187 Lynda Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:47:23 +0000 http://mikeyip.com/?p=2082#comment-8187 I hve just bought a water-tobacco pipe with long tweezers and a roll of string in the barrel. It is a metal pipe with cloisonne casing. Does anyone know what I could get for it please? Thanks I hve just bought a water-tobacco pipe with long tweezers and a roll of string in the barrel. It is a metal pipe with cloisonne casing. Does anyone know what I could get for it please? Thanks

]]> http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/comment-page-1/#comment-8176 yaje Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:24:41 +0000 http://mikeyip.com/?p=2082#comment-8176 I want to buy the opium pipe and want to use it material for other hobby activity. I want to buy the opium pipe and want to use it material for other hobby activity.

]]> http://mikeyip.com/the-chinese-opium-pipe/comment-page-1/#comment-7095 Adam Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:03:49 +0000 http://mikeyip.com/?p=2082#comment-7095 Sorry to disappoint you, but this particular pipe is *not* used for opium. Its a traditional Chinese water-tobacco pipe. It is a lovely object, and a good example of how Chinese culture refined pleasures to the utmost degree, in this case tobacco, but also doing the same in the case of opium. The West medicalised opium, devised the syringe and refined the drug to morphine and heroin, while the Orient devised the opium pipe, the smoking of which is a not harmful, and is a sociable activity. Your pipe is sadly no use for smoking opium, because firstly the morphine content of the opium is soluble, and would dissolve in the water box. Second, and more importantly, opium is not truly "smoked" but rather its vaporised, for which you need a pipe with a wide flat bowl, on which, by using a long metal pin a ball of opium is rolled around in the flame of a lamp. Plugging a lump of opium into the bowl of this pipe, and applying flame would waste most of it, just burning it up to ash. The lip of the pipe is too thin to "roll", [as its called], a pipe of opium round its edge, exposing it to the flame, thereby emitting its narcotic vapour. Beautiful object, nonetheless! Sorry to disappoint you, but this particular pipe is *not* used for opium. Its a traditional Chinese water-tobacco pipe. It is a lovely object, and a good example of how Chinese culture refined pleasures to the utmost degree, in this case tobacco, but also doing the same in the case of opium. The West medicalised opium, devised the syringe and refined the drug to morphine and heroin, while the Orient devised the opium pipe, the smoking of which is a not harmful, and is a sociable activity.
Your pipe is sadly no use for smoking opium, because firstly the morphine content of the opium is soluble, and would dissolve in the water box. Second, and more importantly, opium is not truly “smoked” but rather its vaporised, for which you need a pipe with a wide flat bowl, on which, by using a long metal pin a ball of opium is rolled around in the flame of a lamp. Plugging a lump of opium into the bowl of this pipe, and applying flame would waste most of it, just burning it up to ash. The lip of the pipe is too thin to “roll”, [as its called], a pipe of opium round its edge, exposing it to the flame, thereby emitting its narcotic vapour. Beautiful object, nonetheless!

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