Ebonite ,Cumberland ,Lucite ,Vulacanite ,Brindle ,Bakelite what's the deal?

One of the most confusing things about pipes is the number of interchangeable and subtle differences in
stem material names and what they denote. Here’s a breakdown of the different materials.

Vulcanite: Vulcanite is a sulphur-hardened rubber. It is fairly soft on the teeth and is more flexible than Lucite.
It will yellow and oxidize in sunlight and with time.

Ebonite: Ebonite is a sulphur-hardened rubber. It is fairly soft on the teeth and is more flexible than Lucite. It
will yellow and oxidize in sunlight and with time. Déjà vu? You betcha! Ebonite and Vulcanite are very nearly
the same deal. The difference being that in pipe-making terms Ebonite comes in rod form whereas Vulcanite
usually means a pre-made stem. Ebonite tends to oxidize less quickly as there is a smaller sulphur content
used in the curing process. Ebonite is generally considered to be a higher quality product than Vulcanite.

Cumberland: Cumberland is a sulphur-hardened rubber. It is fairly soft on the teeth and is more flexible than
Lucite. It will yellow and oxidize in sunlight and with time. Do you see a recurring theme here? Cumberland is
made the same way as Ebonite and Vulcanite, but has brown and red pigment added to give it a more
interesting appearance. Despite claims to the contrary Cumberland will oxidize. It isn’t as fast as Vulcanite
because like Ebonite less sulphur is used in its construction. Cumberland also has the added benefit of being
a lighter colour than black and so does not show yellowing as quickly or as dramatically as black materials.
Dunhill was the first to put Cumberland on the market.

Brindle: Brindle is a sulphur-hardened rubber. It is fairly soft on the teeth and is more flexible than Lucite. It
will yellow and oxidize in sunlight and with time. Do you see a recurring theme here? Brindle is made the
same way as Ebonite and Vulcanite, but has brown and red pigment added to give it a more interesting
appearance. Despite claims to the contrary Brindle will oxidize. It isn’t as fast as Vulcanite because like
Ebonite less sulphur is used in its construction. Brindle also has the added benefit of being a lighter colour
than black and so does not show yellowing as quickly or as dramatically as black materials. If you’ve read
this far you now know that Brindle is another name for Cumberland. The term has become more popular
lately because people spontaneously took umbrage to the term “Cumberland.” I think that perhaps the whole
shift was orchestrated by the Illuminati, or at least the Free Masons, in some global scheme of Brindle
dominance.

Lucite: Polymethyl methacrylate… also known as Acrylic, Plexiglas, Perspex, Plazcryl, Acrylite, Acrylplast,
Altuglas, R-Cast, Polycast. As mentioned earlier it’s harder than the hardened rubber stem materials and will
not oxidize. It comes in as many colour combinations and swirls as your imagination can conjure up. It tends
to be a bit more difficult and unforgiving to work with compared to the rubber materials, but hey, no oxidation!
You can’t not like that!

Bakelite: Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride. Say that fast 10 times! Heck try it once! Bakelite is fairly
hard compared to the hardened rubbers, but softer than Lucite. It doesn’t oxidize like the hardened rubbers,
though the colour can deepen over time. It comes in many different colours, though for the purposes of pipe
making only a few shades of white / amber yellow seem to be popular or available to pipe makers.

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