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. Heres 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. Dj 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 isnt 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 isnt 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 youve 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 its 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 cant 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 doesnt 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. : www.Downie pipes.com : http://pipe-smoke.blogspot.com/