Photographed and written by

John M. Young

I am not sure why but it happens with some frequency,  I’ll look at an estate lot and one pipe just jumps out at me as being more attractive than the rest.  This singularly attractive pipe turns out to be an EA Carey Magic Inch.  Now, I am far from an expert on design or aesthetics but I do know what I like.  The strangest part is that I have only ever kept one EA Carey pipe as a companion and that one was “restored” many years ago.  I say “restored” because I don’t really remember anything of the restoration other than recognizing the repaired fills.  I got the pipe out and smoked it as research for the writing

(above image is the only EA Carey pipe that I’ve kept for use)

of this blog.  It performed well though I am still not sure what to think of the Magic Inch system.  The pipe had a new papyrus filter and after the smoke the filter appeared nearly as it did before the smoke.  The pipe had a very nice draw and the vent along the stem did cool the smoke.  I tried covering the vents with my finger and thumb, rather than covering the rim to increase the ember, this worked well.  I was just using the vents as more of a carburetor.

Over the years I have accumulated a few EA Carey pipes and they sat in a cardboard box.  I guess it was time for one to hit the workbench.  The EA Carey that I selected can be seen in the photos below prior to any work done.  This pipe is an Italian product as indicated by the stamp of the bottom of the pipe.  The stampings read, EA CAREY over MAGIC INCH over PAT. No 3267941 with an ITALY offset to the right.

This pipe appeared to have been smoke but not heavily.  There was a light cake built up in the tobacco chamber and a light lava deposit on the rim.  The mouthpiece had some teeth chatter indicating that it had been clenched but not mauled.  The finish was worn either from handling or from being pushed around in a drawer.  The plastic stem was not subject to oxidation.  This looked to be a relatively easy restore.

Background

The history search began with pipephil.eu.  Here I found a matching set of stamps but a different country of manufacture (COM).  This indicated to me that EA Carey was importing pipes to their specifications.

(Can-Car — Pipes : Logos & Markings)

Next I went to pipedia.org for their general history.  The entry here suggested it was written by EA Carey advertising folks though no source was mentioned.

“Magic Inch” System has been a Carey’s tradition for over 50 years, with over 1,000,000 sold. The “Magic Inch” is an air chamber inserted between the imported briar bowl and the vented mouthpiece which allows cool outside air to enter and mix with the warm tobacco smoke inside the “Magic Inch” chamber. Tobacco tars, oils and moisture, are squeezed out of the smoke. The residue drops to the bottom of the chamber and is absorbed by the Papyrate sleeve. From its rich tradition and thousands of satisfied customers, this pipe is sure to be your smoking favorite for life.

Carey Magic Inch pipes can be readily identified by a boxed letter C on the stem, along with a distinctive series of three vent slits and the Carey Magic Inch name stamped into the side of the bowl.

(Carey Magic Inch – Pipedia)

Finally I turned to the EA Carey official website.  I guess I should have started with looking at the “horse’s mouth” rather than using second party information.  Since Ea Carey is still in business and selling their signature tobacco blends, pipes and various sundries their website, EA Carey’s Online Smoke Shop | Best Pipe Tobacco | Briar Pipes is kept relatively current with weekly specials.  For a great article on the history of EA Carey

(History of EA Carey 1948-2024)

On the information page the following was found:

“The “Magic Inch” System has been a Carey’s tradition for over 50 years. Hundreds of thousands of these smoking pipes have been sold, beginning with the very first billiard shape back in 1948. Based on the original “Magic Inch” System, the improved modern design provides the coolest and driest smoke ever found in a pipe.

1. Improved Ventilator Action 2. Papyrate

3. The “Magic Inch” 4. The Carey Mouthpiece

Improved Ventilator

Each Carey “Magic Inch” system begins with a scientifically metered amount of air into each puff of smoke. The Carey “Magic Inch” System, with the new Papyrate, controls air better and more accurately…for improved drawing and smokeability!!

Papyrate

The all new Papyrate…the heart of the “Magic Inch” System, features new and improved 2-ply construction. You get improved rigidity for ease of fit and removal. You get extra absorbency for dryer smoking and longer lasting quality between Papyrate changes…made especially for your new Carey pipe.

The “Magic Inch”

The “Magic Inch”, unmistakably superior for 38 years, now achieves a new and better level of performance. The outer shell of the Papyrate filters and meters air with 50 micron precision. The “Magic Inch” unique “moisture ports” dissipates moisture, tar, and nicotine into the 2-ply Papyrate, protecting the smoker from unwanted materials. And finally, the unique Carey “Magic Inch” evaporation chamber releases moisture through evaporation during resting periods between smokes. Not a filter, not a standard “push bit”…the unique “Magic Inch”…producing an all new level of smoking quality.

The Carey Mouthpiece

Now you can enjoy new mouthpiece construction for added comfort and durability. Made of Zytel 101, this new mouthpiece has depth of color, outstanding durability, and a bit thickness of only .380 inches. The result is added comfort, outstanding durability and a color that never tarnishes and never needs to be polished.”

(Carey’s “Magic Inch” System Defined)

Okay, I stand corrected.  The papyrate  is not a filter and my expectation of it absorbing moisture or tars from the smoke was explained in the above quote from EA Carey.  A second bowl of EA Carey Gold blend was smoked the next day.  This time I checked the Papyrate more frequently.  It did appear to be absorbing moisture.  As I thought about it, it made sense, the cooler incoming air from the vents would mix with the smoke.  This would cause moisture to condense out of the smoke and form along the nylon Magic inch.  The ports along the Magic Inch would allow the moisture to flow through and be absorbed by the Papyrate.  Definitely not a filter.  In my two smoking sessions, I did not note any real discoloration of the papyrate as would be expected from a filtering of the smoke.

As for the dates of the pipe in hand, I have little idea.  Other than it being stamped with the patent number.  Assuming that the stamping was a marketing strategy and that patents are valid for 20 years from the filing date, I can assume the pipe dates from 1948-1968.  I would not expect the company to continue stamping the patent number after the expiration of the patent though I could be very wrong about that..

The Restoration

The EA Carey billiard made its way to the workbench and a laundered denim piece.

The ample bowl of the billiard demand the #3 PipNet blades.

Reaming was completed with the PipNet, Smoking pipes Low Country reamer and General triangular scraper.

The tobacco chamber was sanded with 320 sandpaper wrapped around a wood dowel and with 320 sandpaper by hand.  The sanded chamber showed no signs of heat damage or charring. 

The rim showed only minimal lava in the rustications.

This was cleaned by moistening the rim with saliva and scrubbing with a brass brush.

The rim was wiped with a paper towel and looked a little better.

I took the stummel to the sink for a scrubbing with undiluted Murphy Oil Soap and a nylon brush.  The soap was rinsed with warm water and dried with a cotton hand towel.

The plastic stem was also scrubbed with soap and a shank brush and rinsed with warm water.

Returning to the workbench I wiped the stummel with a make-up pad dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.  I was surprised to see a dark purple color on the cotton.  The black stain must have actually been a dark purple.  There remained some very shiny spots of finish on the briar.

Also more observable were old fills of pits in the briar.  Below is one pit on the front of the stummel.

And a second large pit on the left side.

Below you can easily see the shine I was referring to above.  There was some kind of clear coat on this pipe.

Below another look at the remaining shine where the shank meets the bowl.

I needed to think about shine removal so I started cleaning the shank, figuring that I could think while doing a repetitive task.  The Magic Inch system made shank cleaning more difficult since I could not use any scraper to access the airway.  I placed a few milliliters of alcohol in the tobacco chamber and allowed it to flow into the shank but not through.  Using the alcohol, I scrubbed the airway with a nylon shank brush.  The alcohol was poured into an empty medicine cup.  This was repeated a few times.  I also ran folded bristle pipe cleaners through the airway.  These were also dipped in 95% ethyl alcohol.

With the shank cleaned and the ponder still in process, I decided to try removing the clear coat with acetone.  I tested  the susceptibility to the finish with a cotton swab dipped in acetone.  It did remove some of the finish but that clear coat was tough.  It also looked like the clear coat itself was dyed purple.

More acetone, this time on a make-up pad did remove more purple but the only way to ensure the total removal was with an acetone bath.  I opted against this in fear of the effects of the acetone on the nylon Magic Inch and the acrylic shank extension.  I also worried about the acetone affecting the glue holding all of those components in place.

I chose to use a 400 grit sanding sponge to sand the high spots of the rustication.  This would allow the briar to peek through in those places at least.  It also took a bit of the shine away from the shiny spots.

Next came the restoration of the stem.  I have found that this type of plastic can be filed and sanded but that only with very fine abrasives.  Coarse grits or files cut deeply into the softer plastic and are a pain to remedy.  My small flat file was fine enough to not create an issue.  In sticking with this “finer is better” mentality, I opted against sanding sponges altogether.  Micro-mesh pads were used andonly from 1800-12000.

I thought that I would have to accept the old fills because I could see no way for me to retexture and match the existing texture.  I worked Before and After Restoration Balm into the rustications with a baby toothbrush.  The balm was allowed to sit for 15 minutes.

The remaining excess balm was removed using an inside out athletic sock and hand buffing.

The rustications were shallos so I thought that carnauba wax would be acceptable to use as a preservative.  I did take my time and buff in the direction of the rustication.  The stem was also waxed with carnauba on the buffer.

The final step was another hand buff with the microfiber polishing cloth.

The EA Carey Billiard has very traditional shaping.  Traditional in the sense that it is well thought out and very pleasing to the eye and hand.  The thickness of the bowl at the rim is 0.27 inches (6.86 mm) and at the swell of the bowl it increases to 0.48 inches (12.19 mm).  This gradual thickening of the briar is a nice way to keep the pipe feeling cooler throughout the smoke.  As I would expect the thicker briar to absorb additional heat during the smoking of a bowl of tobacco.  The rustication allows for a nice grip and good hand feel though it looks rather like a factory mass produced texture.  The stem did polish up nicely and looks good.  The feel of this plastic is good, softer and more flexible than vulcanite.  Overall this is a very nice pipe that will serve its next owner many years of service.  The dimensions of the EA Carey Billiard are:

Length:  6.10 in./ 154.94 mm.

Weight:  1.41 oz./ 39.97 g.

Bowl Height: 1.85 in./  46.99 mm.

Chamber Depth: 1.65 in./ 41.91 mm.

Chamber Diameter:  0.80 in./ 20.32 mm. 

Outside Diameter:  1.46 in./ 37.08 mm.

I do hope that you have found something here useful to your own pipe care, maintenance or restorations.  If you like this sort of thing, please click the like and subscribe buttons.  Thank you for reading the ramblings of an old pipe lover.

Below are some photos of the  finished EA Carey Billiard.