Morta Oak (Pipes of fossilized oak)

1997 I began making those special pipes as one of the first pipe makers. So I could gather a lot of experience over the years, which is necessary to make good morta pipes.  Density and mineral amount (0,7-0,8 %) are very important to me as is a natural black colour (most of the time brighter wood has lain just in water instead of moor and therefore has a lower iron concentration, which has, in my opinion, a beneficial effect on smoking).

 The uniqueness of morta pipes is the same good humidity absorption (density > 0,7) like good briar - sometimes even twice as high ad briar. With a density lower than 0,7 the humidity absorption is even higher but then the morta is prone to burn.

 Since my first smoking experience of a pipe out of fossilized wood I am curious about the high smoking quality. I started to make experiments about the humidity absorption and release, as well as by the thermal conductivity. After that I entrusted a chemist with analysis and was really surprised which minerals are within this wood.

2009 I was working with the University of Vienna – Institution for wood research. Therefore I gave them different pieces of fossilized wood which the scrutinised on substance of content, concentration of Minerals and silicate as well as on humidity absorption.

 At the same time the Institution for Radium research and nuclear physics of the University of Vienna made a survey on the exact age of the wood. The outcomes of the studies determined an age up to 4.355 years.

microscopic picture of morta

Analysis of fossilizised oak  / Radium research and nuclear physics of the University of Vienna: Morta.pdf

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