I Killed My Calabash

There's nothing like getting a new pipe - and breaking it. Yesterday, my brand new Butz-Choquin Calabash (Dark Top Rusticated) came in the mail. It's a beautiful model, with a somewhat whimsical look to it. I wasn't quite sure what to smoke in something with such a large bowl, so I threw in some Soloni 763 and started puffing away. It was like a whole new blend, smoother and more flavorful, but perhaps that's just the nostalgic regret kicking in. Still, it smoked very well.
When I finished my smoke, I immediately took it apart, which, as we all know, is The Wrong Thing To Do. Somehow, I had it in my head that it had a military type stem. The pipe was so new that I'm not sure what happened next - either the tenon came part way out of the shank and got stuck there or the tenon came off of the stem and lodged in the shank. I tried twisting the tenon back in, and I tried twisting it out, and then twisting it back in again. It didn't budge. Pliers didn't help. Then I tried to gently tap the thing back in, which didn't work either.
Here's the part where I got really stupid. Nervous and irritated, I pulled a hammer out of a kitchen drawer, a metal meat tenderizing hammer, and started hitting the tenon - which still wouldn't budge. So, I placed the pipe on the table, bowl down, and struck the tenon smartly. The pipe broke in two.
Friends, I am not proud of my actions. I rarely break things. I place no blame on the manufacturer, nor will I be writing the retailer in mock outrage, it was all my fault. If I had it to do over, I would let the pipe cool first, and I certainly wouldn't hit it with a meat tenderizer. Live and learn. I hope you too, can learn from my mistakes.

Photo courtesy of Cupojoes.com (This isn't the exact model, but it's close)