“Among the smoker’s paraphernalia the clay pipe, though the least expensive of articles will no doubt long continue to hold its place of honor with the connoisseur. In porosity and lightness it is equalled, perhaps, by none except the most costly meerschaum.

It is imperative to note that different clays mature at different temperatures, depending on their composition. A red earthenware contains a large amount of iron which acts as a flux. An earthenware clay body can fire to maturity at about 1830⁰F (1000⁰C) and can melt at 2280⁰F (1250⁰C). On the other hand, a porcelain body made of pure kaolin might not mature until about 2500⁰F (1390⁰C) and not melt until over 3270⁰F (1800⁰C)

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'thretie-sex barrells of tabacco pyps cont(aining) thrie hund(red) gros valued at thrie score fiftie punds'

Nineteenth century Glasgow produced a great variety of pipes, many of the designs being made with minor variations in all the major factories. These carried stores of moulds, even though a fraction of them might have been in use at any one time. The number of designs increased rapidly during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Some designs catered for the tastes of a particular Scottish region. Glasgow buyers favoured the short cutty, with an average length of 7 inches. Other designs were aimed at the Irish market both in Ireland itself and the large irish population in Glasgow, similarly with the North American market.’STILL LOYAL TO THE OLD COUNTRY’ would seem to be an aspect of the Canadian recruitment campaign of 1914-18. According to Mr RCA Hemming, director and the last manager of McDougalls, a ‘torrified’ pipe was popular in West Africa.
Fleming records that on the site of the Milllroad pottery, active until about 1854, some 100 moulds were found ‘theearliest of which was dated 1791, and represented a medallion of David Dale, the famous Glasgow philanthropist’. Another example of a dated bowl is that produced by B.E. Wise, bearing the date 1836. The culmination of the art of bowl decoration was perhaps the tripartite moulds of portraits made by both White’s and McDougalls. They included such persons as Shakespeare, Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Kind Edward VII.

Certain design imitated those from makers outside Glasgow.

At times special showpieces were produced which could take the form of very large or very small pipes. Such pieces could be pictorial, as with the Exhibition pipe produced by I.C.Feron for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1862, but probably adapting a mould of Charles Crop of London. Fleming tell us that any notable event, such as a coronation or jubilee, served the purpose of the modeller in producing a fancy pipe to celebrate the occasion. It was said that Thomas Davidson could create any design to suit a customer, and to inscribe the name of the buyer or inventor upon the mould. The speed at which makers could respond to potential markets, even in the later days on the industry, is illustrated by the Kind Edward VIII pipe produced by McDougalls.

McDougalls generally carried only one mould of each type, duplication being unpopular with the pipemakers. Where there was a large demand for a particular style, similar moulds were produced.
Glasgow pipes normally carry the makers name in block capitals on the stem, at times enclosed by a rope frame. The stem may also be marked GLASGOW or SCOTLAND. This change probably occurred in 1891 when the USA rules that all imported goods must be marked with their country of origin.

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A large cupola, or kiln, constructed on the approved plan is equal to a turn out of 54,000 pipes per week. Over 400 patterns are made.