"Pipe is foreign goods. In China, there are less than 20 people can make it in traditional way of western. From a pipe player to a pipe maker, he promote pipe maker becoming a job in China." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyAVsue7Em4
The first time my finger became lodged inside a pipe bowl, I was new to the hobby and lost for a solution. We all find ourselves tamping with a finger on occasion and it's inevitable that we get stuck now and then. I've received hundreds of emails from distressed pipesters asking how to extract digits from stubborn bowls; it's time we had a blueprint for proceeding under these circumstances.
The best solution is to stop eating until you've lost enough weight to extract the finger. But fingers are notoriously fat-free, and the weeks or months necessary for this solution are problematic. First and foremost, you need to protect that pipe, so it must be sealed in bubble wrap and waterproofed for the duration. Some find it difficult to complete daily tasks with a bubble-wrapped pipe attached at the end of a finger. Typing, cooking, dressing, showering, or using tools of any sort must be rethought and relearned. In my experience, brain surgeons are especially susceptible to the inconvenience. My brain surgeon is on retainer for regular brain modifications, and the last time he worked on me he had a pipe stuck on his finger. He says that's why I now sing show tunes whenever I smell cabbage.
Remember, though, that the pipe must be saved regardless of the inconvenience and it will all be worthwhile once it's free. However, if fasting is not your style, or if you're a machine operator or diamond cutter or otherwise need your hands for your livelihood, more heroic solutions must be explored.
Ask yourself: pipe or finger?
This is when you must weigh the value of the pipe against the value of a finger. The destruction of a pipe is unthinkable, and we have multiple fingers, but pipes are often irreplaceable, so for the true pipe enthusiast, the answer is simple. Every hobby has a downside, and for us, it's the occasional removal of a finger to save a cherished pipe.
First, stabilize the project. Never clamp a pipe in a vise; it could mar the finish. It's best to clamp the finger itself. Once secured, be sure to leave at least three quarters of an inch extending from the bowl so the saw blade does not come too close to the rim.
Once you've completed the procedure, you likely still have a finger protruding from your pipe, but now you can conveniently wait for it to desiccate without any reduction in mobility, and it will easily slip from the pipe bowl after a week or so. At that point, simply clean and ream the pipe and it will be as good as before.
To the uninitiated, this solution may seem extreme. My wife had a hard time with the first couple of fingers I removed, but she’s grown more accustomed to the occasional necessity over the years. And it's easy to spot the most experienced and dedicated pipe smokers by counting how many fingers they have left. In this great world of pipe smoking, "Stubby" is the most cherished nickname one can earn.
Here are a couple I just got in an EBay auction. I was actually only bidding on one pipe, the Pete. Much to my surprise and enjoyment, when I received the package there was a second pipe, gratis
Looks like it cut my post short as well.......again. The Kings Cross Featherweigt 303 (no, it's spelled as it is on the pipe Featherweigt) By Savinelli was the free pipe. It had been broken off at the tenon and a "new" tenon was carved into the stem with a pocket knife to make a functional joint. I went to my trusty lathe and made a new tenon extension and added the briar to make a smooth transition in diameters. The briar (or something) was needed because the stem was now smaller where it met the shank. I then turned down the stem end and made a smaller tenon to insert into the tenon/briar extension and used some "BlackMax" to keep it together and strong. Stained both stummel and briar extension with Feibings Medium Brown Dye. I wiped the extension down with some Everclear to lighten it a bit to set it off from the stummel. I buffed and polished ending with carnuba wax. I also refininshed the Pete with a Feibings USMC Black bottom coat, polished off with coarse buffing compound. I then stained over the black with Feibings Red Dye. Buffed and polished, finished with carnuba.
There are few things in the world I love more than a bit of friendly competition. The occasional bet or contest keeps life interesting, and sometimes puts you in your place. So when my colleague Joe wanted to bet on our favorite hockey teams' last game of the regular season, I took the bait — loser smokes a bowl of tobacco chosen by the winner. As someone who's both a die-hard fan and a persnickety smoker, it was a risky gamble, but I was feeling confident.
But I'm a Leafs fan, so I should be used to a little bit of disappointment.
I tried not to be sour when we lost, though I'll admit to groaning when Joe dropped a tin of King Cake on my desk. I'm not a fan of Black Cavendish. I like Orientals, sure, and Virginias. I'm picky with tobacco, and don't tend to try new blends very often; a stark contrast to how willingly I'll dive into an unusual plate of food.
I put off packing a bowl until the end of the day, to the point where Joe dropped by my desk a few times to make sure I hadn't forgotten — despite the fact that the cake sat front and center on my desk, slowly drying. It was impossible to overlook. At last, I slowly packed one of my pipes (carefully selected — I might have been sour about losing a bet, but I wasn't about to game the system by smoking from a Group 1) and sat back, ready to fulfill my side of the gamble.
I was almost annoyed by how much I liked it. After listening to Joe, in his over-confident way, debate for two days what sort of strongly-flavored blend to give me, I had expected the worst. Instead, as I slowly puffed, I started to like it more and more. Enough to snag an extra bowl's worth to take home with me, until I could get a tin of my own.
In the end, I might have lost a bet, but the only downside was how smug he seemed about the entire ordeal.
When I first started smoking a pipe, I looked at them much differently than now. My journey has been similar to that of most pipesmokers. Our first pipes are typically pretty inexpensive and sometimes terrible, and mine was no different. It didn't smoke that great and, with the benefit of hindsight, wasn't made very well either. Back then I looked at pipes as nothing more than simple tools — mere tobacco devices designed for the sole purpose of burning my favorite blends.
More than just how I view pipes has changed since then; the most drastic change has been the role that pipes play in my my life. Today, pipes provide not just essential relaxation, but my livelihood. I'm amazed at least daily by one pipe or another, because I get to see the latest designs and greatest achievements from carvers worldwide, carvers whose work I'd likely never see firsthand if I didn't work for Smokingpipes.
With every new piece, I'm reminded that each pipe continues a story that started with the first pipe carvers hundreds of years ago. Now when I look at a pipe I'm more cognizant of the craft that goes into a well-executed design. Holding a pipe, I now feel the aspirations of the carver when they chose that uncut block of briar and first put wood to sanding wheel. I see the legacy the carver is building, and a glimpse of the carvers who came before and built the foundation upon which he or she stands. I think of all of the people who make their living getting that pipe from the carver's hands to a new home in a collector's pipe stand. I know first hand the relationship forged between pipe and pipesmoker. Pipes are greater than the sum of their parts, with no two the same.
As a fellow piper, I'm sure your pipes hold a special place in your life; otherwise, why would you be reading this? Each pipe in our collection means something special to us. We enjoy smoking them, sure, but of equal importance are their cleaning and care. This is something that most non-pipesmokers usually don't understand, and what I didn't get when I first picked up a pipe. We have a relationship with each pipe in our collection. With every bowl of tobacco smoked we add to the legacy of the pipe and append our own chapter to the story. Pipes are more than just tobacco devices; they're something altogether more important.
Comments
PIPE MASTER LEIZHOU CHEN
"Pipe is foreign goods. In China, there are less than 20 people can make it in traditional way of western. From a pipe player to a pipe maker, he promote pipe maker becoming a job in China."TECHIE HAIKU
We have been lied to
The Earth's flat like a Frisbee
Don't fall off the edge
Digital Inconveniences
Monday, April 9, 2018 by Chuck Stanion
The first time my finger became lodged inside a pipe bowl, I was new to the hobby and lost for a solution. We all find ourselves tamping with a finger on occasion and it's inevitable that we get stuck now and then. I've received hundreds of emails from distressed pipesters asking how to extract digits from stubborn bowls; it's time we had a blueprint for proceeding under these circumstances.
The best solution is to stop eating until you've lost enough weight to extract the finger. But fingers are notoriously fat-free, and the weeks or months necessary for this solution are problematic. First and foremost, you need to protect that pipe, so it must be sealed in bubble wrap and waterproofed for the duration. Some find it difficult to complete daily tasks with a bubble-wrapped pipe attached at the end of a finger. Typing, cooking, dressing, showering, or using tools of any sort must be rethought and relearned. In my experience, brain surgeons are especially susceptible to the inconvenience. My brain surgeon is on retainer for regular brain modifications, and the last time he worked on me he had a pipe stuck on his finger. He says that's why I now sing show tunes whenever I smell cabbage.
Remember, though, that the pipe must be saved regardless of the inconvenience and it will all be worthwhile once it's free. However, if fasting is not your style, or if you're a machine operator or diamond cutter or otherwise need your hands for your livelihood, more heroic solutions must be explored.
Ask yourself: pipe or finger?
This is when you must weigh the value of the pipe against the value of a finger. The destruction of a pipe is unthinkable, and we have multiple fingers, but pipes are often irreplaceable, so for the true pipe enthusiast, the answer is simple. Every hobby has a downside, and for us, it's the occasional removal of a finger to save a cherished pipe.
First, stabilize the project. Never clamp a pipe in a vise; it could mar the finish. It's best to clamp the finger itself. Once secured, be sure to leave at least three quarters of an inch extending from the bowl so the saw blade does not come too close to the rim.
Once you've completed the procedure, you likely still have a finger protruding from your pipe, but now you can conveniently wait for it to desiccate without any reduction in mobility, and it will easily slip from the pipe bowl after a week or so. At that point, simply clean and ream the pipe and it will be as good as before.
To the uninitiated, this solution may seem extreme. My wife had a hard time with the first couple of fingers I removed, but she’s grown more accustomed to the occasional necessity over the years. And it's easy to spot the most experienced and dedicated pipe smokers by counting how many fingers they have left. In this great world of pipe smoking, "Stubby" is the most cherished nickname one can earn.
The Kings Cross Featherweigt 303 (no, it's spelled as it is on the pipe Featherweigt) By Savinelli was the free pipe. It had been broken off at the tenon and a "new" tenon was carved into the stem with a pocket knife to make a functional joint. I went to my trusty lathe and made a new tenon extension and added the briar to make a smooth transition in diameters. The briar (or something) was needed because the stem was now smaller where it met the shank. I then turned down the stem end and made a smaller tenon to insert into the tenon/briar extension and used some "BlackMax" to keep it together and strong. Stained both stummel and briar extension with Feibings Medium Brown Dye. I wiped the extension down with some Everclear to lighten it a bit to set it off from the stummel. I buffed and polished ending with carnuba wax.
I also refininshed the Pete with a Feibings USMC Black bottom coat, polished off with coarse buffing compound. I then stained over the black with Feibings Red Dye. Buffed and polished, finished with carnuba.
A Risky Gamble
Thursday, April 12, 2018 by Rachel DuBose
There are few things in the world I love more than a bit of friendly competition. The occasional bet or contest keeps life interesting, and sometimes puts you in your place. So when my colleague Joe wanted to bet on our favorite hockey teams' last game of the regular season, I took the bait — loser smokes a bowl of tobacco chosen by the winner. As someone who's both a die-hard fan and a persnickety smoker, it was a risky gamble, but I was feeling confident.
But I'm a Leafs fan, so I should be used to a little bit of disappointment.
I tried not to be sour when we lost, though I'll admit to groaning when Joe dropped a tin of King Cake on my desk. I'm not a fan of Black Cavendish. I like Orientals, sure, and Virginias. I'm picky with tobacco, and don't tend to try new blends very often; a stark contrast to how willingly I'll dive into an unusual plate of food.
I put off packing a bowl until the end of the day, to the point where Joe dropped by my desk a few times to make sure I hadn't forgotten — despite the fact that the cake sat front and center on my desk, slowly drying. It was impossible to overlook. At last, I slowly packed one of my pipes (carefully selected — I might have been sour about losing a bet, but I wasn't about to game the system by smoking from a Group 1) and sat back, ready to fulfill my side of the gamble.
I was almost annoyed by how much I liked it. After listening to Joe, in his over-confident way, debate for two days what sort of strongly-flavored blend to give me, I had expected the worst. Instead, as I slowly puffed, I started to like it more and more. Enough to snag an extra bowl's worth to take home with me, until I could get a tin of my own.
In the end, I might have lost a bet, but the only downside was how smug he seemed about the entire ordeal.
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For all you motorcycle fans!
The Importance Of Pipes Smokingpipes.com
Monday, June 11, 2018
by Joe Lucas
When I first started smoking a pipe, I looked at them much differently than now. My journey has been similar to that of most pipesmokers. Our first pipes are typically pretty inexpensive and sometimes terrible, and mine was no different. It didn't smoke that great and, with the benefit of hindsight, wasn't made very well either. Back then I looked at pipes as nothing more than simple tools — mere tobacco devices designed for the sole purpose of burning my favorite blends.
More than just how I view pipes has changed since then; the most drastic change has been the role that pipes play in my my life. Today, pipes provide not just essential relaxation, but my livelihood. I'm amazed at least daily by one pipe or another, because I get to see the latest designs and greatest achievements from carvers worldwide, carvers whose work I'd likely never see firsthand if I didn't work for Smokingpipes.
With every new piece, I'm reminded that each pipe continues a story that started with the first pipe carvers hundreds of years ago. Now when I look at a pipe I'm more cognizant of the craft that goes into a well-executed design. Holding a pipe, I now feel the aspirations of the carver when they chose that uncut block of briar and first put wood to sanding wheel. I see the legacy the carver is building, and a glimpse of the carvers who came before and built the foundation upon which he or she stands. I think of all of the people who make their living getting that pipe from the carver's hands to a new home in a collector's pipe stand. I know first hand the relationship forged between pipe and pipesmoker. Pipes are greater than the sum of their parts, with no two the same.
As a fellow piper, I'm sure your pipes hold a special place in your life; otherwise, why would you be reading this? Each pipe in our collection means something special to us. We enjoy smoking them, sure, but of equal importance are their cleaning and care. This is something that most non-pipesmokers usually don't understand, and what I didn't get when I first picked up a pipe. We have a relationship with each pipe in our collection. With every bowl of tobacco smoked we add to the legacy of the pipe and append our own chapter to the story. Pipes are more than just tobacco devices; they're something altogether more important.