A Passion for Pipes Blog

Inspiration from American Stereotypes

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:49:08 -0400

When Adam Davidson (left) created the McDonald Bulldog (shown above), he conceived the shape from putting two disparate concepts together: the bulldog-shaped pipe and a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant.
“Imagine what a bulldog would look like if it ate at McDonald’s every day. That’s what I was going for when I created this shape,” Adam explained.
When I saw this pipe in Adam’s transport case at the 2008 Chicago Pipe Show, I couldn’t resist it. It’s one of those pipes that successfully captures the surrealistic, cartoonish character that makes some nosewarmers postmodern-charming.
Despite its beefy dimensions, the shape conveys a certain elegance, too. The ring cut into the bowl below the frustum is echoed in a black palm decoration that is inset into the ebonite shank ferrule. Amazingly, as pictured below, the mouthpiece actually separates from the shank at the black palm.
“This mouthpiece required very large and quite expensive rod stock,” Davidson said. Amazingly - after shaping, turning, and polishing, the shank ferrule diameter is a full one inch. “It took a full two days to make the mouthpiece and ferrule,” Davidson commented, “there was so much material to remove.” Davidson did remove a lot of ebonite; at the button the mouthpiece tapers to a 4mm thickness.
It is a pretty significant accomplishment, especially for a relatively young artisan, to create a shape that other pipe makers emulate. Very recently, Massachusetts pipe collector Dock Perry commissioned Tennessee pipe maker Bruce Weaver to craft a replica of Davidson’s design which is pictured below:

“Bruce (left) did a pretty good job,” Davidson remarked when I showed him pictures of Perry’s new replica of Davidson’s creation.
When I asked Davidson how he felt about another artisan making a pipe that was inspired by his design, Davidson replied, “We are all influenced by each other.”
I have to say that it is a little strange for me to see another version of the McDonald Bulldog out there, having owned the only version until recently. I can’t imagine a better home for a cousin that my fellow enthusiast Dock Perry. And it’s fun to see Bruce Weaver’s wonderful sandblasting technique adorning the shape. It definitely conveys a different feel. It’s also fun to see them side by side and recognize how very subtle differences can make such a difference in the overall character of the pipe.

Temptation’s Whisper

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:05:43 -0400

“There is no secret of life. Life's aim, if it has one, is simply to be always looking for temptations. There are not nearly enough. I sometimes pass a whole day without coming across a single one. It is quite dreadful. It makes one so nervous about the future.” - Oscar Wilde
In only 18 days the world’s biggest pipe event begins: The Chicagoland International Pipe and Tobacciana Exposition. I still haven’t decided whether I will attend or not and, believe me, I’ve spent more than a little time thinking about it. While thinking about it has nearly driven me ‘round the bend, my cogitations have helped me clarify what the show has to offer and why I value it.
When it comes to buying or selling pipes and tobacco, the Chicago Show is without peer. Artisans, retailers, re-sellers, collectors, and casual enthusiasts all show up ready to look, lust, love, niggle, haggle, or hustle. It’s the 21st Century equivalent of some Byzantine bazaar where people traffic in the most exotic, nearly unattainable, and rare tobacciana objects.
There are acres of pipes and opportunities to meet and talk with the people who have made them. Even the legends may be found there and, for the most part, they are an amiable, personable lot whose ready handshake and warm gaze is as available to the shy newbie as to the well-heeled collector. It is also a place where people of like mind and like passion feel less alone and less crazy.
Beset with long-suffering spouses, tax-insatiable governments, hectoring physicians, and priggish, censorious communities of people who claim that they know what’s best for us and aim to do something about it, the pipe-smoker’s world feels like it’s shrinking to Lilliputian dimensions.
However, none of that feels true for two or three glorious and relief-filled days on the grounds of Pheasant Run Resort where nearly every person one encounters - stranger or not - says hello and smiles, albeit with slightly yellowed teeth. Yes, for several days it’s okay to sit and puff - libation in hand - and talk into the wee hours about pipes and tobaccos.
I would swear that gravity’s force increases during that first weekend in May. It’s harder to move away from anything interesting. Self-discipline becomes a remembered virtue - something conceptual, not practical. It’s a time and place where it is too easy to spend a lot of money.
The unreality of it all, the fact that so many others are doling wads of cash out, and the sheer volume of beautiful and desirable pipes calling me to the rocks of insolvency like little briar sirens - I imagine I’d feel less tempted in a Bangkok brothel, not that I know. Monday and all the Mondays cascading from the calendar feel so far, far away on the first Saturday morning when the show doors open. Consequences? What consequences?
I am receiving much encouragement from my pipe-community friends to come to the show. They have a higher opinion of me than I do: “Just come and hang out, Neill. I know lots of guys who come and look and don’t spend a lot of money. You can do that. It won’t be the same without you.”
I wonder how my friends can understand so little about me. When it comes to pipes and vintage tobaccos, opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.
Mark Twain once remarked, “I deal with temptation by yielding to it.” That’s been my strategy and, to date, it’s worked well...until the credit card bill came in. Then the doors of Hell yawn open and the jeering, leering demons of conscience bray and keen for days on end. For years, on that Monday I have resolved “Never again. Never again. I am a grown-up. I can do this.”
George Orwell wrote, “No doubt alcohol, tobacco, and so forth, are things that a saint must avoid, but sainthood is also a thing that human beings must avoid... Many people genuinely do not wish to be saints, and it is probable that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never felt much temptation to be human beings.” George, let me tell you, old friend, I am a human being and no saint.
In these dark days of the great recession, necessity is succeeding where restraint failed. I am a new man, albeit not particularly improved. I think carefully about how I spend my money because, frankly, business is dicey these days. So far, so good, but business development cycles have lengthened, cash flow is sporadic, and my clients are as nervous as big-racked bucks on the first day of hunting season. It seems foolhardy for me to go to Chicago and drop a bundle on anything. Like many others, I feel the urge to conserve my resources because I just don’t know what’s going to happen next.
The recession has also had some other effects on me. I have commenced a serious conversation with myself about the morality of obsessively acquiring luxury collectibles when so many people are struggling to feed and house themselves.
Earlier I wrote that my cogitating had helped surface what matters to me. When it occurred to me that the show is far more than the world’s largest pipe and tobacco shop, I see some glimmers of light. At the top of this post you see a picture I took at last year’s show of collector Rick Newcombe and artisan Paulo Becker. Rick’s affection for Paulo is evident and the show affords their friendship an opportunity to be renewed.
In many ways the Chicago show is more than a bazaar, it is a reunion - a gathering of people who share common ground, common interests, and common problems. It is a place where we can look at others and be reminded of who we are in the world.
We may choose pipes, but friends choose us. In these uncertain times, owning things may conjure some satisfaction, but a friend’s love is a wellspring of hope and affirmation - things that cannot be bought but must be given.
One thing I know for certain, I can find many wonderful friends at this year’s show, if I decide to go. I can find one of my communities - a precious one to be sure.
I just may go.

What are you?

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 11:46:31 -0400

In this interesting pipe community we live in, there are lively discussions that often feature significant disagreement. The truth is that there is diversity in our community. We don’t all see things the same way and that is a source of richness in our conversations within the hobby.
I’ve been thinking about the fundamental behavioral variables that drive different frames of reference and different values between and among us. I settled on two drivers:
One’s interest is primarily collecting pipes.
One’s interest is primarily smoking pipes.
Taking those drivers, I developed a quadrant matrix - recognizing that these two drivers exist on a continuum - and then built a simple typology from it. It’s a crude sort of cluster analysis.
Anyway, it is fun to think about where one falls on the two continuums, then to map how much of the following four types feed into our make-up.
I think that each of us has some of the traits from each of the four typologies. I hope you find this as fun to think about as I did. To the right you will see how I mapped myself onto the matrix.
The Snacker
You might have just gotten into pipe-smoking or you may have smoked a pipe for some time. Pipes are just one way that you enjoy tobacco. You also occasionally smoke cigarettes or cigars. If push came to shove, you could pass on pipe-smoking altogether without feeling much pain. You don’t have many pipes and the pipes you have were bought to smoke. You don’t care a lot about having the best pipes available. You just want pipes that deliver a good smoke when you want one. You may be interested in learning more - perhaps understanding what the big deal is with more exotic or expensive pipes. When it comes to tobacco, you haven’t tried a huge number of tobaccos and tend to stick to what you know and like. You rely on your tobacconist or on friends to make recommendations, but you try a bowl or two before you buy much.
The Connoisseur
While you enjoy smoking a pipe, your passion are your pipes, themselves, not smoking them. You have quite a few pipes you haven’t smoked. In fact, you don’t like smoking new pipes because you want to maintain their pristine condition. You’re proud of your collection and you try to buy the best that you can afford. You are interested in the arty side of pipes and the visual aspects of pipes drive your purchases more than smoking qualities. When you visit your tobacconist or get together with your pipe-smoking friends, you’re more interested in talking pipes than tobaccos. You routinely ask to see new pipes when they come in. You can’t wait to check e-tailer updates to see the latest and greatest. You know a lot about artisans but are hungry to learn more. You have a pretty good idea what you are interested in buying next. You either already attend pipe shows or have a strong desire to do so.
The Smoker
You like and admire a handsome pipe, but if it doesn’t deliver a good smoke then it is a door-stop, not a pipe. Your passion is the tobaccos you love and your pipes are necessary for the smoking experience. When you think about buying a pipe, it is primarily because your rotation requires it, not because you want another bright and shiny object on your rack. You can’t understand buying a pipe and not smoking it. When somebody proudly shows you a new pipe, your first question is “How does it smoke?” The wax on your smooth pipes burned off ages ago. Their color is dark and the oils from your hand have burnished their matte surface. You’ve got too much cake in some of your pipes and you need to get around to reaming them. You choose your pipes based on how comfortable they are in the hand and in the mouth. You like a nice rusticated or blast pipe and are not all that thrilled about paying high prices for smooth pipes.
The Gourmand
Like the Holy Grail, you suspect that the perfect pipe is out there somewhere. You just need to find it. When it comes to pipe-smoking, you seek the total experience. You dedicate particular pipes to particular tobacco genres or perhaps even to particular blends. You don’t smoke ribbon cut in a flake pipe nor flakes in a ribbon pipe. You have built a collection of fine pipes that are not only beautiful, but impeccable smoking instruments. A treasured pipe meets every criteria: it is beautifully made; it draws smoothly; it amplifies the tastes within tobacco blends; it is light, balanced, and sports a comfortable mouthpiece; and it is made from beautiful wood. You have smoked most or all of the pipes in your collection, but you have trouble smoking them all because you have too many pipes. It is difficult to get to know every pipe in your collection because you frequently add new pipes to your collection. You have built a cellar of fine tobaccos and are always on the lookout to add more. You do comparative tasting of vintage and contemporary blends to try and discern which new blends compare well to vintage blends. You wish there were more people like you living close to you so that you didn’t have to endure the long dry spells between pipe shows or pipe club meetings. You cultivate your knowledge, buy pipe and tobacco books, and study the focus of your collection with gusto.

Detecting Replacement Stems

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 08:10:03 -0400

Two years ago I met Derek Green at the Chicago Pipe Show. Derek is well-known in the pipe community for his Comoy expertise. His website is a very useful source of information about Comoy and some other pipe brands as well.
As we spoke, I learned that Derek spends a great deal of time and effort examining pipes. He told me at the time that the only way to really know and understand a particular brand is to see as many examples as possible. I noticed over the next couple of days that Derek was scrutinizing pipes on an almost non-stop basis. Derek Green sets a good example for all of us as we try to learn about pipes. Look at as many pipes as possible. Pipe literacy comes about as a result of many examinations in addition to reading and listening.
Still, even with some knowledge of a particular brand, it is possible to miss a replacement stem, especially in an eBay auction. That’s what happened to me this week. I bought what I thought was a first-rate, all-original, and very collectible Blue Riband Bulldog (Shape No. 9) that I have since learned is highly likely to have a replacement stem - an aspect of the pipe that reduces its value considerably. I use the words “highly likely to have....” because I cannot be absolutely sure, but my confidence level is greater than 95% that the stem is a replacement.
I thought it might be instructive for me to share the story of my discovery and the evidence of my conclusions, if only to help others learn from my experience. I’m sure that some of you are surprised that I would tell this story in my blog as it might signal poor judgment, naïveté, or at the very least a lack of experience.
The truth is that I am naîve in the purchase of Blue Ribands and I do lack experience. I’m not ashamed of that. Nobody knows everything and I have a great deal to learn. Anyway, here is the story:
Over the last couple of years I have taken a shine to Comoy Blue Ribands. I like Comoy shapes and finishes very much and I find their smoking qualities admirable, if not excellent. So, I have started collecting and studying Comoy in general and Blue Ribands in particular.
Let me add a disclaimer here. I am no Comoy expert, whatsoever, especially compared to people like Derek Green or Tony Soderman - gentlemen who have spent years, if not decades studying the Comoy brand. When it comes to English classic pipes of any stripe, I consider myself an apprentice, not even a journeyman. There is so much to know and I have barely begun to learn.
Still, by following Derek Green’s example - and looking at as many examples as possible, I hope to build my knowledge. Fortunately, others have studied and written so I don’t have to start from scratch.
Wednesday, the postman delivered a Comoy Blue Riband Bulldog - Shape No. 9 - to my home here in Virginia. I was very excited to receive this pipe because the auction pictures revealed it to be in excellent condition and to have very good grain. When I opened the box to examine the pipe, I was very happy to see that my assumptions were true. The pipe has fantastic grain - the best of any Blue Riband that own - and the condition was excellent.
Surprisingly, I was troubled to see that the shank-mouthpiece fit was poor. A gap of about a half a millimeter opened from the bottom of the shank moving upward. (See picture above). I don’t own a great many Blue Ribands but the ones I have all sport excellent stem fit and finish. This was the first clue that something was amiss.
One of the first things I looked for in the auction pictures was the 3-part C that Comoy puts on the shank portion of the stem. From the pictures, the C appeared to be correct. However, when I looked carefully at the pipe in my hands, I could see that the black circle that interrupts the right side of the white circle to form a “C” was not drilled, it looked to be filled with something that was likely to be epoxy with vulcanite dust mixed in to color it. Compare the C at left (bulldog) with the C at right from a billiard I own. Looking at this with my loupe, I could clearly see that it was filled, not drilled as the irregular dried liquid surface had slight ripples. Further, though one has to look close, vulcanite actually has a very slight grain under intense magnification. That grain was missing. Here is Clue Two.
All pictorial comparisons are from Blue Ribands that were made during the same time period. This is evident in that the Made in London (Circle) over England (Straight Line Underneath) stampings are identical in each compared pipe.
I then removed all of the stems from my other Blue Ribands to compare and contrast design and executional differences in the tenon portion of the stem. As I examined them, I noticed that the bulldog is missing the metal fitting at the end of the tenon that is present in all the other Blue Ribands that I own. Clue Three. In the above-right picture, my new bulldog stem is at the right.
Further, when I looked carefully and compared the tenons, I noticed that the chamfer at the tenon end was missing from the Bulldog stem. Clue Four. Look below at a profile shot of the bulldog stem at left and the billiard stem at right. The shape difference is obvious.
Finally, when I compared the buttons and slots, there was an obvious difference between the bulldog and the other Blue Ribands. Each of the other pipes - and one of them is a brand new unsmoked pipe that has never been buffed - has an identically shaped slot that is ovaloid. The bulldog has a rounded square slot. Clue Five.
Newbie-Comoy-collector that I am, I have concluded that the pipe I purchased has a replacement stem. Any indictor taken singly might just be the result of a variance between craftsmen, but taken altogether make a convincing case.
I hasten to add that when I first examined the pipe, I emailed the seller to directly ask whether the pipe has a replacement stem or not. I received a prompt reply stating “To the best of my knowledge the stem is original....” However, the seller indicated that, due to a family crisis, he did not feel he had inspected the pipe as thoroughly as he normally does.
The seller offered to completely refund my money or to pay for repair to the stem fit, whatever I would prefer. In my opinion this seller is a person of integrity and I enjoyed every aspect of my dealings with him.
Knowing that I was unsure, I can certainly forgive the seller’s lack of certainty. In my opinion, if the stem fit had been perfect, I doubt I would ever have scrutinized this pipe to discover that the stem is likely a replacement. I’m sure the seller was fooled, too.
So, am I upset that I bought a pipe that isn’t what I thought it was? Did I overpay? Am I sending it back and getting a refund?
I’m disappointed but not upset. I seriously doubt that I could ever find a more beautifully cut bulldog in terms of grain, finish, or condition. Maybe, but I doubt it. I have decided to feel great about the wonderful wood I got.
I paid $262 plus shipping for the pipe which represents a premium price when I compare the pipe to other Ribands that have recently sold. However, the difference is not huge and when I consider the quality of the wood, I can live with it.
I am not going to return the pipe and ask for my money back. I don’t plan to sell the pipe. I do plan to have another two stems made for the pipe that are perfect. If the stem must be a replacement, then it will be a perfect duplicate with fantastic engineering. It will be better than the original and I have decided to feel great about that.
So, what have I learned from this experience? First, I am going to ask sellers from whom I am considering buying to send me pictures of the mouthpiece tenon so I can look for the metal insert. Second, I am going to ask for a close-up picture of the 3-part C. Third, I am going to ask for pictures of left, right, and top views of the pipe so I can look for poor fit and check for bowl condition. These steps should help ensure that my expectations are met.

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What are you?

Detecting Replacement Stems