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I didn't know what a Perfection was until you mentioned it and I looked it up. Charatan has not been a target for me, though I've targeted Willmers. Info on this web page places Perfection at the low end of Charatans smooth "high-grades", with Special the next grade above that among 7-tiers of...

Champaign, Illinois

. Several years ago, somehow, I left a box of 10 pipes in my shed and they became forgotten. Mice got into them. A Castello had a spider nest in the bowl. A Ferndown had what looked like a mouse nibble in the wood. I took the whole lot to Michael La Due at Jon's Pipe Shop to be fixed up and...

I started collecting Willmers because my local B&M has always stocked a selection of them, and my first pipe was a straight grain AAA. I kept my eye out after that and have bought AA and AAA grades when the size, shape and wood appealed to me. I agree that some are clunky. I have two like...

Some of the tightest and clearest straight grain in all pipedom is found on the older Willmer AAA grade pipes (before Willmer "inflated" their grading system). This one takes the cake, and I wanted you all to see it. I own too many AAA Willmers to bid on this one, but its taking all my...

First reaction: Really nice job on all those restorations. Second reaction: Holy cow! That stick man has half his body in the pipe! Must be doing a pipe inspection. Steve

In DeKalb...I'd make a visit to Jon's Pipe Shop in Urbana, IL. Their estate selection is huge and the folks there really know their stuff. They'll help you make a wise choice in your price range. My specific suggestion, ask to see their estate Savinelli Punto Oro collection first (I was...

Nice looking pieces. I'd love to see the rustication on that dark stained dublin close up. Steve

There are lots of pipe smoking scenes in the BBC mini-series "Oppenheimer". My favorite is when Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, the director of the army portion of the Manhattan Project, gives Robert Oppenheimer a new pipe at Christmas. Oppenheimer's face lights up and he stuffs it right...

That is one determined car owner. I just returned from a three-day auto tour of the Illinois and upper Mississippi river valleys, for pleasure. There was a fresh, light snowfall and the backroads and scenery along the rivers and flanking hills was enchanting. It is my favorite pleasure...

Nice lighting in those photos. Looks like you were outside. Was it overcast, or what was the condition? Steve

On a more practical note, some bulldogs that are paneled at the bottom of the bowl can get too hot to hold near the end of the smoke, in my experience. It depends on the thickness of the wood down there, but I don't buy bulldogs anymore for that reason. Steve

. May as well add my 2 cents. I keep both my lighters in my truck, which is where I smoke the most. This one retails in the $75 - $85 range. I enjoy messing with it because it feels so great - well built. The ergos are good for sparking the flame, but lighting a pipe feels awkward...

I'm presently messing with my iTunes. For you low brass fans: "Play That Country Tuba, Cowboy" (Stan Freese tuba) on the album "The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes", then "The Playful Pachyderm" and "Pokarekare Ana" (Steven Mead euphonium) from the album "Euphonium Virtuoso"...

Mighty fine looking Sasieni you have there. Steve

Bruce at Rare Memories does not keep a huge inventory, but its always turning over and the quality of his selections are worth a look. I used him once and got good service. Currently he has two Upshall Ps and a Willmer Extra Grain A that I think are standout deals...

Years ago I purchased an MSDS database on CD-ROM from Fisher Scientific. The MSDS for water listed a bunch of stupid hazardous properties that were probably the default for whatever template they were using. The one that stuck in my memory is what to do if water gets in your eyes, which...

. Those are two marvelous looking pipes. Your Lovat looks similar to a danish pipe I smoked today (the bottom pipe here). .

I watched it last night and recommend it. DVD, 2008, Magnolia Home Entertainment. It documents the planning and execution of three illegal stunts by Philippe Petit, a French wire walker and street performer, culminating in his 1974 act of covertly rigging a cable between the towers of the...

Rain with falling temperatures has created prime ice storm conditions twice in the last week here in central IL. I was prepared, but somehow we escaped it both times. It was sunny and pleasant today. Steve