Old briar, new expectations, and the people who love them.

[monbla256]

We must live in a pretty good age when we can have this friendly debate. Think about it we can buy quality old pipes, quality new pipes at pretty reasonable prices. And if you want you can buy quality old pipe and quality new pipes pretty high prices. Something for everyone. Wonderful time to smoke pipes!

Yep, we're pretty fortunate in a web-connected world. 20 years ago there were no forums, with classifieds and Paypal to buy virtually any pipe maker, and of course no Ebay as well. Pipe shops and their inventory were a pipe smokers only choice, unless they had the opportunity to travel a good bit.

It's a wonder we were able to smoke at all :twisted:

 

[Anonymous]

The personal memories are the best aspect of them.

Nr. 1 favorite pipe here is a Parker Straight Grain "A" billiard made, probably, in the 1950s. My pipe mentor & friend, Walter Bradford of Birmingham, Ala. did me the favor of selling it to me back in 1975. It had been thoroughly smoked when he got it in a trade -- smoke blackening was a permanent part of its rim even then. All these years later and a new lucite stem by George Dibos that does it justice, it's the ultimate Embarcadero voyager.

Probably number two is a really old (like before WW I) Peterson DeLuxe Apple -- a 360 straightgrain. Also from Walter. A FVF champ.

Both are poster child examples of the concept, "More than just a pipe."

Their smoking quality aside (both 10/10) they bring something into the picture that a new pipe can't until many years have passed for enough "old times, old friends" baraka to accumulate in it. As the PeeDiddian Castello is . . .

Pipes aren't just things.

:face:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

...examples of the concept, "More than just a pipe."

Pipes aren't just things.

Now THAT is my kind of summary. :cheers:

8)

 

[KevinM]

Bear with me --

Ever watch Formula I racing? They're the most technologically advanced cars on the planet and scary fast. At one time, they had a problem keeping the engines together at 12,000 rpm, which was a common rev on course. Then the engineers noticed that old, rebuilt engines were more durable than new ones. How come? Theory is that the repeated heating/cooling cycles the old engines were subjected to made the metal harder.


Maybe that works for briar, too.

I prefer traditional pipe designs with a distinctive variation, just for a bit of spice. The problem with some artisan designs is just that they're a bit over the top for my taste. I don't think hand carving of traditional shapes -- i.e., it doesn't matter what the grain wants to do, the finished pipe is going to be another bent bulldog -- is neessarily better than machining. OTOH I've seen premium, handcarved pipes that I woudn't throw at a cat, let alone clutter up one of my charge cards.

I don't know that we live in the Golden Age of anything, but there sure are a lot of choices available to pipers.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Bear with me --

Ever watch Formula I racing? They're the most technologically advanced cars on the planet and scary fast. At one time, they had a problem keeping the engines together at 12,000 rpm, which was a common rev on course. Then the engineers noticed that old, rebuilt engines were more durable than new ones. How come? Theory is that the repeated heating/cooling cycles the old engines were subjected to made the metal harder.


Maybe that works for briar, too.

Intersting theory. Briar, when new, and cut however and into whatever it comes to us as, be it a basket pipe or a high-dollar artisan, is fresh, porous and dry. Over the years, some kind of "wood tempering" might happen, as resins, ash, carbon and other chemicals and material integrates itself into the briar through years of smoking. I'm not sure this guarantees the smoker a good smoke (referring to a discussion from one of Greg's posted articles here some time ago, about how drilling and engineering might make a pipe perform) but it certainly will leave the briar in shape enough that "breaking in" isn't an issue--provided the former owner did his part to not harm the pipe in any way.

 

[desertpiper]

This makes a lot of sense. Well aged wood would be porous, tobacco's have oils in them, smoking creates it's own additives mixed with moisture. Plus there's the handling of the pipe itself to consider. All that and more must change the pipe and how it smokes over time. good point Kyle and KevinM.