What's with fancy artisan stems?

[Richard Burley]

*

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah, well, I guess most guys who buy an 800 dollar pipe are not going to fill it with Granger and smoke it while they pound railway spikes all day, right? I mean, these super high-end pipes are sort of half pipe, half art. If you want a "smoker" then just buy a regular off the shelf pipe with an acrylic stem and have at 'er. If you want a piece of art, where you can sit and appreciate every line, and appreciate the workmanship of the stem and the comfort of the button... that's a different form of pipe usage, I would say.

 

[Harlock999]

Yeah, well, I guess most guys who buy an 800 dollar pipe are not going to fill it with Granger and smoke it while they pound railway spikes all day, right? I mean, these super high-end pipes are sort of half pipe, half art. If you want a "smoker" then just buy a regular off the shelf pipe with an acrylic stem and have at 'er. If you want a piece of art, where you can sit and appreciate every line, and appreciate the workmanship of the stem and the comfort of the button... that's a different form of pipe usage, I would say.

Testify!

 

[szyzk]

I'm drawn to pipes that have something different about them.

But, I prefer traditional briar shapes and won't budge too much on that, so the only thing I really have to play with is a ring or the stem. I don't like outlandish stem shapes (some of the freehands and, say, Japanese stems are downright ugly to me) so that narrows it down even further to color.

I love color in the stem. That makes a pipe personal. Anyone can buy a traditional pipe - and there's nothing wrong with that, I can appreciate traditional and find a lot of them to look wonderful - but if I'm spending money on a pipe I want it to be noticeable. All of that said, I don't want a pink stem on a brown pipe just because it's "different". The color (of which marbled, opaque, clear, pearlescent, cumberland, etc qualify) has to fit the design... It has to look like a natural extension of the pipe.

I also love the look of an artfully placed silver ring. My Peterson Irish Army is perfect because it has that one, small, shiny focal point.

I get complimented a lot for my pipes that have a splash of color - either a wood inlay in the stem or a non-black stem - at the cigar store when I'm working. The customers enjoy seeing something different, it generates conversation, and the pipes become an interesting "show off" piece.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Stems have really taken off in the past several years. Maybe decade? Half the pipe pretty much went unexplored for all that time, so when I think about it that way, it's pretty amazing. I remember thinking in the early-90s how Ser Jacapo was doing some interesting things with their stems, and now those stems are very much tame. Even cooler still (to me) is how a few folks are pouring their stem stock and customizing colors and designs; a whole other layer to the custom stem world.

I'm interested in stem shapes and colors to a certain degree, but I never have been one for metal bands, metal military mounts, wood/ivory/bone inlays, or too much clutter of any kind in the transition from briar to stem. I often see it as a lack of editing -throwing too much at a single pipe- over the idea that "wow, look at all that dazzling craftsmanship!" Colors are gaudy in a potentially attractive way to my eyes, but busyness and over-fancified stem aesthetics are gaudy in unattractive ways from my perspective. I recognize how that can handcuff some artisans, but oh well.

 

[s.ireland]

And what's with fancy, beautiful women??? Dressing all sexy... Wearing jewelry and makeup...

Give me a marginally and functionally okay-looking gal in a knee length grey skirt with a baggy,long-sleeve turtleneck any day of the week
:lol!:


Just like a woman with too much makeup or a ridiculous outfit can turn me off, so can a overly fancy pipe.

But a classy, well put together woman... Or a pipe stem with just the right amount of fancy... Mmmmmm 8)

 

[pipemaker]

From my point of view as a pipemaker, stems are pretty boring to make.
Just a functional chunk of black ebonite or acrylic that lacks the warmth of wood or the personality of briar.

It is a lot more enjoyable and satisfying to fashion a stem that complements the flow and form of the pipe.

I think it is the natural inclination of most artisan pipemakers to apply their own artistic concepts to the stem as well as the pipe.

Mike B.

 

[jlong]

I dunno but this baby turns my crank.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

You guys are hilarious.

Richard, I can't side with you on this one. I've seen over-the-top shank additives, wacky stems and gaudy rings, but shoeboxing them all into the same category I just can't do.

Pipes, like women (or even dudes for that matter) can do a lot to go overboard, become tasteless, add all the wrong things, but flair exercised as taste, thought and balance will always be an artform I appreciate. Tacky can be fun, I admit: but brash--never.

8)

 

[smokinbriar]

Fancy stems are to much for me.

 

[riff raff]

I'm a simple stem man myself and prefer the classic shapes, the saddle stem being my collection favorite. I definitely stick to the traditional British shapes/stems.

I aspire to an Ardor some day, but it will have to be one of their less ornate stemmed versions. I don't mind a tasteful adornment. I have only two silver ring pipes (Peterson, too much and an Ashton, just right)

Too much for my taste (this one actually scares me!):

Works for me:

My Ashton, perfect by my tastes (I do love a Cumberland stem)

 

[Richard Burley]

My question was about replacing the friggin' stem, in the event of the pipe needing it. What I would like to see, maybe, is the pipe coming with an extra bit for workhorse use. I'm thinking of acquiring one of Tinsky's bulldogs--I love the damn things--but I don't want that extension/ferrule/gizmo thing on the stem. From what I've read, he can easily accommodate me. Each to his own, and all that.

 

[Hunter5117]

I have to confess that I too am not a big fan of the fancy stem treatments, especially those that use a contrasting wood like olive wood or something at the joint. However, both bamboo and spigot fittings are near the top of my list, almost all the Pete's that I have are spigots, and I have a couple of bamboo Stanwells that are favorite smokers as well. Both of these are traditional British treatments so I don't feel I am going to far away from the norm.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Too much for my taste (this one actually scares me!):

Yeah that stem is a bit overboard. Give me a good cumberland any day, or something subtle.

However, the bowl on this one is a blowfishdesian? Rhoblowfish? I dig that part of it! :cheers:

Just so I can post a picture of it again because it's such a neat pipe, my Harris Lovat has a stem called "Milky Way Galaxy." I wanted a cumberland originally, but when going through the acrylic blanks Todd uses, this pattern classy without detracting from the pipe or seeming unbalanced. Coupled with the band, it classes up and makes interesting an otherwise pretty sober pipe--as mentioned, I'm not a Lovat guy, but this one I knew would need a bit of a spit curl and a bowtie. 8)

 

[szyzk]

U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you ugly *clap clap, clap* you ugly

Okay, that is freakin' gorgeous. I'm going to be in Vegas in a few weeks and I know it's a drive from you, but if you come home from work some day and that pipe is missing... It wasn't me who broke in to steal it! :lol:

That's not morta, is it? The way the light is shining off the grain makes it look morta-ish-lite. Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Okay, that is freakin' gorgeous. I'm going to be in Vegas in a few weeks and I know it's a drive from you, but if you come home from work some day and that pipe is missing... It wasn't me who broke in to steal it! :lol:

That's not morta, is it? The way the light is shining off the grain makes it look morta-ish-lite. Absolutely gorgeous!

Yep, it is indeed morta. In the right light it has almost a dark chocolate look to it--Todd outdid himself.

...as for that ugly pipe stem up there, I think that blue and red mess is called "clown puke." Awful. :lol:

8)

 

[dshpipes]

IMO, shank extensions have to be done simply and artfully for them to work. I personally don't own any fancy colored stems, but I've seen one or two that I thought were attractive.

In terms of replacing them, there are a few folks who could create something similar for you, but no where near the same. Dave Walker at Walker Briar Works, I've heard, does great work no matter what you're after. I've personally only had one stem replaced done by a person, other than Dave, who will remain un-named and was extremely disappointed. As such, I'm very cautious with stem replacements.

 

[jlong]

My question was about replacing the friggin' stem, in the event of the pipe needing it. What I would like to see, maybe, is the pipe coming with an extra bit for workhorse use. I'm thinking of acquiring one of Tinsky's bulldogs--I love the damn things--but I don't want that extension/ferrule/gizmo thing on the stem. From what I've read, he can easily accommodate me. Each to his own, and all that.

I don't know but why should a replacement stem look anything like the original? But then if you're a clencher and don't wear bowties, maybe designer stems aren't your thing.

 

[Smoker99]

I am not hard on stems, so not a problem for me. However, there are folks who can duplicate about any stem if the need arises. I have had to have repairs made to two high end pipes, the damage absolutely my fault, and neither maker would take payment for the repairs.

 

[George Kaplan]

...as for that ugly pipe stem up there, I think that blue and red mess is called "clown puke." Awful. :lol:

:clown: :lol!: :clown: