Searching antique shops & malls has always been a hit or miss situation. You go hoping to find something worthwhile and you get nothing. Or, you walk in not looking and you find treasure. Last week was definitely a “finding treasure when not looking” one for me – mostly, anyway. My wife collects salt & pepper shakers and pie birds, …
Pipe smokers keep asking me how I keep finding good pipes at antique shops, malls and junk shops. My answer is always, “Just dumb, blind luck,” and that is the Truth. I’ve come to the conclusion, that I go looking for a pipe, I don’t find one. For some reason, I seem to have more success just going into a …
I saw my first Ardor pipe seven years ago at a Denham Springs “antique shop.” It had eight or nine beautiful, new Ardor pipes on display and priced at the MSRP. This “antique” shop – about a half-step above a roadside flea market, was asking full retail for the pipes. The least expensive one was $375. (In my opinion, an …
This is my opinion based on the 10 bowls of London Dock I’ve smoked so far. For my other pipe tobacco reviews, click here. The descriptions… First off, the label reads: “An aromatic blend with sensuous flavor notes of rum, cherry and vanilla. Premium Double Toasted Barley, Flue Cured Virginias, and naturally sweet Orientals marry exquisitely with a touch of …
It’s rare to find him during the busiest weeks leading to his busiest night of the year, but our favorite Fake News Reporter (FNR) managed to stumble upon him again. Santa Claus was sitting on the tailgate of his Ruby Red 1945 Dodge pick-up, smoking a long-stemmed Meerschaum pipe, while Mrs. Claus was picking up supplies needed by one of …
While being interviewed, Santa agreed to answer 10 questions. His interviews can be found at: Interview with Santa, Dec. 2017 Catching Up With Santa, Dec. 2018 1. Santa, what is your favorite cookies? Well, despite everyone believe I prefer chocolate chips cookies, I really prefer oatmeal raisins or fruitcake cookies. The story about chocolate chip cookies was started by a …
Which Stem for Which Pipe? When the Ben Wades arrived, the Martinique came with a beautiful, amber colored but transparent acrylic stem. There was a minor amount of tooth chatter near the bit, but nothing I felt the need to repair. The airway, on the other hand, was black from being smoked. The stem was tight in the mortise and …
Not Ben Wade the U.S. politician or Ben Wade the baseball player and scout, but Ben Wade pipes. Specifically, a Ben Wade Martinique and a Ben Wade Royal Grain produced by Preben Holm in Denmark. I first saw the Martinique and the bowl for the Royal Grain at Penny’s Little Flea Market just outside of Marion, MS two weeks ago. …
August has been a good month for rescuing pipes from various antique shops in Mississippi. Earlier this month, I bought a Peterson Kapp-Royal and a Søren Refburg Rasmussen freehand from an antique mall in Picayune, Mississippi. Click the link to read about the Peterson and read about the Søren at the end of this post. This past weekend, we visited …
Not long ago, I was discussing a Peterson Kapp-Royal I was restoring with Mark Irwin at (https://petersonpipenotes.wordpress.com/) and he mentioned soaking the stummels in an alcohol bath to clean the exterior. Both Mark and Steve Laug at (https://rebornpipes.com/) use 91% isopropyl alcohol the bath. After 24 hours, the alcohol removes the finish, removes some of …
