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Rossi Vittoria. I love the shape, the bowl and best of all the price. This is my third one of these and it was on sale for under $50.
We have the same taste for whisky. Redbreast and Middleton when I feel like splurging. Have you tried Keepers Heart yet? Brian Nation, who was the master distiller at Middleton has started his own distillery in partnership with the O’Shaunessey family in St. Paul. The whisky is Irish/American! Their first batch is almost finished aging. Meanwhile Brian has blended some really good Irish/American from existing distills from around the country. The whisky is very Jameson like, but more depth. The bourbon is even better. Can’t wait for their first original to be ready. Anyway, check it out. Website: https://osdistilling.com/home/
Also a peterson 01 Christmas pipe.
Nice blast on it with a good size bowl.
Nice! In each one of your photos you have the full kit required for a really pleasant evening 😉
I got the longest Canadian I’ve ever seen, 10 1/2” long (270mm). It’s marked Protter NYC. I know nothing about this brand/maker. It’s only been used a little. Seems like a perfect fit to my often quirky collection.
I like your description, “quirky” 😊 Some of your pipes do look a little quirky, (as well as elegant, beautiful, etc..) Given your wealth of experience, I’m tempted to go down the quirky path when choosing my next pipe!
My new to me estate Kirsten with ring grain sandblast and plateau rim
Oh wow! Nice! I’m feeling even more boring now! I need to go for something different next time I buy a pipe.
Second pipe from January is a
Hand Made in England Charles Fairmorn 4-panel freehand with plateau rim. If anyone knows who they used to commission their pipes I would appreciate knowing. Very limited information on these pipes available online. It is a hefty beast tipping the scale at 3.5oz
Unsmoked estate
I got something very special (to me at least) in the mail today. An addition to my collection of rare shapes unsmoked Ehrlich meerschaum pipes. These were custom order pipes from Ehrlich in Boston in the late 1960’s- early 70’s. This bulldog is perfect. It’s 7 1/2 inches long by the way, a big pipe. I am very happy.
From what I know, which is limited on these, that seems in the ballpark for sure and it’s a great looking pipe! I like it. I know someone who loves those pipes and has a collection of them. I have plenty of favorable experiences with Savinelli pipes but I’ve never had one of those shapes/models.
Ya, obviously I'm at the beginning of my collecting journey and there are a few brands that interest me but I keep consistently coming back around to Savinelli products. Thx for the opinion. I'll keep an eye on it...and of course let everyone know if/when I snag it.
I have always found Savinelli pipes to be consistently good smokers and I always liked their aesthetics. It’s hard to imagine going wrong with one. My first “nicer” briar pipe that I ever owned was a Savinelli. I loved that pipe.
My first briar pipe was a cheap Savinelli Oscar. I remember thinking at that moment how light and heat resistant this pipe is. I don't use it so often anymore bc i consider the chamber a bit narrowed but still good option for using when smoking strong nicotine blends.
Savinelli Non-pareil are great pipes, I have four. Three 9121 and one 9104. Pre 80 models use real horn and post 80 are synthetic horn. Average price for estate pipes in Europe is 80 - 90€. Of course, lightly smoked samples or rare ones, with rusticated bowl rims, can reach higher prices.
Don't know if you can see at your end but I noticed a pretty decent crack running down the whole inside so I put the brakes on for now. I will still look for one of these. I pointed it out to the seller and he said to make an offer. Two problems. He was willing to sell at full pop until I pointed out the damage. Also not sure how that crack will wear as time passes.
On a positive note it looks like I picked up a couple of other pipes. My first meerschaum. I'll post pics.
I always wanted this, dont know if Im gonna smoke on it.
They are not making them anymore.
Wanted a dedicated Virginia pipe with a tall, narrow bowl. Also wanted it to be a fun restoration project on a $50-range budget. Bid on several pre-80’s GBD pipes from sellers who were generic estate liquidators, (not pipe refurbishers or dedicated pipe collector auctioneers). Took awhile, and this wasn’t my first choice. It took a lot of self-control to stay in budget (necessary for keeping a happy wife 😘), but…
…here’s the result - a Cutty sitter w 3/4” x 1-3/4” chamber (10.4cc) - after my TLC restoration.
So, how did I do?
I really like that one! Totally my kind of pipe and it looks great! Did you stain it or is that how it came? For whatever reason I’m always drawn to warm reddish tones on briars, just something comfortable about it.
Yes! That's the correct color for the GBD "Conquest" finish. I like it alot, too.
You can see the more gloden-brown color that it would be if I decided to strip it and reseal-re-wax it.
I decided to keep it's original color once I got it de-gunked and conditioned.
I’ll have to try one of these pipes some day. They aren’t really my style, but there must be a good reason Ted smokes them so often! 😄
I've been told they're great for Virginias! Had my first smoke in it this morning, and I agree. What was a pretty one-dimensional flavor profile in a small broad bowl became more interesting. Kind of like turning up the volume, or listening with better headphones with music. You get more of what's there.
And, it's kind of off-topic, but, here's my basic refurb process. I am a self-taught hobbyist. So, this is not a recommendation. More of a transparent sharing of notes. I don't use any chemicals or anything NOT food-safe. I first scrape out the chamber, but not to wood, leaving a carbon layer. Then I soak both stummel and stem in reverse-osmosis filtered drinking water - the same that I make my coffee and tea with - just off boil. The vulcanite stem will turn tan from the oxidation being drawn to the surface. Depending on how bad it is, I will either use toothpaste and hand-rubbing, or the pictured Micro-Mesh cushioned polishing pads to bring it to a high-gloss and remove any bite marks. The stummel will tell me how much pain my new friend has been through by the color of the water and what's floating or sitting on the bottom. In a best-case scenario (like this one) all I need to do is dry it with a heat gun. Sometimes, I need to use alcohol on the inside and/or outside to draw out gunk (like Murphy's oil soap, etc) from a seller's "prep" thinking they were helping. Then, I get to decide if I want to to any mods/repairs, and do them - like re-crowning this previously-burnt rim, and making the wobbly sitter more stable. Final steps are sweetening the inner bowl with rum or whiskey, conditioning the stemmel with food-grade oils/waxes, and then resealing the whole thing with carnauba wax using a microfiber cloth and a heat gun.
This is my fifth such restoration with 100% success so far. Keep in mind, I'm restoring to smoking quality, not collector quality.
BTW, I highly recommend using all-natural custom-made lip balms from home artisans on Etsy during the soak-in "conditioning" step. Just be sure to get one WITH NO ADDED SCENT and NO PETROLEUM PRODUCTS. The pictured one is called "Frankincense & Myrrh" from Crafty Gypsy, but I can't find that exact one anymore. Zoom in on the ingredients in the picture below. Good stuff. Alternatively, you can use something like Howard Butcher Block Conditioner, but I prefer to go the more eccentric route and pamper my pipes.
Excellent information! I’ve only selectively worked on briars, but I’ve been restoring meerschaum pipes for some time. I keep meaning to dig into some of the briars I have waiting for attention, but it always seems I put something else first.
Hi Ted. I wanted to ask you a little about restoring meerschaum based on this reply. I found one in Serbia of all places. Looks quite similar to the bulldog you showed a pic of further back in this post. It's in good shape but a bit marked on the side from lying down on it's side. If I progressed through light sandpapers to something really fine like a 1000 or 1200 grit would it retain the slight gloss finish it has? If not, what tips would you give in general?
Thx bud.
Patience is the key. Meerschaum reacts quite differently to working and finishing than wood, especially one as hard as briar. I use micro-mesh as @Joseph mentioned above, but I use a paper backed version for meerschaum, it provides a little more accuracy I’ve found. I start with the coarsest grade micro mesh and see how it progresses and only use sandpaper if I need to make it past deep scratches, or cut the rim of a bowl clean. Just applying light steady pressure, working with the micro mesh works wonders and will polish the meerschaum to a higher degree than is seen on virtually any new pipe if you wish.
First key step is to remove most of the surface wax on the pipe before starting. I wipe the pipe down with 99% isopropyl alcohol (don’t use a lower strength) a few times. Won’t affect the meerschaum in any way, although if the pipe has been used, it may turn dark brown when wet with it, but will completely return to its lighter color as soon as the alcohol dries, so don’t be concerned. Let it dry, about 15 minutes is plenty, then micro mesh or sanding then micro mesh if needed until you’re satisfied. Then wax. There’s a lot of what I consider poor information on this online. I don’t recommend plain beeswax. I use multiple coats of Trewax applied basically per the instructions on the can. Don’t get any inside the bowl of course. It’s not difficult to get outstanding results as long as you take the process slow. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Next time you fix one up, if you could, post before and after pics. Those are always fun to see.
Got this in the mail today. Already cleaned it up, this one’s going to get smoked.
Broke my own rule and bought a collector pipe from a dedicated Collector Pipe eBay seller. …and paid a collector price …for a “birth-year” pipe I intend to add directly to my daily rotation. And, yes! It’s a fantastic smoker 🤠 …it’s going to take me a few more smokes to NOT feel like I’m “wearing a tuxedo to do the chores” when I use it… 🤣🤣🤣
(1961 DUNHILL Group 4 Root Briar “SPECIAL” LBS)
- Great looking pipe! Is the mouthpiece still original? Looks brand new!
Yes. Original vulcanite mouthpiece. It’s been “de-oxidized” at least a couple times because there’s a slight step between the stem and stummel. Not unusual… (for an older estate pipe)
Decided to get another Ashton.
More toys.
The story on this as I understand it is that it's a GBD made in the 1950s It says "London Made" but all indications are that without the metal band it would have been made in France. All completely unverifiable by me. Stem feels kinda puny with the big bowl but a cool find anyway.
I believe corn cobs are the best pipes to smoke. And so of course I ordered a couple of new ones.
If I had to choose something with briar, it would probably have to be a Devil's Anse of some kind. In my pipes I almost always smoke three nuns or my favorite Bayou Morning flake.
Bayou : https://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/2167/cornell-diehl-bayou-morning-flake/
Three Nuns : https://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/1259/mac-baren-three-nuns/?retSearchTerm=three%20nuns&swcfpc=1
Hello and welcome to the forum!
The are plenty of cob fans here. @Zigmeister67 has been doing some really nice modifications on his.
Welcome!! Love the cobs. I dedicate one for Ennerdale and a Cobbit churchwarden for any aros I might try. Always have 5 or 6 on hand.
For all of the different pipes I have, I don’t have, and have never tried a reverse calabash to see if there’s anything I’m missing. Always curious. So anyway, I ran across this Viking for next to nothing so I thought I would try it out. I cleaned it up and gave it a quick wax.
Excellent question and I have heard over complicated explanations of why they are called that, but I never paid much attention to them. It’s basically bowl, followed by air chamber, followed by stem. I don’t see a difference in concept, other than no gourd.
I had been curious because of the idea of having the same benefits of a calabash in a smaller package. Didn’t work out with this beast though. Smoked great, but I can’t adjust to a pipe this bulky.
I missed the key answer. Calabash is the name/variety of gourds used to make the gourd pipes.
I've just received 3 new Peterson pipes from Smokinpipes, all Irish seconds at discounted prices. Great pipes, they didn't pass QC but they look and work fine to me:
- Peterson rusticated bent Rhodesian with army-mount fishtail & filter
- Peterson smooth billiard with army-mount fishtail
- Peterson smooth billiard with fishtail & filter
- James Fox Tally Ho smooth Dublin bowl from James Fox last week
- Peterson Killarney bent stem from 10 years ago approx which I retrieved from my pipe box in my attic!
I lost a few pipes which I'll find eventually, which 'forced' me to order a few more to keep me going... LOL
They're smoking great. The smooth billiard with fishtail is my favourite though, it was a great smoke from the first fill. The Rhodesian is awesome too. The smooth billiard with army-mount fishtail, amber colour stem, took the longest to break in. There must have been a lot of dye in it which caused bitter smoke from the beginning, it's just about sorted now though. All good pipes, no issues & I will buy seconds again for sure.
They look great to me!
Just received my estate meerschaum—unsmoked. Can’t wait for tonights bedtime smoke!
I noted the length, 8.75”, when I ordered it, but I didn’t realize the overall mass. It seems huge. I’m sure I’ll adapt!
It’s my first meerschaum and I couldn’t recall seeing one with the figuring smoking a pipe. Had to have it! First thing I did was check the opening in the connector after reading your post. It is small, but seems to draw okay. I’ll know for sure later.
The design is commonly called a Dunhill head, apparently patterned after an original Dunhill meerschaum design, but I have yet to see an original.
It appears to be a very well made pipe, likely from the 1970’s to the 1980’s. I suspect the connector on it is perfectly fine. I think it’s great and I hope you have a lot of fun and good smokes with it!
I wanted a small, wide bowl and don’t have any acorns. Then, I came across this and had to have it! Should arrive next week 😊
Measurements
& Other Details
- Length: 210.67mm
- Weight: 50.83g
- Bowl Height: 44.51mm
- Chamber Depth: 33.74mm
- Chamber Diameter: 24.21mm
- Outside Diameter: 47.86mm
- Stem Material: Acrylic
- Filter: 6mm
- Shape: Churchwarden
- Finish: Rusticated
- Material: Briar
- Country: Italy
You can have a look to Savinelli 121 and 122 shapes. Both are small pots. About 24mm diameter and 35mm deep.
I have used a good bunch of Savinelli pipes, from inexpensive series to the top of the line. All of them were superb smokers, and what I value most, they are neutral in flavor from the very first smoke. I have superb pipes whose wood was boiled in nut oil. The nut oil note remained till 90-100 smokes. A top prestigious British brand has a mineral coal note for the first 50-60 smokes, and another top prestigious Italian brand has a sweet note for another 50 - 60 bowls. At the end all reward me with top quality and neutral smokes, but the way to get it is exhausting.
You have more experience than I do with them, I have no doubt. I can only agree about Savinelli. My first “nice” briar pipe was a Savinelli and I’ve smoked a number of them since. Every one has smoked great and identical to each other. Almost as though you could tell it was a Savinelli by smoking it.
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