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  1. railman

    My Mailbox Box Exploded Today

    I picked up a pipe from Alexander Hasty at the Columbus show, he has some great talent and crafts a fine pipe for a reasonable price, and that looks like a stellar piece you got!
  2. railman

    Commissioning A Pipe

    That turned out spectacular! I like the smooth rim. Almost makes me want to get one made for me!
  3. railman

    Commissioning A Pipe

    That’s looking good! Nice shape, I like the wood accent in the stem.
  4. railman

    Boveda Packs?

    Like a few others have mentioned I actually use the 62% Bovedas to dry my tobacco. A few days or so and it’s perfect, then the tobacco goes in a mason jar which keeps the moisture pretty stable.
  5. railman

    Do You Still Have Your First Pipe?

    No, it was a Medico brylon that I grew frustrated with rather quickly. I do have my first briar, a Nording 925 bent brandy which still delivers a great smoke.
  6. railman

    Commissioning A Pipe

    The black was actually his dress coral carve and the tan part was a reddish stain similar to bengal, a snappy combo. I really like his bengal finish but still haven’t jumped on one of his full smooths yet.
  7. railman

    Blended Solani 660 and HH Pure Virginia

    I’ll have to try Sixpence, thanks for the recommendation. I enjoy Silver Flake enough by itself and it’s not exactly cheap, Sixpence may be a better start!
  8. railman

    Blended Solani 660 and HH Pure Virginia

    After a few not so interesting results in home blending I have left that skill to the pros, but... Today I jarred up a recent delivery of Solani Silver Flake and HH Pure Virginia, and in the process of folding and stuffing into jars I inevitably ended up with some scraps that weren’t really...
  9. railman

    Commissioning A Pipe

    I had Mr. Tinsky do a Rhodesian for me based on the famous GBD Rhodesian shape but in his Black and Tan finish. Top notch work and fast! If you like Tinsky pipes I would highly recommend him for commissions (and his prices are incredibly reasonable for handmade pipes these days).
  10. railman

    Most and Least Favourite Carvers and Why

    Most favorite: Larry Roush - First and foremost his pipes smoke absolutely fabulous and the draw is open, WIDE open which I like. And considering the amount of wood in some of his pipes they are still relatively light. I also love is unique shaping, there’s only a few of his shapes I don’t care...
  11. railman

    Bjarne Nielsen Signature Sandblast, Graded?

    While on vacation this past week I stopped into a B&M and came across a nice blasted slightly bent brandy. I was quite surprised in inspecting it to discover the stamping indicates it as a Bjarne Nielsen signature, unsmoked! There’s a few things about it I was hoping someone could help me out...
  12. railman

    Bjarne Nielsen

    Somebody else that knows more about the skilled carvers that made pipes for Bjarne (and went on to become well known in the pipe world with their own pipes, such as Tonni Nielsen) can probably comment on that aspect. I have a grade B that could best be described as a scoop shape. I can’t...
  13. railman

    Viprati PAD

    Thanks again everyone! Rodo, yes the shank is flat on the bottom. It’s a difficult pipe to photograph, there are so many shape changes and subtleties worked into it, it’s one that’s best appreciated in 3D.
  14. railman

    A very generous deal from forum member ashdigger

    Very generous! This is why I like pipe smokers.
  15. railman

    Accosting a Pipe Smoker In The Wild

    Fun story, kids say the darndest things don’t they! There’s an old timer I always see driving around town with a pipe in his mouth, sometimes a straight and sometimes a bent. I’m still hoping for a chance encounter with him at some point but no opportunity yet. I would deduce he’s also a CH...
  16. railman

    Aging in jars that aren't mason

    As stated above mason jars are cheap and time tested. Why risk losing $60 of tobacco to avoid spending $12 more on jars? Also stated above no one has had mold problems, that’s because the cases of sealed jars come from the factory already sanitized. Trying to further sanitize them yourself may...
  17. railman

    My three rules of pipe smoking

    Jpmcwjr, great advice on the hygrometer. It’s a more scientific method of testing moisture, and done more easily than trying to determine moisture by weight. Many have probably seen this article by G. L. Pease about moisture but if not it’s an interesting read. At the end in the notes he...
  18. railman

    My three rules of pipe smoking

    Of all the how-to videos on YouTube, the good, the bad, and the ugly, I’ve never really seen one that discusses drying down tobacco before trying to smoke it. Most go directly from “choosing a tobacco” right to “packing and lighting” skipping right over the step of drying the tobacco. I’d think...
  19. railman

    Another Lightweight Castello KK Sea Rock billiard

    That’s a great looking sea rock!
  20. railman

    Viprati PAD

    That’s a fine looking pair of pipes there!