I'm Not Smoking A Work of Art

mso489 · Apr 18, 2015

I like to think that I have as much appreciation as most for a beautifully designed and crafted pipe, at whatever price level. But I don't want to hold my breath when smoking a pipe either. I enjoy maintaining my pipes and tend to clean them up immediately after every smoke. On the other hand, I don't regard even my highest level pipes as works of art first. So if wear shows, that's okay. A little charring around the rim, a few tooth marks at the bit, darkening of the briar and a nick here or there, all show that the pipe is used, enjoyed, and in some sense appreciated. My pipes seem to "agree," since the oldest are still cooking along and looking pretty good, fills, tooth marks and all.

newbroom · Apr 18, 2015

Some people buy pipes as an investment, like art.

Most of us buy them to smoke, I would assume, and for that all we need is something we like that does the job without a lot of concern.

On a scale from Oscar to Felix...I'm really not that much Felix, myself.

daimyo · Apr 18, 2015

Some days I smoke works of art and I am appreciative. They are functional works of art though, meant to be used. The two are not mutually exclusive. One day I will own a Talbert Halloween and I will not hesitate to smoke it. I do baby my rims though, you won't find any dark ones on my pipes.

mso489 · Apr 18, 2015

I understand and respect those who want to keep their pipes pristine and as new looking as humanly possible, even those they smoke. People each have own way of going. To me, a little wear and tear on a pipe is part of the art, part of the pleasure, the ongoing creation of a pipe as a human artifact. I suspect that is why people enjoy buying and fixing up estate pipes, where some marks of time and use are usually readily evident. When I see a little darkening at the rim, I don't think, "Oh, too bad, this one is going downhill. Better buy another pipe." Rather I feel it is well-used and more specifically mine as time goes along. (Then I buy another pipe, but that's PAD.)

agnosticpipe · Apr 18, 2015

+1 mso. I don't think I have any pipes that would be considered a work of art, except for a few meerschaums which because of their carving seem more like art. Still, I view all my pipes as tools to be used for their intended purpose, and like all my tools I take care of them, because they bring me a certain amount of joy, cost me money, and I want them to last. If they show normal wear and tear, it doesn't bother me, as it adds character and a nice patina sometimes. Stem oxidation has to go though... :wink:

daimyo · Apr 18, 2015

I have my 3 beaters as well, I tend to go for them when I will be on the move or doing something that might cause me to loose focus. They are nice pipes as well but ones that I won't mind if they get a ding or scratch. Then there are cobs for things like mowing the lawn. I still am a careful lighter though, I detest rim char. When I spend a bit on a pipe for it's looks though, I tend to enjoy them sitting in my rocking chair. While I would smoke a $2,000 pipe, I would not do so in every situation.

darthcider · Apr 18, 2015

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and do what you want with your own stuff, but surely every pipe ever made was intended to be smoked, not sat on a shelf and looked at?

johnnyreb · Apr 18, 2015

My favorites show much love.

shaintiques · Apr 18, 2015

Exactly how I feel. What if the best smoking pipe ever made is just sitting there unsmoked on the shelf.

jkrug · Apr 18, 2015

Not much chance I'll ever own a $1000 pipe but if I ever do......heck ya I'm smoking the thing.

If I want to have collection to sit and admire I'll collect salt shakers or something?? : puffy

:

gloucesterman · Apr 18, 2015

I'm with you MSO, I love and enjoy my pipes. And I do try to do right by them but in the end they are pipes. They are made to be smoked so I do just that. There are pipes out there that command far more than I'd be willing to pay and to those that value them for their artistic beauty, I make no judgment. Mine are to be smoked and a little character reminds me of just how long I've enjoyed them. How well it smokes has always been more important than how it looked. Indeed I have some of my early "basket pipes" I can't bring myself to part with, fills and all, they just smoke so wonderfully, not to mention the memories they invoke.

mortonbriar · Apr 18, 2015

All of my stems are oxidised at the tip and chewed up, all of my rims have caught a little black along the way. I also have a messy bedroom, and I have never washed my car in the 4 years I have owned it. This is not right or wrong, its just my way of doing it. I dont scoff at people who keep everything, including pipes, pristine. Each to their own.

styler · Apr 18, 2015

I too think that it's a pipe's destiny to be smoked, artisan or not, it's a tool at the end of the day. If I wanted to buy a piece of art I'd rather buy some fine prints to hang on my walls.
To touch upon the idea of leaving pipes to my kid(s) down the line. If my father had left me 2 pipes, one pristine $1000+ artisan pipe and one factory pipe that he smoked daily, the artisan pipe would be on ebay before nightfall and the daily smoker I'd treasure for the rest of my life. That's just my perspective though.

fishnbanjo · Apr 18, 2015

I own it and I'll eventually smoke it, yes, I have few in my stash that have not been smoked but that's due mostly for not having the environs for it to happen yet. I smoke outside, in my vehicle and when I can make it to a pipe club meeting so my best pipes don't just go out in sub zero weather, rain, sleet or you get the picture. It does not mean they'll never see a flame it's just the right moment and when the right moment comes it's always worth it. But like that great pair of hunting boots I own that have served me so well for over 30 hunting seasons I have pipes in that same category and regardless of what they cost they are all treasures in my book. Happy smokes..............

banjo

Chasing Embers · Apr 18, 2015

The most expensive in my here is a $600 fugu style blowfish. A commissioned Weaver, and a beautiful piece. I do however enjoy putting a flame to it as it is my designated oriental pipe. Mmmm, Yenidje Highlander.

maxx · Apr 18, 2015

I think we create a personal bond with things we use a lot. The degree of bond can differ among those things, but it's there. I love Lodge Cast Iron, and I feel a bond with my well-used skillets and Dutch oven. When they were new and unused, I certainly didn't feel the same. I can imagine, though, having a pipe that is so appealing in its pristine, unsmoked state that I'd want to preserve it that way. But then, I'd probably want a second to smoke the Dickens out of, and I bet I'd have a closer bond with the well-smoked pipe.

sablebrush52 · Apr 19, 2015

The whole "pipe destiny" thing is not a philosophy that I share. I do agree with the "functional art" idea, and smoke almost all of the pipes that I own. But there are a few pipes that I own just for the pleasure of owning them, with no desire to put a match to them. Some pipes are, for me, a window on another time, a piece of history. The unsmoked 1907 Barling companion set is one such. I have an abiding interest in the history of pipes, one that equals my pleasure in smoking them. Holding a pipe that is as it was made transports me back to that time. I can imagine the workshop in which it was made, enjoy the pristine craftsmanship, imagine it in the case at the tobacconist while outside horse drawn carts and horseless carriages go past.

I have some wonderful pipes that I get to smoke, and I take good care of them. I have some very loved beaters and can appreciate the marks of age and use. But I can also enjoy pristine craftsmanship as well. Smoke 'em if you got 'em, or not. Whatever gives you pleasure.

maxx · Apr 19, 2015

Some things we treasure may mean little to the relatives that sort through our stuff when we die. I've got some things like that, I know. My library, for example. I've also got some Guy Stuff that I am certain some of my nephews will love having. I don't have kids.

newbroom · Apr 19, 2015

You're not smoking a work of art? Then you're not smoking your favorite blend here. Oh...you meant your pipe. My bad.

conlejm · Apr 19, 2015

They sell guitars that are brand new but have been made to look used; in some cases very well-used. Apparently some guitar players don't like their guitars to look new, or they suffer over every little scratch and ding that they give to a new guitar. So someone came up with the idea of antiquing the finish of guitars and created a new market. The same thing happens, strangely enough, with jeans. I am sure there are lots of other things.
When I have a relatively expensive new pipe, I also grimace when I see a bit of rim darkening, or a scratch, or some such. But eventually it just becomes another pipe. Once the new car smell fades away, I no longer suffer over every scratch or ding on the car, so to speak.

I'm Not Smoking A Work of Art

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