Well, I completed my first pipe commission this week with James Aydlott, who makes "Royal Oak Briars". James has been showing his creations on the Bulldog Lovers Facebook page for several months. I was very impressed with his shaping and stems. I didn't initially realize he was Royal Oak Briars that are also sold on Micheal Lindners site. I love Micheal Lindners pipes and met him last year in at the NYC show. James has been working in Micheals shops and in the past two years started his own line.
James did a Comoys 498 creation that I loved and thru Facebook messages, I learned he was starting on a homage to the Comoys 499 Extraordinaire. Since that is my #1 pipe, that immediately piqued my interest. I let James know that I was interested and I was able to see the pipe unfold and offer some tweaks. We went with a polished bowl top and a golden tan stain. Below are some pictures of the pipe in the early and latter stages.
And the finished pipe.
And a shot with my 1930's Comoys Extraordinaire 499
The pipe is drilled perfectly with an open draw. I smoked it for the first time yesterday, on the eve of my 35th High School Reunion, which was nice. It was smoked once again this morning. I am very impressed with the stem work, it seems James has learned his lessons well from Micheal Lindner. The button end is beautifully funneled and the tenon also has a concave detail that I like. He nailed my weight requirement at 59 grams. My Comoys is 68 grams, but I wanted a 7/8's scale version.
James does apply a bowl-coat of a gelatin/activated charcoal substance. As someone who primarily purchases estate pipes, I hate breaking in new pipes. This is my second pipe with a bowl coatings of this nature, I'm a big fan. I purchased a pipe made from a prestigious maker earlier this year, someone we see a lot on this forum. That bowl was uncoated and breaking it in was a very frustrating experience (and it's unlikely I'll buy another from this maker). James pipe was like an old friend from the get-go.
Another aspect of James pipes is his blue acrylic dot in a copper ring. As an Ashton fan, I love that detail. Most artisan pipes lack a stem logo, to me, that was another appealing aspect of the Royal Oaks Briars line.
James did a Comoys 498 creation that I loved and thru Facebook messages, I learned he was starting on a homage to the Comoys 499 Extraordinaire. Since that is my #1 pipe, that immediately piqued my interest. I let James know that I was interested and I was able to see the pipe unfold and offer some tweaks. We went with a polished bowl top and a golden tan stain. Below are some pictures of the pipe in the early and latter stages.
And the finished pipe.
And a shot with my 1930's Comoys Extraordinaire 499
The pipe is drilled perfectly with an open draw. I smoked it for the first time yesterday, on the eve of my 35th High School Reunion, which was nice. It was smoked once again this morning. I am very impressed with the stem work, it seems James has learned his lessons well from Micheal Lindner. The button end is beautifully funneled and the tenon also has a concave detail that I like. He nailed my weight requirement at 59 grams. My Comoys is 68 grams, but I wanted a 7/8's scale version.
James does apply a bowl-coat of a gelatin/activated charcoal substance. As someone who primarily purchases estate pipes, I hate breaking in new pipes. This is my second pipe with a bowl coatings of this nature, I'm a big fan. I purchased a pipe made from a prestigious maker earlier this year, someone we see a lot on this forum. That bowl was uncoated and breaking it in was a very frustrating experience (and it's unlikely I'll buy another from this maker). James pipe was like an old friend from the get-go.
Another aspect of James pipes is his blue acrylic dot in a copper ring. As an Ashton fan, I love that detail. Most artisan pipes lack a stem logo, to me, that was another appealing aspect of the Royal Oaks Briars line.