I see very expensive pipes with what to me looks like extremely thin bowl walls while others are above average with thick walls. Are there makers that generally carve thicker walled pipes?
Wall Thickness - Do Some Makers Create Pipes with Thicker Walls as a Rule?
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I will speak in generalities and have found that many of the Italian makers seem to have thicker walls than others. I also think it is the shape that dictates wall thickness as in the Dublin shape(a favorite of mine) as they are normally fairly thick. Apples can also generally have thicker walls.
I have seen ultra thin walls on many artisan and factory made pipes and I guess people enjoy them. I like pipes with thicker walls as for my smoking style I can puff and not have to think about a cadence or trying to get a cool smoke out of a thin walled pipe. For example, I once owned a Rad Davis Belge that had thin walls. I had to baby that bitch while smoking to keep it cool and that is not how I enjoy smoking. It smoked fine if you paid attention, but that is not my smoking style.
Some of my favorite pipes are Dublins with thick walls, they are smoke and forget and that is what I love.
I have seen ultra thin walls on many artisan and factory made pipes and I guess people enjoy them. I like pipes with thicker walls as for my smoking style I can puff and not have to think about a cadence or trying to get a cool smoke out of a thin walled pipe. For example, I once owned a Rad Davis Belge that had thin walls. I had to baby that bitch while smoking to keep it cool and that is not how I enjoy smoking. It smoked fine if you paid attention, but that is not my smoking style.
Some of my favorite pipes are Dublins with thick walls, they are smoke and forget and that is what I love.
The danish are very slow and careful smokers, so they don't require but about .25" wall thicknesses on their pipes.
The English tend to be more moderate, and it may be the climate with a little thicker chamber walls. But, yeh, the Italians huff those damned pipes like bug-eyed, asthmatics running upwind from a paint factory... so they require very large walled pipes. :
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The English tend to be more moderate, and it may be the climate with a little thicker chamber walls. But, yeh, the Italians huff those damned pipes like bug-eyed, asthmatics running upwind from a paint factory... so they require very large walled pipes. :
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One brand that usually turns out pipes with a bit more meat on them is Neerup. I have a couple of them, and the walls are thick in comparison to most. Also, Erik Nording's freehand shapes usually have a generous amount of wood.
Russ
Russ
Jepperson and Nording also makes some very affordable pipes. I may rag on Erik when he is at The Briary and on the forums, but I love every Nording I have, and my Neerups.
...just to offset my snarky post above. ::
...just to offset my snarky post above. :
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I like thick walled pipes but I must choose carefully and I will not buy anything heavier than 60 grams, I clench had any heaver than that is a deal breaker..
That is good to know. I have not bought any Estates with thin walls but ebay is full of thin walled pipes, many Dunhills and other higher end pipes, that look like they would smoke incredibly hot no matter how slow the cadence.
Wall thickness seems to be a matter of shape and style, one of the many variations that can be manipulated to put the maker's stamp on his work.
My next pipe will be a thick walled one. Some say .25 in the thinnest they would have. What thickness is a good thick walled pipe ?
I second cigrmaster's thoughts. I only have 3 Italian's, 2 Ser Jacopo's and 1 Radice, but all of them have a "large for chamber" wall in my opinion. I consider that a good thing. As an interesting side note, the Ser Japoco's are deceptively light for their size. Some kind of pipe maker wizardry has to be involved 
I am also a clencher and generally don't go over 60 grams. I have some thick walled pipes that are 40-45 grams. For example.
This Rad Davis Dublin weighs only 45 grams and the walls are nice and thick.
This Rad Davis Dublin weighs only 45 grams and the walls are nice and thick.
I clench quite a bit, too, and my recent acquisitions are under 40 grams. And the Danish stack that arrived today has walls .4"! So thin and light, 25 grams to be exact.
So, yes, there's a wide range of acceptable wall thicknesses. Here she is!
Sara Eltang
So, yes, there's a wide range of acceptable wall thicknesses. Here she is!
Sara Eltang
A pipe wall is only as thick as it's thinnest spot. I've found some V shape pipes like dublins and bulldogs especially with U shape or slightly tapered bowls are very thin in spots. 8O
One of the thinnest walled pipes I own came in a 'lot' I won on ebay back very early on in my then new exploration of pipes and tobaccos.
It's surprising that it's thin because, not only is it briar, it has a meerschaum liner.
It had been someone's very special pipe, as it had been repaired with a plug at the bottom, or maybe it was made that way?
It's become a very special pipe to me, anyway, because it smokes cool, is lightweight, and is a finely finished smooth Canadian shape. It seems to be perfect for staved (lightly rubbed and mostly intact) flakes.
Who ever burns out a bowl on the bottom?
On ebay, I like to see at least 1/4" of rim before I'll bid.
The Dunhill Shellbriar I won is closer to 3/16" but it wasn't high dollar, and is from 1954. I got it for $67.00.
Back then, I was 'speculating' on reselling my hard won acquisitions for profit. I was really kidding myself.
I did have a blast searching out inexpensive but reputable old pipes, and still do, but, I no longer think in terms of profit. My pace of acquisition has slowed way down. I have way more pipes than I really need, and they're cool to see there on their racks, waiting to be selected or remembered once again. (I've even got several unsmoked that I don't even look at, and mostly only because they're unsmoked.)
It's surprising that it's thin because, not only is it briar, it has a meerschaum liner.
It had been someone's very special pipe, as it had been repaired with a plug at the bottom, or maybe it was made that way?
It's become a very special pipe to me, anyway, because it smokes cool, is lightweight, and is a finely finished smooth Canadian shape. It seems to be perfect for staved (lightly rubbed and mostly intact) flakes.
Who ever burns out a bowl on the bottom?
On ebay, I like to see at least 1/4" of rim before I'll bid.
The Dunhill Shellbriar I won is closer to 3/16" but it wasn't high dollar, and is from 1954. I got it for $67.00.
Back then, I was 'speculating' on reselling my hard won acquisitions for profit. I was really kidding myself.
I did have a blast searching out inexpensive but reputable old pipes, and still do, but, I no longer think in terms of profit. My pace of acquisition has slowed way down. I have way more pipes than I really need, and they're cool to see there on their racks, waiting to be selected or remembered once again. (I've even got several unsmoked that I don't even look at, and mostly only because they're unsmoked.)
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