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Kevin Godbee - Oct 13, 2011
- 3 min read
By Cam Schutte
There is much tradition associated with pipe smoking that dates back centuries ago. The traditions are part of the lure of pipe smoking for many people. In more recent times however, some of the traditions have evolved and been modernized, mixed and matched, new and old. Here is a story of the newest innovation in pipe stands as told by Cam Schutte. Cam is a member of the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club and The United Pipe Clubs of America.
It all started when Anthony Harris, member of our club and wood-turner "par excellence", decided to combine rare earth magnets with his exotic wood creations. His principle is simple and very effective – embed a magnet in the core of the pipe stand and use a spherical magnet in a pipe to hold it in place n the stand. Attachment 1 is the one he created for me to use as a prop for photographing pipes.
Anthony has offered his stands at several shows including St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City. They have been very well received with notables such as Chuck Stanion and Jon Rinaldi acquiring them for their photography as well.
But with a substantial collection of large Comoy’s Extraordinaire 800’s to display, I wanted more from this intriguing technology. I just didn’t know what the solution might be. The answer came during a brainstorming session with my good friends, Mike Sull and Al Shinogle, on our way to the Chicago show last May. I took my single pipe stand to show Al as he had not seen one. Being a very resourceful fellow who loves to create unique items in his extensive workshop, Al quickly began offering mind expanding ideas for how the magnet technology might be employed for a collection of pipes.
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By the end of the trip we had settled on a concept of using a steel plate as a base for a stand with more capacity. Attached to it would be cylindrical posts with magnets at each end. One end would attach to the plate and the other would hold a pipe much in keeping with what Anthony had created. Soon after our return home, I began working on a prototype.
As I tried different materials for the posts, beginning with vulcanite rod, I found it outside of my mechanical skill set to make anything work well enough to accomplish the needed result. I consulted with Anthony but no apparent solution surfaced from that conversation. One day, out of the blue, it came to me that no other material was needed but the magnets! With cylindrical magnets (1/2" in diameter and 1/2" high) I could assemble posts as high as I needed by stacking them. And with their pulling power, staying adhered to the plate was no problem.
The next issue was how to get the pipe to rest securely on the 1/2" post. Again, necessity was the mother of invention, and I found that putting a 3/4" disk magnet 1/8" thick on the top of the post gave a lot much more adequate support. But one obstacle remained – how to get the cup-like effect of the depression Anthony made in his stands. I decided to walk the aisles of WalMart to see what inspiration I might find. Then it happened – I saw buttons, simple plastic buttons for clothing. Fastening one of those to the disk magnet with a strong cement did the trick.
With the functionality resolved, the finishing touch was to have a frame made that would contain the steel plate and give the appearance of a piece of furniture. This 36" creation now resides on the antique desk in my office. It magnificently displays 12 of my large Comoy’s as I had envisioned.
Photos courtesy of Cam Schutte
Written by Kevin Godbee
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While the show was jam-packed, the spacing of the tables allowed everyone to move around freely and didn’t feel over-crowded as the tables and isles were spaced out to allow room for vendors and collectors to stretch out. The smoking tent was hopping all the time, but luckily, air flow and some great air purifiers by Lake Air kept it fresh. As usual, there was a great sample table with tons of things to try in the tent, and on your way to the tent, there was a conveniently placed cash bar. This year the tent was 25% bigger than last year, although you wouldn’t notice because there were more people at the show! Kaywoodie is under new Management. At the show, I chatted with Nathan “Greywoodie” Davis about how he came to take over the 173-year-old company. Tell me how this happened. Nathan: This month is my 5th anniversary of Greywoodie opening. I was friends with Bill and had a huge collection of Kaywoodies – I approached him about having them available outside of brick and mortar. 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When I first started with the pipe as a quirky and precocious teen, the only tutelage I had at my disposal were scenes from old movies in which a well dressed chap would stick his pipe into a pouch, scoop tobacco into the bowl and press it down unceremoniously with his thumb. Then, with great flourish, he’d strike a match and light the thing with all manner of cinematic excess, puffing up vast clouds of smoke falling just short of completely obscuring his visage. While it may look good on film, it’s a terrible approach to actually enjoying the thing. Somehow, though, this “technique” seems to have survived in the contemporary vernacular, at least to some extent, even with bit-loads of information handily at our fingertips that should dissuade us from the practice. But, at the time, this misguided approach was all I had; it’s no wonder my early days of puffing were fraught with difficult lighting, harsh, bitter smokes and tongue bite, all culminating in a fireproof mass of ye old soggy dottle in the bottom of the bowl. Ultimately, the resulting frustration made me give up the pipe, at least for a while. While the idea of it was still very appealing, the practice of it was not. It wasn’t until a few years later when, still full of curiosity and romantic notions of pipe smoking, I wandered into a real tobacconist’s shop, and learned my “method” was a long way from the techniques that would bring me to any sort of pipe smoking bliss. So, after my poor start, and under the guidance of someone who actually seemed to know how to do it right, I was given the opportunity to approach the process anew, this time with much greater success. It was only because I was both perseverent, and fortunate to have a local shop staffed with knowledgeable people, that I’ve been able to enjoy the experience ever since. At least mostly… How many fledgeling pipe smokers have simply given up on an enjoyable pastime because of similar early mis-starts? Fortunately, today, it’s not hard to find helpful guidance at the press of a key or ten. 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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 604. Our featured interview tonight is with Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and he is the former co-host of the podcast, Country Squire Radio, which ended their 10-year run last year. We’ll have JD with the “From the Country Squire” segment talking about all the new things happening at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, we’ll continue our audio tour of Brian’s pipe collection.
Before we begin, I should tell you: this tobacco review is being written by an A.I. Not the fancy new GPTs or their ilk; no, this is last century’s meat-and-bone, all-organic model. To be fair, a large part of what we call knowledge is merely the accumulated perceptions and impressions gathered from a life wandered through, synthesized into a spongy mass of what-it-is-that-we-think-that-we-know. The algorithm for this prompt is simple enough: pump thousands of bowls of smoldering plant matter into a gaping maw, cross-reference the chemical sensations with all other matter previously ingested or inhaled, sieve it all through the diffuse and fractal twin lens of memory and emotion, and churn out a panoply of adjectives that attempts to convey the sensations to someone who hasn’t experienced it yet. Odds are that a diligently trained monkey could succeed half the time; if this reviewer nears fifty-one percent then that would qualify as an unrivaled success. There must have been some similar musings perambulating through the mind of Per Jensen when he began his mad scientist routine at Sutliff with the Pipe Force project, which brings us to the current mixture under the microscope—Sutliff’s Pipe Force: Episode I. Here again are the unusual ingredients that engendered the series, with the stoved Rustica being the defining voice in this composition. From the tin: The Latakia-forward English mixture offers plenty of smoky flavor from the fire-cured leaf, which is artfully harmonized with floral, earthy Stoved Rustica. A mixture of high-grade Virginias imparts a natural sweetness. Katerini, the sole Oriental component, offers herb and spice notes bringing complexity and nuance to the flavor profile. It’s certainly Latakia-forward, with the stoved Rustica doubling up on the rhythm section like a second bassist. A first whiff from the tin releases the aromas of shoe leather and hide glue in a base of clay soil with a campfire wafted over it like last night’s beach party. Once it’s been accustomed to oxygen again, subtle hints of sweetness poke through from the Virginias: lemon rind, light milk chocolate, the dregs of a peaty Scotch, and muddled cherry. Old regulars like fresh-sawn oak and tilled earth are there, of course, with distinct notes of truffle, creosote, damp peat, and pine bark mulch. As an aside, I’ve been re-potting my camellias and the similarity of aroma to the ericaceous soil mix is notable; the Katerini really brings the unique depth of its vegetal complexion when supported by the Rustica and afforded more voice in the mix. The smoky Cyprian Latakia, in turn, is backed by equal earthiness from the Rustica, which overall exhibits a profile similar to dark-fired Kentucky; it leans more toward the woody and vegetal end of that spectrum, echoing and amplifying those traits of the other constituents. The tobacco is presented pressed and cut into a couple of thick, hearty flakes in the tin, lightly moist and easily crumbled to prepare—I prefer mine with a bit of drying time. The out-of-this-world tin art for this episode in the series is Major O’Meara smoking a cavalier. In the absence of confirmation, I’m going to hazard a guess he’s of the Ithklur species. The first taste from the light is sweet, with hints of that milk chocolate dancing around the edges. The Virginia leads the smoke through the top of the bowl, and orchestrates it well. Thoroughly smoky with lemony, grassy highlights from the Virginia spectrum, it soon segues into the mid-bowl profile: heartier, smokier, with the flavor leaning to the mildly acrid and tangy tinge that is the campfire-esque signature of English blends. Caution advised, it can turn overly bitter if pushed—this is where one’s sipping technique is required to maintain the fullness of flavor through to the heel. I did tend toward a lot of relights, though it may have as much to do with technique as with the blend. Pacing is also important as the nicotine starts to manifest; though the Rustica’s contribution has been tempered well by the stoving, it can certainly upend an empty stomach. At the end of every bowl, the mouthfeel somehow gets better. The balance of sugars in the tobaccos would seem to be spot-on in this regard. I started out my tasting in cobs, then cut short an unpleasant bowl in a meer, and finally landed on my best instrument with the lovely Dunhill 4427 pictured, a quaint group 4 shell briar with a gentle curve and Cumberland stem supporting a perfectly executed acorn bowl. It surprised me here, as I’ve learned through the years that I generally have the best experience with English blends in large, wide bowls. With this blend it seems that to get the best out of the Katerini’s somewhat diaphanous influence the smaller bowl fared much better. Room note is very English, so the company you keep will either love it or hate it, and it doesn’t linger too much. I find it paired best with a strong coffee; Sumatran beans complement the flavors well, as do Ethiopian if a lighter brew is preferred. Overall impressions of the blend are that it’s a curiously interesting take on the English genre, almost a reductive reconstruction of the theme using the unique components. This blend, if nothing else, expanded my vocabulary of sense perceptions with the uniquely treated leaf. While the average human can distinguish approximately one trillion (1,000,000,000,000!) different aromas, multiplied by seven basic tastes, and wholly dependent on variables from body chemistry to atmospheric conditions, our overworked and underpaid simian brains can’t effectively catalog them all. Our pet adding machines are exceedingly good at this, however, and someday soon they’ll be the ultimate and unequivocal authority on what something tastes, smells, looks, or even feels like. Until that time, friends, revel in the moments that can be stolen to savor over a bowl of Pipe Force: Episode I.
Cam does a lot of good things in the pipe community for which he goes unrecognized. He was a first year member of the GKCPC and has served in numerous official capacities for that organization. He is currently an officer in the UPCA.
He also has helped a number of organizations get their websites built using the Wild Apricot product. Specifically he is the webmaster for UPCA and the GKCPC. Any club wanting to create a website quickly and at a reasonable price couldn’t go wrong by contacting Cam.
He also has a new web site Pipe Show Online which looks like it is going to be a great place groups without sites to have a web presence. You should check it out at http://www.pipeshowonline.com
Interesting, but I wonder what the bottom of the pipe looks like?
Nice little article keeping alive the spirit of tinkering and innovation. For those of us a little more clumsy, check out SmokingPipes.com’s offering…
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http://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/pipe-furniture/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=70658
Nicely done Cam, makes for a simple but effective display.
Would you care to share some info on the magnets that you used, such as the material, grade or pull force.
Also, are you using a spherical magnet inside the bowl or just a ball bearing.
Thanks and again, nice, nice execution on that!
I also would like more information on the magnet parts. This is an amazingly simple and yet effective design! I am just planning out a 10-pipe rack and this has stopped me cold.
Simon
Rare earth magnets can be purchased from many sources, here is one. I use one on my oil pan plugs. They only come off when pulled, and it takes some effort. I’d worry a little removing stain and/or leaving a mark on the contact surface of the pipe.
http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/
Don’t forget that Vauen has been manufacturing pipe stands that work exactly the same way for years before you file the patent.
I, too, have made these stands for years. To answer the questions, the ball inside the pipe bowl has to be a magnetic sphere. Around 3/8″ diameter is good for most pipe bowls. A ball bearing won’t work, even on a thin- bottomed pipe. But with even a 1/8″ thick rare earth disk magnet, plenty of pull is generated between the two to sufficiently hold a pipe in place. They tend to make diamond-shanked pipes lean, too. So bear that in mind.
Cam: What size magnetic sphere did you use for drop-into the pipe bowl?
I did end up making one of these. A rough version to be sure, but it works. I used the 1/2 inch spherical magnets that Lee Valley Hardware sells: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=45088&cat=1,42363,42348
Simon
Thanks Classicgeek. I was afraid you were going to say 1/2″, I ordered some 3/8″ and I don’t think they are going to work.
The best price I can find on 1/2″ is $2.49 from:
http://www.magnet4less.com/product_info.php?products_id=223
For the base the best price I found on 1/2″ x 1/8″ is $1.40 each at:
http://apexmagnets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=127
Boy, those little suckers are pricey, I need enough to mount 20 pipes….
@Al:
If you’ve ordered them, there’s nothing to do but wait and see, right? Personally, I think they will work. The 1/2″ ones I have are unbelievably strong, and I think the point of them being spherical is so they can nestle down in the bottom of the bowl as close to the base as possible, and able to rotate their poles to align with the base. The 3/8″ will do the job. Maybe if you have some really strange pipes like freehands where there’s a lot of briar between the base and the sphere, you might wish for more, but for most pipes 3/8″ spheres will probably work.
I only had trouble with a churchwarden and a pipe that was designed as a sitter whose shape didn’t line up with the magnetic lines of force. But once I put the ring (button in the design above, I used large washers) on the base, even those sit up just fine.
Simon
Simon:
How about a shot of your stand?
I’ll use the 3/8″ balls for my smaller pipes. I have a few XL pipes, all classic shapes that will probably require the 1/2″ spheres. I could drop a few 3/8″ I guess, that should help.
Be a great idea to use this magnetic structure on a wall system. I have 26 pipes and I’m not done yet. So having pipe rests all over the house isn’t going to get it. Some of the pipe stands sold today are crap. The pipes fall out. I’ve decided to make my own pipe structure custom made to each pipe. The one size fits all is a bad idea for my situation. I have large pipes and small pipes that just need their own spot. I’m a retired Machinist so, I can make just about anything. Machinery permitting. Should be fun making the molds. My summer project.
Reminds me quite a bit of the Magnacob.
See it on this YT vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFRznyizPPE&sns=em
http://www.magnacob.com
Can anyone offer their insights on how to mount the base so that the pipes are secure and that they form a nice looking display?