2012 Kansas City Pipe Show Report
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Kevin Godbee - Jul 10, 2012
- 13 min read
Kevin Godbee
In the past, when I’ve used different types of community-type websites, such as; forums, dating sites (yep, I admit it), social media, etc.—one of the things I would say to introduce myself in my profile is, "Having fun is something I take very seriously." I like the irony in the actual truth of that statement. That assertion also seems to be true of The Greater Kansas City Pipe Club. The last full weekend in June, (June 22-24, 2012) was my second, and the club’s 13th annual show. After experiencing two of their shows, and additionally spending time with Kansas City club members at other shows, I am reminded of my statement that declares a strong resolve to have a good time.
The club, headed by John Cermak, is run like a serious business. They have a board of directors, by-laws, steering committee, show committee, marketing director and several other positions responsible for specific duties—and it’s all in the name of delivering an immensely enjoyable experience for all attendees and participants in their show. I felt like a VIP at both shows in 2011 and 2012. Although one might think that could be the case since I am the owner of this publication, it’s not really the situation. Everyone received special treatment. One example is how the club members donated their own 30, 40, and 45-year old vintage tobaccos, opening them for the first time for all attendees to enjoy without prejudice—for free. You can see some of them below. (Click the picture for a closer view.) I smoked the Dunhill Virginia, Three Nuns, and Edgeworth. They were all amazing. I also had some extremely old Orlik Golden Sliced from Adam Davidson, and Marcovitch from Fred Hanna. I brought less than an ounce of tobacco with me for the 2.5 days, and still had more than I needed.
Another way I think of the Kansas City show is that it is, "The biggest, and friendliest small show." They have achieved the perfect balance of having enough different things going on that there is always something new to experience throughout the 2.5 days that you never get bored, but there is not too much that you are overwhelmed and can’t keep up with the pace, and end up missing things, and people you want to spend time with. Even though the weekend goes by pretty fast, it still seems just right—not too long, and not too short. The official show days are Saturday and Sunday, but many people are there by Friday afternoon, and there is an awesome Kansas City-style barbeque buffet dinner Friday night, along with demonstrations and the aforementioned sharing of decades-old vintage tobaccos. Some people even arrive on Wednesday or Thursday.
As always, it was a joy and a pleasure to spend time and smoke excellent tobaccos with industry heavyweights such as; Gregory L. Pease, Tad Gage, Fred Hanna, Mike & Mary McNiel, Brian Levine, and Adam Davidson to name a few.
 Kevin Godbee, Gregory L. Pease, Tad Gage |
 Brian Levine, Mike & Mary McNiel |
An additional way the club strives to differentiate their show is by focusing on "American Carvers". The American Pipe Carvers was a competition and a raffle. Fifty different American pipe carvers submitted entries to the 3rd Annual GKCPC Pipe Carving Contest. Judges; Greg Pease, Tad Gage, and George Dibos chose the seven best pipes to make up the 7-day set. The 7-day set also includes a highly unique case made by Anthony Harris, club member and master woodcraftsman. The contest was sponsored by Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine and SmokingPipes.com.
Pipe Maker Adam Davidson & "Lord Latakia" G. L. Pease
Tickets for the American Carver’s raffle were sold at $25 each with the proceeds going to the pipe makers that were included in the set. The Pipe Carvers in the seven day set were: Rad Davis, Steve Liskey, Chris Morgan, Joe Nelson, Tonni Nielsen, Brad Pohlman, and Thomas James. The winner of the 7-day set, for the second year in a row, was Bobby Owens from Georgia. He’s a lucky guy. He should play the lottery. Ethan Brandt, St. Louis, MO won the $750 Gift Certificate and Bill Miller, Overland Park, KS won a $500 Gift Certificate, both from SmokingPipes.com, and Ken Huffman, Franklin, TN won a lifetime subscription to P&T Magazine.
All of the pipes and the special handmade display case will take your breath away. We can’t show it to you at this time as Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine has the exclusive so no photos were allowed. Look for it in the next issue of P&T, or wait for it to be published here in the future. You can see some gorgeous photos of the 2011 GKCPC Pipe Carving Contest Pipes here, and more information about the 2012 Contest here.
The show was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park, KS. This was a new venue that the club chose because it is more centrally located to various cities that can provide a larger audience. Walk-in traffic reportedly increased from last year, and there were 75 tables displaying all types of merchandise. Along with the growth of the show, the club has experienced substantial expansion. Two years ago they had 28 members, and today they have 92 with a considerable influx from the younger generation. The goal of the club is to help support and grow the pipe hobby, and the numbers demonstrate that they are succeeding in their mission.
We were quite lucky with the weather. At this time of year, the Kansas City area can be uncomfortably sweltering and humid. It was a little bit warm, but no where near what it could’ve been. The temperature and humidity actually skyrocketed the following two weeks after the show, breaking records over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but we were lucky for the show. The combination of the nice weather and the grove area where the smoking tent was located, made for a pleasant and relaxing smoking experience.
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There was a plethora of pipes, tobaccos and related accoutrements to be seen. The following is a small sampling. In our show coverage, we try to expose people and products that have not been represented in previous show reports.
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It was nice to see something new and different for the pipe enthusiast in the form of Dustin Babitzke’s Briar Portraits. We have portraits done of our families and even our pets, so why not pipes? They are actually quite classy and sophisticated. There are two categories of offerings. One is to have a custom portrait of your own pipe made, and the other is ready-made, stunning, decorative pipe pictures. There are Limited Edition signed and numbered prints in a matted 8×10 size, and a limited number of 13×19 prints available suitable for a full size frame—a must have for the pipe enthusiast’s man cave. Special graphics software is used to enhance the look of the pipe and the photo overall. Prices range from $35 to $50. Some pipe makers are utilizing these services for their high-end pieces to provide a high quality enhanced photograph along with the pipe to their customers. You can mail your pipe, or see Dustin at a show and he can photograph it on the spot.
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Dustin was also displaying his collection of Blowfish pipes which won Best Display at the show. He has been collecting them for 15-years, and has 75 Blowfish, and another 25 that are "fishy-esque" type of pipe shape. Some of the makers include; Trevor Talbert, Adam Remington, Adam Davidson, and Todd Johnson.
In my continuing effort to finds things new, different and unique—Olie Sylvester’s table was pay dirt. The pipe world definitely has a large cast of unconventional characters in general. (Anyone that’s been to a pipe show can certainly attest to that.) I actually shared a ride in from the airport with Olie, and found him to be quite friendly, down-to-earth, intelligent and a good conversationalist. He seemed kind of like a "regular guy". However, the wheels turning inside of Olie’s head are devising quite creative atypical, and fun pipes that are also quite smokeable, and certain to get attention. He is the self-described; "Baron of The International Oom Paul Society of Non-Typicals … A mixed media non-objective abstract artist … a.k.a. ‘The Pipe Butcher’". The special line of pipes he crafts is called the Monstrosities. They are aptly named.
Olie Sylvester
The Beastie Series (perhaps a good ad tagline would be, "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Piiiii-ipe!)") is a limited edition, 9-piece collection. They are each stamped "Beastie" and numbered. Each pipe has a glass eye and 3 to 4 teeth. Each tooth is individually hand-carved from mammoth ivory. The bowls are made of briar, the stems are ebonite, and each unique pipe is listed at $150. Olie says; "There’s only nine of them, and man are they ugly!"
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The Demon Series consists of 50 pipes, 10 sets of five, each named after a different demon. Each set has the demon name stamped on the bottom along with its’ individual number. The Demon Series originated when Olie found some old half-finished pipes in Germany that had been sitting around since the 1960s. Olie suggests; "It’s really a cool way for someone to get a hold of some very old wood with a unique twist to it."
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Olie started making pipes in 2008, and studied with Todd Johnson. He says that pipes are more than just a hobby. They are a lifestyle. I think that’s a good observation, and true for many pipe smokers and collectors. When asked where his inspiration comes from, he explains that he has been an artist since childhood. He attended art school to become a fine artist, and approaches pipe making in a completely different way than most. Prices range from $80 to $200. Here is a link to Monstrosity Pipes, and here is Olie’s Fine Art for the Frugal.
Continuing with our "Out-of-the-Ordinary" theme, we turn to Anthony Harris, of Acme Woodturning. Anthony makes pipes, tampers, pipe stands, egg-shaped boxes, acorn boxes, "baccy flaps", and match-boxes. Here are some of Anthony’s unique pipes.
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Here’s a short 1.5 minute video clip of Anthony talking about the last pipe pictured –
See More at http://acmepipes.com/
Dru Melpolder’s Dead Guy Pipes are another uncommon line of handmade pipes that are inspired by F. K. Kirsten Pipes and Falcon Pipes. They have a metal body with a screw on bowl and their own unique cooling system. Any moisture collects below and in front of the bowl, and can be emptied by unscrewing the opening. Dru says; "I am a machinist by trade, I have always enjoyed working with metal. I decided to make them because the other metals on the market today, while being great pipes, have not changed much."
He explains the name Dead Guy Pipes; "My original drawings and designs for my pipes where influenced largely by the human anatomy, mainly the skeleton."
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The main body is made of anodized aluminum. There is a silicon O-ring for the water-catcher in the front, and a Delron insert for the tenon for an even fit. All of the bowls are interchangeable from each pipe as they have a common screw-on fit. Even the pipe pictured above with the metal outer bowl has a briar insert. Some of the brair bowls were made by Anthony Harris of Acme Woodturning. The pipes retail for $150. See more Dead Guy Pipes here.
As noted in the beginning of the article, there were several tins of excellent vintage tobaccos being shared on Friday night. Saturday was no different. New treats popped up along with a fun and interesting story from club member Auggie Augspurg.
A couple of years ago at the show he met a woman that was a W.A.S.P. (Women Airforce Service Pilot) from World War II. She had her father’s pipe collection, which Auggie purchased, and subsequently sold many Sasieni pieces to Tony Soderman … but that’s another story.
The collection also included a large box of aged tobaccos. Auggie has been enjoying them, but he saved a special mystery for Saturday, June 23, 2012. With great self-discipline, he left untouched and unopened for two years a parcel from Benaderet’s Pipe Shop, San Francisco, CA – postmarked December 14, 1967. Now that’s some restraint to not even open the parcel to see what is inside!
Heavyweight tobacco blenders, Greg Pease and Mike & Mary McNiel couldn’t help but to be intrigued. Saturday afternoon Auggie opened the package in front of all three tobacco professionals with the promise that we would smoke it that night, after dinner. Nice!
(L-R) Greg Pease (G.L. Pease Tobaccos), Mike & Mary McNiel (McClelland Tobacco Co.) Auggie Augspurg
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As you can see from the above photos, the package contained two 8 ounce tins of a long forgotten, and unknown to all of us present—a pipe tobacco named Aristocrat. I was given the honor of opening the first tin. It was a very nice smoke – light, airy, and perfume-like in taste. I’ve had some aged cigars that were like that.
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Other happenings at the show included a slow smoke contest, hourly raffles, Steve Stein presented a "Clinic on Enhancing Your Pipe Smoking Techniques", and Ken Davis offered a workshop on Pipe Refurbishing.
Dr. Fred Hanna was the featured speaker on Saturday night after a fabulous dinner. Fred spoke about several things that are in his book; "The Perfect Smoke – Gourmet Pipe Smoking for Relaxation and Reflection", and even though I’ve read the book (it is excellent) and I’ve heard Fred speak a couple of years ago at The West Coast Pipe Show … I never get tired of listening to him talk about pipes and tobacco. He gave an extremely informative and entertaining talk on several topics, including how nicotine actually has several positive health benefits, the magic pipe that makes everything taste better, and many other intriguing subjects.
Joe Skoda won both Best Pipe and Best Carver awards. The 2-part Calabash won Best Pipe of Show. It has a custom-fitted case that Joe made as well. It has a briar insert and the top is made of Masur Birch. Retail is $2,650.
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Russ Cook won Best Non-Briar Wood Pipe with his Morta Sandblasted Bulldog. The origin of the wood is Oak from the bottom of Lake Superior, which Russ refers to as "Michigan Morta".
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Best Collection went to Rev. Rolf Nestingen for his Comoy Pipe collection.
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This article may seem a bit lengthy, but it just scratches the surface. The show was a blast. Be sure to mark your calendars for the Kansas City Pipe Show next June.
Here is last year’s coverage of the 2011 Greater Kansas City Pipe Show.
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Kevin Godbee is the Publisher & Editor in Chief of Pipes Magazine. Kevin started smoking pipes and cigars in 1998 and started an online cigar magazine & community site in 2005. (The site was acquired in 2008 and no longer exists.) He launched PipesMagazine.com in 2009, and in less than three years the site has become the largest trafficked pipe smoking related site, and the #1 Source for Pipes and Pipe Tobacco Information. In the beginning of his career, Kevin worked in the hobby and specialty toy business for 16 years in sales, marketing, advertising and product development for three different manufacturers, and with his own company. Over the last 10 years working in the online business, he has become an expert in Internet Marketing and SEO. Kevin is a Certified Master Tobacconist (CMT) through Tobacconist University, a member of Cigar Rights of America and is a "Media Member" of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. In his spare time he sings, plays guitar, cooks, and enjoys all the wonderful places to go and things to do in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida where he lives in his penthouse bachelor pad. Kevin has been smoking pipes and cigars for 14 years. |
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 634! Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Warren Ertle. Warren is an extremely accomplished musician with a PhD in music. He started early as a percussionist in sixth grade. Later his grandmother got him a cheap Casio keyboard which he taught himself to play. He started playing in blues bands in high school, and has been a pianist with jazz big bands for years. Even though he was already a professional musician, he took his first real piano lesson when he enrolled in college with his studies in classical music. He is of course a pipe smoker. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. Or the wild turkeys gobbling in the backwoods or all the fuss and feathers over the big one—Christmas. No, it is that we might need to take note of all the little things that mean so much to us. Like a good sunrise (seriously, Pundit has not gone all Pollyanna.) Mayhaps we need to appreciate more of what we have than what we have not. Or something like that. Like, a good pipe in the morning with coffee as the dawn brings us coolish weather now that we have flipped the calendar to autumn. But it also brings beautiful leaves that have become a spectacle of technicolor in the wind. It is the little things. The rereading of an enjoyable book and finding something you did not see or learn in the first go-round. Or a stunning phrase you commit to memory with the re-read, while smoking that favorite pipe. And you notice a superior puff that just seems to be different. It’s in the air and the seasons of meaningful little things. It’s aromatic! Or perhaps it is that sense of satisfaction knowing and appreciating you made it to another day. With the world in a kind of rinse-and-repeat history, reminiscent of a Shakespearean play, it is perhaps a good moment to remember some of Pipedom’s philosophers whose cogent thoughts brought light to clear a path in the mists of confusion and confounding opinions. Ok. No gloom and doom. Just some down-home thoughts. Think of times in the past when history was running off the rails. It took our pipe-smoking thinkers (the mind workers of the world) to speak of better pathways to more light. Think for a moment, with a pipe in hand, these wizards of the world and word: Albert Einstein, J. R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edwin Hubble, Bertrand Russell, C. S. Lewis, and Jean-Paul Sartre. All learned and enlightened. They offered wisdom instead of storms of meaningless roads to nowhere. All while smoking their pipes! Maybe especially with the help of their pipes in the art of thinking and philosophy. Recall the words of Mr. E=MC2 when he said, “I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs.” Amen and amen! Dealing with world-rattling events takes a calm and objective view of things, to the Pundit’s way of summing it up. You just don’t go messing around with quantum physics without a calm and objective approach, methinks. Or as the extraordinary physicist Robert Oppenheimer said after he and a team in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Labs developed a way to split atoms into bombs during World War II. “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” said Oppenheimer referring to the development of the first nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. It must be pointed out that Oppenheimer was more of a cigarette smoker than a pipe smoker. Nonetheless, pipes were part of his personality. Now, if you have read some of the great authors of the past and present, their pipes were always nearby. Reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be a three-pipe problem at times. S. Lewis and Jean-Paul Sartre require time with your pipes to reflect on the existential problems and solutions these authors provide in learned novels and other narratives. Or take Edwin Hubble and Bertrand Russell, philosophers of another world. Pipes are required for reading. The quantum lode of ideas Pundit is attempting to sort out is that our pipes are relaxing and stimulate our thoughts and creativity. Especially in these last months of the year. Many times Pundit has had that light bulb flick on while smoking my beloved pipes. And friends in Pipedom, it ain’t easy to turn on the lights in Pundit’s rock pit head. Now it’s time for a quote from a Pipe Smoker of the Past. Shelby Foote was born Nov. 17, 1916, in Greenville, Miss., and died June 27, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn. A fact is not a truth until you love it—Shelby Foote. A parting thought: It is said that famed Southern author William Faulkner carried a packed pipe in a coat pocket wherever he went. That’s one effective way to deal with workday conflicts and confusion. A calm and objective judgment in our everyday human affairs, as the quantum man said.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
Well there’s nothing like a touch of the plague to usher in the changing season. Leaving the airport just when the first advertisements for all things pumpkin spice began to appear—lattes, muffins, shampoos, trash bags, and myriad other concoctions—so, too, my ability to breathe freely disappeared. The unfortunate side effect of losing one’s sense of taste and smell for weeks is the utter inability to enjoy tobacco. Not that I consider myself an expert on anything but my own tastes, but be forewarned that this review was made with mildly impugned sensory equipment. Just when a comforting pipe was most needed, its comfort was denied. Be that as it may, the road to recovery found me limping along on one lung this past month, trying to wrest the particulars of two blends on offer from Sutliff: the latest 175th Anniversary blend, Silver Quarter, as well as their spooky seasonal Maple Shadows II. Silver Quarter is a new style on offer from Sutliff, their first coin-cut blend. Naturally a Virginia-Perique, it is enhanced with a traditional core of black Cavendish. In the tin it holds much promise, with a lightly bready and very woody, if ever-so-slightly sour, aroma. After some time acclimating to air, the bouquet softens further and offers hints of the burley with some chocolaty notes wafting through the more dominant dry grassy aspect. The tin art is of a coin-style bas-relief bust, presumably of a founding Sutliff brother, à la The Old Boss On the reverse of the tin we find the blend’s description: Reflecting on Sutliffs 175 years of tobacco excellence, we came across a brand that embodies true value, SILVER QUARTER. This name pays homage to Sutliffs roots, the legacy of two brothers who popularized pipe smoking in the burgeoning mining society of San Francisco. We celebrate this heritage with a coin cut composed of the finest African Virginias, complemented by a core of Perique and Black Cavendish. The tin notes are, forgive the pun, on the nose for a good VaPer blend: mild tart sweetness peeking out from behind dried hay and slight chocolate undertones, with a lightly tannic finish of weathered oak. It is always a joy to prepare a coin cut, my preference being to put a few in my palm and vigorously warm my hands together to fully break them apart. These well-formed discs pack and light easily, and smoke with little prodding to the end of the bowl. For technical points it scores well—it smokes light, and it’s easy to tend the ember. While it gets sharp after a few quick bowls, pacing should be heeded to easily smoke down to the heel without inviting bite. Of the flavor, though, I am left a bit wanting. There are tart and high notes aplenty, but very little of the lemony citrus I would anticipate, as well as scant midtones; they tend more toward the red wine-vinegary and sour. The flavors are muted, also, lacking the sweetness and piquancy of other marques—the small measure of Perique tickles the nose now and again with peppery hints, and there is a smidge of a deeper sweetness to be found in the Cavendish from puff to puff, but overall it lacks some dynamism. The Virginias, to my palate, come off a bit on the dry side, and here they dominate the blend. The aftertaste and mouthfeel are neutral, again evincing more of the dry, woody, tartly tannic end of the spectrum. The blend has plenty of polish, but not enough depth or richness (*yet) to make it a standout. Here, comparisons are inevitable: Luxury Bullseye Flake has more sweetness, both from its Virginia as well as its Cavendish, and a better finish; Davidoff is similar but with a pronounced umami that is absent here; as for Escudo, I haven’t had any fresh tins lately so it would be unfair to compare. While it rates as a solid, fairly mild smoke, particularly to lovers of the genre, it does not surprise with any exceptional flavors. To be fair, all the boxes have been checked for the blend to benefit from some real aging, and it would be worth checking in on this after a couple of years sealed away. I’ve set half my tin aside to sample again in a month or two, in case I’m merely suffering from the lingering effects of parosmia, and will amend this review in that case. Maple Shadows II, on the other hand, made up for the weeks of sniffling and sneezing I’d endured. Offered in a full 8 ounce tin with delightfully spooky Halloween art, it’s (hopefully) enough to last through the season. Somehow I had missed this last year, so it’s a real pleasure to get some in my candy bucket this year. As the chilling winds of autumn draw eerie prattle from contorted, deciduous limbs, we find ourselves possessed by the spirit of the season. Bewitched by a dissonant charm, we’ve created Maple Shadows. In a season that is defined by the unlikely harmony of treats and frights, we’ve joined the enchanting sweetness of maple with the earthy spice of Dark Fired Kentucky for a smoking experience that captures the senses with an otherworldly fusion of flavor. This may be the best aromatic blend Sutliff’s ever made—and they make a ton of them. First off, it’s not overbearing in the least—quite the opposite, it is also one of the more restrained aromatics they’ve ever made, with a clear but very light topping that melds oh-so-well with their choice Kentucky added to the mix. Opening the tin, the sweet maple is up front and center, but so too is the must of fallen leaves, bready pie crusts, and a crackling fire in the hearth—a perfect invocation of Herbstdüfte in a can. Packing best in an open and capacious bowl, the flavoring is subtle, and recedes to the background while puffing. With a sweet coffee or tea to accompany, the aftertaste of the maple is reinvigorated on the palate […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 632. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is the host of the Pipe & Tamper Podcast, Mike Murphy. Brian and Mike will have an extended chat revolving around the days before, during and after the Las Vegas International Pipe Show. We will hear about their travels to the show and the anxiety of Hurricane Milton bearing down on Florida at the same time while running a show and not knowing if your house is going to be there when you get home. In the end, the show went great and our homes survived, although many others in Florida were not so lucky. We’ll have clips from the show, and shoutouts to other podcasts and vlogs that were broadcasting from the pipe show.
Vegas Baby The show started out strong on the 14th floor hospitality suites hosted by the Vegas Pipe Show and Smoking Pipes as well as room hopping to carvers, estate sellers, and vendors to pre-game for the festivities. If you’re interested in what that looks like I’ll refer you to last years pipe show round up. I circled with Brian Levine to get the totals in comparison to last year: This year’s show numbers: 108 Exhibitor tables, 445 attendees, 3,250 Raffle Tickets, 100ish dinners, 172 Rooms in the Hotel. Last year, by comparison, 107 exhibitor tables, 425 attendees, 2,200 raffle tickets, 104 dinners, and 175 rooms on Friday and Saturday nights. We were at capacity, basically, when it came to vendor tables and the dinner, so there is no physical room for growth at this point except for attendees. That said, we filled that smoking lounge to the brim. New Carvers Spotlight Garret Woo (Pipes by Woo) How long have you been carving? Garret: I’ve been carving since 2021, and I’m guessing your next question is probably how’d you get started carving? James: Yes. Garret: In 2021 I took a break from my full time job – that included machining and assembly work and I thought maybe it was time I made something that I would like and I started looking at youtube and Instagram and putting together my shop. I did struggle on the stems to start and there was a lot of failure at the beginning. James: How many pipes have you made so far? Garret: I number my pipes, so I just finished up 186. James: What is your favorite shape you’ve been making? Garret: I really dig Canadians and pipes with longer shanks and lovat Canadian blends. I like to play with different shapes of stems on the longer shanked pipes. The billiard would be my go-to shape but I want to learn more techniques on freehanded shapes. I like to put brass and copper adornments on my pipes with my machining background it helps. James: What is the craziest thing you’ve seen at this show? Garret: The first thing that comes to mind is the table over there with C-Pipes with the shapes and the size and petiteness and the intricate details they did. You can check out what Garret is working on by going to his Instagram. Stefan Cashwell James: how long have you been carving? Stefan: about 3 years. James: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at the show? Stefan: The Adam Davidson pipe with the clear shape and the bamboo—I don’t know if it’s 3D printed or what, but it’s amazing. James: What’s your favorite shape to do? Stefan: That’s a tough question. I think they’re all the same shape, but what’s fascinating is that Dublin, volcano, and blowfish are all the same depending on how you turn them. Playing with that, with all its variations, is a lot of fun. My favorite accent to use is also horn; it’s finicky, but it’s a great accent on pipes. You can check out Stefan’s work on his Instagram. Science: Meet Pipes I chatted with Chris from the San Diego Pipe Club; he started off doing stem replacements for estate pipes but also improved the airflow. James: How are you doing 3d printing? What is the thought process? Chris: It’s a 3D-printed pipe with a briar insert. The design is a calabash meets a Peterson system meets a metal Falcon/Kirsten radiator style. It is a bottom draft smoking bowl like a radiator like those metal pipes. The inside chamber is a calabash. The stummel and accent rings in the stems are all 3d printed. The insert is briar, olive wood, or I have the potential to use meerschaum as well. This idea came about through the San Diego Pipe Club, wanting to see if we could 3D print a pipe and being curious about the technology; I have a printer and design ability, so here we are. James: What’s the type of plastic you’re using? Chris: It’s all PLA plastic, a renewable potato starch plastic that is food-safe. The stummels are printed with a plastic that has wood in it 40% wood fiber, bamboo, rosewood, ebony, redwood, and walnut are the woods I’m printing. For the accent rings I just got a new material that I’m printing that has 40% copper, so its real metal that you can sand, and polish the same as wood filament. The stems are 3d printed as well. The concept is renewable and cheap from a production standpoint, with the ability to make a very high quality smoking pipe based on the experience. By combining the calabash system pipe and bottom draft hole and using 3d simulations to see airflow, I can see where I’m having eddies and ripples in my current, and see where my moisture and all the particles are dropping back out from a vapor to a liquid. Most people who have tried these say the stems are clean, and they don’t even have to run a pipe cleaner afterward because everything collects at the bottom. Chris has also been experimenting with color-changing plastics so you can see the hotspots. Chris said he was able to use this to slow down his cadence, which, of course, could mean you could get a slow-smoke training pipe to teach yourself to perform better. If you’re interested in learning more or want to check one out, you can contact him on Instagram: Copper Beard Pipe Works The Negative Space The show was buzzing about one specific pipe, which had everyone guessing how it was made. I chatted with Adam Davidson briefly about it. James: How did this idea come to fruition? Adam Davidson: Smokingpipes.com had an expo back in August open to all of the makers they carry. The theme was to make a pipe utilizing bamboo. Given that the last time we had the expo I made a smooth Almond with three bamboo shanks, […]
Another great report from a pipe exhibition…
Wonderful photos & it seems like you had lots of fun there 🙂
thanks for the article Kevin.
Great report! Thanks for the pictures and the awesome video of Anthony with his unique pocket pipe. Great stuff Kevin!
Great report and video.. Thanks for posting Kevin..
Great report Kevin. I hope to someday make it to one of the shows. Hopefully they will eventually have one near home.
Nice job! looks like a weekend well spent.
Kevin, thanks for the wonderful report. I think it captures the spirit of what we are trying to do. We want people to come to our show and enjoy themselves. We want the people who purchase tables at our show to feel like guests rather than vendors. It is also our mission to showcase American carvers through the Carvers Contest. We just love it when an unknown carver is selected as one of the seven winners.
Olie Sylvester is an unsung hero in the pipe world. His podcasts are simply awesome. If you haven’t listened to any of them you are really missing something.
Anthony Harris may be the finest maker of double-chambered pipes in the world. His ability and ingenuity with wood is just incredible. To me one of his most amazing creations was a variation on Jonas Rosengren’s hemispherical double-chambered pipe. Jonas simply inserts the inner bowl into the larger bowl. In Anthony’s case he actually threaded by hand both components so they screw together.
Kevin,
Thank you for the time and consideration you give to our shoe. It is much appreciated.
Warm regards,
Steve Stein
Great report and photo’s!! Thanks. [8O]
Is it just me, or is G.L. Pease getting younger? I really enjoyed the article and the pictures. I really was amazed at how young G.L. Pease looked in the pictures.
I had a wonderful time at the GKC Pipe Show. Their club was extremely hospitable and went out of their way to make sure all had a good time. Many thanks!! Alan