Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 381

This was a surprisingly good show. Brian gave us a very good review of Tobacconist Reserve VA Blend by Sutliff. Good to see a manufacturer doing a good turn for B&M's. Those guys are really struggling right now.
Ed Graves gave a very good account of himself in the interview. He was very articulate and makes a good case for his products.
Bing is always a pleasure even when doing a song that he is not known for.

I enjoyed this episode along with a pipe full of Hearth and Home Classic Burley Kake. I share two things with Ed Graves. I'm a Leatherman, and I've also enjoyed every tobacco I've ever smoked (I just enjoy some more than others). My pipe collection is pushing close to seventy pipes and I have a tremendous amount of different tobacco blends in the cellar. Needless to say, I've been bitten hard by both PAD and Tad. I learned to do ornate leather tooling from the VA Hospital, after a wound (1987 in El Salvador) landed me in the VA Hospital for a year and a half. As part of my vocational rehabilitation, I took leather tooling classes (twice a week) for a couple of years. It awoke a creativity in me that ultimately led me into pipe making. I've been pipe smoker since 1979, so it was only natural that I ended up making pipes too. I was fortunate to have apprenticed under the late renowned Arizona pipe maker Horace DeJarnet (DeJarnet Pipes), from 2002 to 2005, then set up my own shop. I've made 20 - 25 pipes a year since. I've made many hand tooled pipe cases, for my own use and as gifts to close friends. Like Ed said about one of his products, if I had to charge for the actual amount of work they took, nobody could afford them. It's great to have passions in life, I make pipes and leather products because I love it. I've remained at the hobby level on both, just doing both on weekends and some evenings. It's a great cottage industry for making some extra money.