Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 612. Our featured interview tonight is with Pipe Maker Brad Pohlmann. Brad has been crafting pipes for decades. His pipes are works of art and masterpieces in engineering. You’ll often find exotic woods, horn and bamboo as accents on Brad’s pipes. He now shares a workshop with fellow pipe maker Silver Gray. At the top of the show Brian will discuss the best way to sell pipes that you no longer want.
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The Pipes Magazine Radio Show features interviews with pipe makers, tobacco blenders, pipe and tobacco aficionados, collectors, and more. Episodes air every Tuesday.
Publisher & Founder of PipesMagazine.com
Certified Master Tobacconist (CMT) #1858 from TobacconistUniversity.org
My grandfather didn't smoke a pipe, but my uncle and some of my elementary school teachers did. In 1998, my neighbor Sam invited me out, and we ended up back at his place where there was a cigar humidor, and pipe rack on the coffee table. I had my first cigar, and then decided to try pipes too. I love the elegance and relaxation of smoking a pipe. In 2002, I started learning how to make websites, do SEO, and create content. I had a cigar content site and forums from 2005-2008 when it was bought out. In 2009, I launched PipesMagazine.com, which is now the largest, busiest community forums, and article content site for pipe and tobacco enthusiasts. We have one of the longest running pipe and tobacco focused podcasts since 2012 with lifetime industry veteran, Brian Levine.
While I’m probably never gonna sell any of my pipes, your information about methods to make a good deal in selling one’s pipes was very enlightening.
I really enjoyed your visit with our friend Brad. Although we meet on a fairly regular basis, we rarely have a chance to get into his craft as deeply as you and he did in this revealing interview. Nicely done.
Mark Knopfler’s “Back to Tupelo” was a good suggestion from Jennings.
That was a very warm and sweet goodbye to your friend Walter. May his memory be eternal.
Thanks for another always entertaining show.
Dino
Hedy Brian
It has been quite awhile since I commented. I won’t bore you with the details of my hiatus, but I wanted to say that I really enjoyed this episode with Brad. His down to earth manner of speaking was really welcoming.
I also wanted to take the opportunity to make your listeners aware of a new TV series on Netflix called Hitler and the Rise of the Nazis: Evil on trial. Aside from being a gripping history of that terrible time, the program is :narrated” by the journalist/historian William Shirer, an inveterate pipe smoker and there are many great pipe smoking shots of him and others. I’ve posted info about this in the forums but I thought you might give it a mention. Full disclosure: My son was an Executive Producer on the show. Again, thanks for all that you do. I am catching up with some of the shows I missed recently.
Best,
Ira
Unloading your pipes that no longer covet is an exasperating task. The ideal way to sell them is at a show to people you know and who know you. That isn’t always practical for most of us. There is always the eBay route, which is good for getting rid of the pipes, but you stand to lose a good bit of your gain due to eBay fees, shipping, seller’s costs, etc. And the loss of revenue due to the recent devaluation of estates could be a real deal breaker.
I have always thought that Brad Pohlmann was one of the 5 best carvers in the U.S. I really like the sandblasts he does. They are wonderful to look at. I’ve always wanted to own one, but they are just out of my financial reach. I find it sad that more people don’t know of him. I greatly enjoyed your interview with him and really appreciate him opening up to you. As you know Brad can be kind of taciturn at times. I hate to see him lessen his production but he’s at that time of life.
Knopfler’s rendering of “Back to Tupelo” was enjoyable. Was the title some kind of oblique reference to Elvis??
Saying goodbye to someone is a very trying business. Sometimes the adage that “Life goes on” is rather a pain in the keister but it is how it is.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 690. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker JD Wolf. JD just started smoking pipes a little over a year ago, and he started making them at about the same time. His impetus for becoming a pipe maker came from the problem that his preferences in artistic handmade pipes were out the reach of his budget. He strives to make precise smoking instruments that are also a handcrafted piece of art that the “average workingman” can afford. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a holiday gift giving guide for pipe smokers.
This may seem out of character for Pundit, but I am truly captivated by the Ser Jacopo Insanus. Years ago, I purchased an enormous, barn-sized pipe and tucked it away, only to forget about it. Recently, the urge to hold it resurfaced, prompting a frantic search through my collection until I found my prized Insanus. It’s an impressive, beautifully rusticated paneled bowl with bamboo shank extension—possibly weighing just over five ounces. I love it! To clarify, “insanus” in Latin can mean “incredible.” I must admit, I learned this not from my distant high school Latin but from consulting a dictionary. Okay, a few pipe makers go for heavy-duty pipes, of course. But the Ser Jacopo brand has not been shy about creating, well, great ol’ big ‘uns, and a few that defy the imagination. Some of the Ser Jacopo creations seemingly belong in a museum of art. Which makes sense when you look at the name’s origins. Giancarlo Guidi founded the brand and possibly named it for a 16th-century Italian painter. Now, Pundit does not go gaga for all the Insanus versions. Especially those that appear to have been in a bad accident and are broken and wired together. Or the larger-than-life bowl that twists back onto the stem to surveil your tobacco brand preferences before you load up. Do not get Pundit wrong, here. If your choice is the Insanus that is wired up or the pipe that looks back at you, then I will cheer you on. They are fun and spark a great deal of curiosity, especially in your pipe club gatherings. In research about Insanus pipes, I found that Guidi and Bruto Sordini founded Ser Jacopo in Pesaro, Italy, after leaving Mastro de Paja. They aimed to blend expertise and creativity, establishing Ser Jacopo as a distinct force in Italian pipe making. According to my research, Guidi was inspired by the imaginative art of Picasso and Van Gogh. This led Ser Jacopo artists to push creative limits, carving pipes by drawing inspiration directly from the briar and their artistic instincts. Pundit also owns a couple of Ser Jacopo’s more “sanus” (sic) pipes, including some of the beloved Picta Van Gogh rusticated styles, which have been put away for safekeeping. These pieces stand out for their unique craftsmanship and artistic flair. Van Gogh, you might recall, was a pipe smoker. He painted many self-portraits smoking a pipe. These paintings served as one of the blueprints for the Van Gogh Picta series. I first saw the Picta Van Gogh at a pipes and tobacco show in Nashville, TN. It was love at first glimpse. I bought it faster than you can say Van Gogh. I barely had time to get out my credit card, worried someone else would snatch it up. Some Insanus designs, such as those that appear broken and wired together or feature oversized bowls that twist back toward the stem, exemplify the brand’s boundary-pushing approach. The Picta Van Gogh is but one of a series of pipes in the Van Gogh pipe styles. A few include a cutty, a hawkbill, a Belge and even a poker. All appear in Van Gogh’s artworks. Giancarlo Guidi was inspired not only by Van Gogh but also by the art of other major artists for the different collections within the broader Picta series. Just a couple of these artists in the series include René Magritte and Pablo Picasso. Over time, my preferences have evolved—much like my ageing tobacco blends. As my pipe collection has grown, so has my appreciation for artisanship. I admire Ser Jacopo’s intricate Italian craftsmanship. But I also value traditional British makers and own Dunhills, Ashtons from the William Ashton-Taylor era, and Ian Walker’s beautifully crafted British style pipes. Ian’s pipe shop is on a transformed canal boat. Cool! If you are interested in an American pipe maker who also offers some larger-than-life pipes, check out J.M. Boswell Pipes in Chambersburg and Alexandria, PA. Boswell’s freehand designs and unique finishes are spectacular. Some of his creations feature names such as the Jumbo and Triple X Jumbo. He has also created a monster line known as King Size. These heavy-duty briars can weigh in at over two pounds! One could say they are even muscular. The Kings are worth a look just to see what can be accomplished with briar in an artist’s hands. And these pipes are not only beautifully designed but also offer an exceptional smoking experience. Now, it’s time for a Pipe Smoker of the Past: Rudyard Kipling was born Dec. 30, 1865, in India and died Jan. 18, 1936, in London. He was a journalist, novelist, short-story writer and poet. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. Even though he was particular about his pipe preferences, his tobacco choice, according to research, was a common black shag pipe tobacco. The black shag tobacco was strong, but popular in the Victorian era. I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble. —Rudyard Kipling A Parting thought: We pipe smokers are part of a rather large family. And with the holidays in full bloom, it is time to be grateful for the artists who create magnificent pipes and craft exquisite tobacco blends. Just for us! Happy Holidays!
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 689. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is artisan pipe maker Patrick Kehler from Marchand, Manitoba Canada. He grew up in a strict religious environment where his behavior was restricted and smoking (and drinking) were frowned upon. One day, when he was older and in the process of providing himself more freedoms, a co-worker showed him a pipe. He was captivated. Hear the whole story on tonight’s show. At the top of the show in Pipe Parts, Brian will have a review of four different brands of pipe cleaners.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 688. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is Texas-based artisan pipe maker Ryan McCawley from Smokin’ Barrels Briars. Like many of us, Ryan was attracted to the scent of aromatic tobaccos. Also, like many new pipe smokers, he burned the heck out of his tongue. That was a long time ago. Now he is a regular pipe smoker and he has been making his own pipes for five years now. He started with classic shapes, but now he is more interested in Danish-style freehands. At the top of the show Brian will discuss cake. Not the cake that you eat, but the cake that builds up in your pipe bowl. This is based on a question sent in by a listener.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 687. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is Canadian pipe maker Evan Wiseman. Evan has been making pipes for ten years (minus a two year break) and is quite well-known and respected in the field. His path started with cigars in college, but they became too expensive, so he switched to smoking pipes, and then decided to make them. 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.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 686. Our featured guest on tonight’s show is the founder of the Pipe & Tamper Podcast, Mike Murphy. Mike started his podcast in 2018 and turned over the show to new co-hosts Bo Parker and Jay Furman in January 2025. Now that Mike hasn’t been doing the podcast, he has even more time for pipe smoking, collecting and going to pipe shows. Brian and Mike will have an extended chat revolving around the Las Vegas International Pipe Show that just occurred the last weekend in October.
While I’m probably never gonna sell any of my pipes, your information about methods to make a good deal in selling one’s pipes was very enlightening.
I really enjoyed your visit with our friend Brad. Although we meet on a fairly regular basis, we rarely have a chance to get into his craft as deeply as you and he did in this revealing interview. Nicely done.
Mark Knopfler’s “Back to Tupelo” was a good suggestion from Jennings.
That was a very warm and sweet goodbye to your friend Walter. May his memory be eternal.
Thanks for another always entertaining show.
Dino
Hedy Brian
It has been quite awhile since I commented. I won’t bore you with the details of my hiatus, but I wanted to say that I really enjoyed this episode with Brad. His down to earth manner of speaking was really welcoming.
I also wanted to take the opportunity to make your listeners aware of a new TV series on Netflix called Hitler and the Rise of the Nazis: Evil on trial. Aside from being a gripping history of that terrible time, the program is :narrated” by the journalist/historian William Shirer, an inveterate pipe smoker and there are many great pipe smoking shots of him and others. I’ve posted info about this in the forums but I thought you might give it a mention. Full disclosure: My son was an Executive Producer on the show. Again, thanks for all that you do. I am catching up with some of the shows I missed recently.
Best,
Ira
Unloading your pipes that no longer covet is an exasperating task. The ideal way to sell them is at a show to people you know and who know you. That isn’t always practical for most of us. There is always the eBay route, which is good for getting rid of the pipes, but you stand to lose a good bit of your gain due to eBay fees, shipping, seller’s costs, etc. And the loss of revenue due to the recent devaluation of estates could be a real deal breaker.
I have always thought that Brad Pohlmann was one of the 5 best carvers in the U.S. I really like the sandblasts he does. They are wonderful to look at. I’ve always wanted to own one, but they are just out of my financial reach. I find it sad that more people don’t know of him. I greatly enjoyed your interview with him and really appreciate him opening up to you. As you know Brad can be kind of taciturn at times. I hate to see him lessen his production but he’s at that time of life.
Knopfler’s rendering of “Back to Tupelo” was enjoyable. Was the title some kind of oblique reference to Elvis??
Saying goodbye to someone is a very trying business. Sometimes the adage that “Life goes on” is rather a pain in the keister but it is how it is.