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  1. mso489

    In Praise of Small Chambered Pipes

    Every once in a while, I like to say something good about smaller-chambered pipes, though usually I weave these comments into other people's threads. Most of my pipes are medium sized Group 4'ish with chambers of appropriate size. And I certainly have a few biggies for long deliberative...
  2. mso489

    Is Dr. Grabow the Largest U.S. Briar Factory Pipe Maker?

    Just as an observer of of the pipe market, it seems to me that Dr. Grabow is the largest remaining briar pipe factory in the U.S. in terms of volume of production. Kaywoodie that also makes Yello-Bole and Medico is still in business, but i understand it is essentially a one man operation with...
  3. mso489

    There's An Insect Shortage

    Though it may be hard to believe for anyone contending with mosquitos, locusts, yellow jackets, carpenter bees, horse flies, fleas, or chiggers -- just for examples --but there is an insect shortage, I've read, and it's serious. The problem is, despite all the plagues and miseries some...
  4. mso489

    Snowy Los Angeles

    I lived in California for about a year and a half, combining Navy boot camp at San Diego, and after Vietnam, being home-ported on a minesweeper in Long Beach which adjoins L.A. Never in my pre-dawn assignments or liberty weekend wanderings did I ever think about snow. Later I visited...
  5. mso489

    Ten Years At Hard Jabber, And Thank You All!

    This month is my tenth anniversary on Forums since I joined in February 2013. Just a shout out to the membership far and wide for continuing to keep this one of the most international and inclusive sites online, mostly free from trolling, focused on a common interest, genially but firmly...
  6. mso489

    U.S. Navy's Small Ship Troubles

    The U.S. Navy has run into trouble with some of its most recently launched small ships. Built by two different major contractors, these are classified as littoral combat ships designed for coastal shallow-water duty. The Navy wants to decommission eight of ten of the current class for serious...
  7. mso489

    A Tribute to Johs Pipes

    I have six pipes by the carver Mogens Johansen whose workshop is near Frederikshavn, Denmark. His pipe brand is Johs, and he is known for turning out pipes at a frenetic pace. I have a Dublin, Canadian, diplomat, bulldog, Lovat, and a smooth billiard. He goes for volume to keep the prices...
  8. mso489

    Landline Phone Down? Good Luck

    My landline went dead, no dial tone. I called the toll free repair number and was on hold for a hour listening to elevator music with static. One tech advisor, then another, said this wasn't their job and passed me along. I was in the phone company's store, and the one staff person there was...
  9. mso489

    Ever Noticed How Vague A Pipe Census Is?

    Forums members often toss out vague estimates on how many pipes they own. I understand why. I am always reluctant to count my pipes, knowing I have many more than I need to have a fine rotation. It is, as they say, an embarrassment of riches. The last serious count I made, and I counted...
  10. mso489

    What Does the Urinary Tract Have to do with Anger?

    I hope this linguistic question won't piss anybody off, but can anyone explain to me why getting mad/angry/enraged is equated with the urinary functions of the body? Many idioms and sayings have sensible origins. They paint an image or have a derivation that makes sense of their otherwise...
  11. mso489

    The Merits of Window Shopping

    Online retail and hard copy catalog sales are designed as sales venues where you go when you have money to spend and a desired product in mind. New pipe smokers with a credit card in hand can rack up quite a bill prospecting for the pipes, accessories, and blends they think they might enjoy...
  12. mso489

    What Constitutes Being "Well Traveled"?

    I'm no world traveler. I've known a few. One woman botanist has wintered over in Siberia, traveled all over China and Inner Mongolia with no translator, just a phrase book, met her third husband in the Amazon on a trek, and is always up for some other arduous journey. I've been fortunate...
  13. mso489

    A Turkish Missouri Meerschaum?

    Looking at Missouri Meerschaum pipes at an online retailer, I noticed that a recent addition to the offerings is a acrylic stemmed pipe that specifies, under "Origin" the surprising answer: Turkey. A MM cob made in Turkey? After more than a century of making all MM cobs in Washington...
  14. mso489

    Exchange Rates Effect on Whisky in U.S.

    Title shortened and made slightly more inclusive. [FX rates will affect many British product's prices here.] I'm not a big consumer of whisky, but I know some Forums members are knowledgeable consumers of it. Today's The New York Times Business Section had a story about how the current lower...
  15. mso489

    Ron Carter, A Major Jazz and Recording Bassist, Smokes A Pipe

    Last week I saw a fascinating biographical documentary on PBS about Ron Carter, a jazz bass player who was part of Miles Davis' ensemble for years but who also is among the most recorded bass players in many genres, being the go-to bass player when any musician wants to go to the top with...
  16. mso489

    How About Those 7 or 8 oz Tins?

    In the past year or two, we've seen a number of old standard blends moving more toward 7 ounce tins and away from 12 or 14 ounce tubs (or what used to be 16 ounce tubs). No one announced this shift, it just showed up online and in hardcopy catalogs. The inference was and is that it is easier to...
  17. mso489

    More New Forums Members Than Ever? Why Is That?

    I've been on Forums since February 2013. I haven't been counting, but it seems there are more new member introductions than ever. Does this indicate an upsurge in pipe smoking, or is there some other factor? It also seems that about a third of new members are from outside the U.S. I'm...
  18. mso489

    What's in the Revival of the Barling Name?

    Kopp Pipe of England has apparently obtained rights to the Barling name and produces a line of pipes in the mid-price range, many of them 9 mm filtered. Smokingpipes.com has a fairly large inventory of the pipes, and they look handsome. But what relationship, if any, do they have to the...
  19. mso489

    Grandma's Car "Hercules"

    My dad's mom, with whom I spent some time as a school kid, had several automobiles when I knew her; I think there were about four. But I especially remember the first one which might have been a 1935-ish Plymouth with the sailing ships on the hub caps. It also had a little interior windshield...
  20. mso489

    First Pipe, Briar Or Cob?

    Simple question from a "lifer," which is better as a first pipe, a briar or a cob? I'm setting aside clay, Meerschaum, and other alternatives, although of course, people start where they start, and anything is possible and maybe desirable for individual people. In terms of cost, an MM cob is...
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