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  1. shaneireland

    Let's See Your Pups!

    Best. Thread. Ever. We became a two-beagle household last year. Our youngest is Buckley and he turned 1 year-old a few days ago. His big brother Bubba just turned 11... Here’s the baby the day we brought him home, and a more recent picture of the brothers hanging out. The little guy is much...
  2. shaneireland

    New Peterson At SmokingPipes Europe ?

    Great pipe! And I'm really glad it arrived quickly. I hope that transit times will continue to improve over the coming months, but the bar was pretty low earlier on during the pandemic...
  3. shaneireland

    Would You Buy a Semi-Handmade Former For $530?

    Oh, you’ll get no complaints from me regarding an opportunity to debate ? But in all seriousness, I just want people to know the truth and I also think it’s important to support the pipe community and its craftspersons. I love all kinds of pipes and buy them for different reasons. Not everyone...
  4. shaneireland

    Would You Buy a Semi-Handmade Former For $530?

    Pipes are not art, though. At least not entirely. And the crafting of a pipe is much different than what goes into sculpture, painting, or even song writing, etc. I’m not minimizing the creative nature of the craft, but they are objects that have to function a certain way, unlike most of the...
  5. shaneireland

    Do You Buy New Pipes To *Not* Smoke Them?

    I’m only interested in pipes that will make the rotation, which saves me from buying a lot of beautiful pipes that are impractical for my needs (usually either too heavy, or with large chambers). My collection has gotten to the point where I usually have between 2-6 unsmoked pipes at any given...
  6. shaneireland

    Dunhill Shilling Pipe

    Very nice! "Shilling" is a designation for pipes in the Cumbelrand finish that have exceptional grain. It's the Cumberland's version of the Shell Briar "Ring Grain" and they're priced with a premium compared to their counterparts. The one you have was made in 1996 and it's a lovely shape...
  7. shaneireland

    Tamping And The Bottom Of The Bowl?

    This. Plus, it's really common to see chamber damage at the bottom the bowl, especially around the airway. Relighting dottle can be fairly risky if you're not super careful. I only "smoke to the bottom" if it's effortless.
  8. shaneireland

    What Can You Learn about Yourself by Looking at Your Own Pipe Collection?

    My collection tells me that I like small Apples, small Billiards, and small bent Dublins. And that I have a lot less money than I otherwise would...
  9. shaneireland

    New G.L. Pease Blend : Windjammer

    Maybe I'm mostly speaking for myself, but I'd wager that most fans of Haddo's would smoke something like Sixpence and find it to be an entirely different beast. What has me excited about Windjammer is that it's closely related to a few other GLP blends that happen to be favorites. If you dig...
  10. shaneireland

    New G.L. Pease Blend : Windjammer

    Oh, I'm not doubting that they taste dissimilar. I'm saying that no change was made, certainly not one that was made to "save" better quality leaf for newer releases. I'm saying that you'll always notice differences from batch to batch, tin to tin, year to year, and that it's even more muddy...
  11. shaneireland

    New G.L. Pease Blend : Windjammer

    I'm also just super stoked about the Windjammer release. I've been waiting YEARS for a GLP Virginia/Perique Flake along these lines...
  12. shaneireland

    New G.L. Pease Blend : Windjammer

    C&D sources certain grades of leaf and uses them in many blends; there are very few blends that have components that are entirely unique to them. Of course, a specific vintage of Perique that might have been used in a limited release isn't infinite, but most readily available blends that feature...
  13. shaneireland

    Peterson Question

    There's a lot of good advice in this thread, but I just wanted to second the "buy whatever one appeals to you visually" bit. That's really all this comes down to--just buy whichever is the most beautiful to your eye. You can count on several pipes from the same brand, but that are separated by...
  14. shaneireland

    Lathe Pipe Making Tools

    +1 here. Also, Vermontfreehand.com Steve is the best and his selection is excellent.
  15. shaneireland

    Frequent Tamping is Key

    Whatever works for you is the right technique, no doubt. Having said that, I’m in the “try not to tamp at all” camp. I figured out two things several years back and it changed the game for me. I wish I had realized sooner and I’ve shared this advice (FWIW) with many folks. 1. Most people pack...
  16. shaneireland

    What are You Drinking? (January 2021)

    I’ll definitely keep my eyes peeled. I’ve never seen that one in the wild, otherwise I’d probably have snagged it. It’s probably regional, but our selection of American Whiskey seems to be much better than Scotch, in this area. Maybe I can special order a bottle...
  17. shaneireland

    St. James Flake Removed from Smokingpipes.com?

    Sorry I’m late here, all. SJF isn’t going anywhere, as far as we know. It was basically just a mistake that it wasn’t displayed (it was sold out, though). I also checked on the 250g boxes and they aren’t marked discontinued, we just don’t have them displayed because all are out of stock and we...
  18. shaneireland

    Can You Feel the Grain on an Old Briar?

    It’s very hard to tell, but considering that some of the “texture” seems to run opposite the grain, I’d say this is just scratched and dinged-up. Right?
  19. shaneireland

    Capstan For The Top 1% Only

    I’m guessing we haven’t seen bulk here due to regulatory mess. It might be possible, though.
  20. shaneireland

    Capstan For The Top 1% Only

    Who said I was a gentleman? ?