Sidebar

Search results

Log in

Forgot your password?

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

Al Pascia
Blue Room Briars
Cigar World
Danish Pipe Shop
LePipe.it
Missouri Meerschaum
Pipes2Smoke.com
PipeStud.com
Seattle Pipe Club Tobaccos
SmokingPipes.com
Tabaccheria Corti
TinBids.com

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Search the forum
  1. literaryworkshop

    Questions About Pipe Smoking In The Past

    Oh wow, I had forgotten about those McDonald's ash trays! Thanks for the throwback! For myself, I'm just old enough to remember when smoking was allowed pretty much anywhere, and frankly, I really don't miss it. I mean, I enjoy a good pipe and all. But I never enjoyed the smell of stale...
  2. literaryworkshop

    Adding Coffee Flavoring

    Just an observation: in my experience, burning coffee beans smell nothing like good coffee.
  3. literaryworkshop

    Wally Frank Pipe of the Month Billiard Restored

    I was given a box of old pipes, most of which I will eventually sell off, but this one billiard caught my eye. It's a Wally Frank Sweet Root, marked as a Pipe of the Month Club. It was pretty dull when I got it, and the stem was REALLY oxidized. Pipe Restoration #2 before Wally Frank...
  4. literaryworkshop

    Cheap Buffing Wheel Setup?

    Late to the party here... A couple years ago I bought a little Craftsman buffer on clearance for about $100. I think that was half-price. I've used it on all my pipes since then. Before that, I had put a small buffing wheel in my drill press. It worked okay, but the small wheel was difficult...
  5. literaryworkshop

    Trying to Make My First Pipe

    Well, I'm all out of short answers, but here's a long answer: I wrote up a blog post on this a few years ago. One of these days I'll write an updated version, but you might find it useful. I've not really used a Dremmel so can't comment on its usefulness in pipe making. In general...
  6. literaryworkshop

    Frog Morton Cellar.

    So when the inevitable happens and it all runs out, what's a good tobacco that has similar characteristics?
  7. literaryworkshop

    Tobacco Suggestions for a Beginner

    Frog Morton's Cellar and Balkan Blue, both made by McClelland. Both are fairly mild on the tongue but flavorful without being overpowering.
  8. literaryworkshop

    What's This Pipe Worth, And Why?

    Well, on eBay, it only takes two motivated buyers to send an item's price way past reasonable. But that's economics (and psychology) for you. And yeah, there are a lot of people who are collectors, and serious collectors will put serious money into filling holes in their collections. I know...
  9. literaryworkshop

    A Shiny Stem

    In my experience, you would have to sand to a VERY high grit in order to get a truly shiny stem--at least 2,000-3,000. I think a lot of commercially-made pipes are buffed on a wheel, first with Tripoli wax and then with white diamond. If you happen to have access to a couple buffing wheels...
  10. literaryworkshop

    Loose Stem

    I've had some success with coating the mortise with a bit of superglue. I squeeze in just a drop and use a toothpick to spread it around quickly, being careful to get it nowhere near the draft hole. Usually one coat of the gel superglue gets the tenon nice and tight again. Just be sure it's...
  11. literaryworkshop

    Daughters & Ryan 3 Sails---Disappointed

    I was initially disappointed with some D&R, but the stuff was so inexpensive that I figured I had nothing to lose. It was initially very dry and not very interesting. But I rehydrated some of it and cellared it for a few months. I just pulled it back out this week, and it's better--quite a...
  12. literaryworkshop

    Bent Pipe Technique

    Not being able to pass a pipe cleaner is a classic sign of trouble. The junction between the two airways, at the bottom of the mortise, is a common culprit. As was said above, sometimes it can be corrected with some careful work--usually by chamfering. I've successfully used a countersink...
  13. literaryworkshop

    Best stem to use?

    Acrylic is harder but also more brittle than vulcanite, so I think you should stick with the vulcanite. I'm sure that if you described your problem to a good repair guy, he could fit your pipes with a stem with a thicker button than usual. But really, I think altering your clenching habits...
  14. literaryworkshop

    What do you think about this pipe?

    Very nicely made. Proportions are distinctive. The shank is a bit long and thicker than on a usual billiard, and there's more "chin" on the bottom of the bowl. It all gives the pipe a solid, substantial look. The stem work is excellent. I really like the billiard and all its permutations...
  15. literaryworkshop

    Noob thoughts and questions

    Re: your original question about more expensive pipes--if you buy from an established maker (somebody who has made hundreds of pipes), then you shouldn't have to worry about getting a bad one. Engineering the inside of a pipe to smoke well is not difficult, and any established pipe maker knows...
  16. literaryworkshop

    Restoration Guidance Respectfully Requested

    There are almost no books on the subject of making or restoring pipes. Fortunately, we now have the internet. Pipemaker's Forum is a great place to start.
  17. literaryworkshop

    Artisan Pipes

    Glad you had a good experience. IMO, drilling the pipe to smoke well is the easiest thing about making a pipe. That doesn't mean it's not easy to screw it up royally. But drilling is pretty simple engineering: holes of the correct size intersecting in the right places. An...
  18. literaryworkshop

    Drying Briar Pipe Right Under The Sun

    I don't see much harm in it. As said above, if the pipe is very moist after smoking, then you might want to let it dry/cool off with the stem attached.
  19. literaryworkshop

    New resto guy needs to get schooled

    My first guess would be that the color was worn off through abrasion somehow. It's easy to buff the color right off the pipe, especially with a fast wheel like that. Smoking the pipe generally causes the color to darken, not lighten. (You've perhaps noticed that estate pipes are very often...
  20. literaryworkshop

    Morta?

    Here's an interesting discussion of aged briar on Pipemaker's Forum. Apparently there's some disagreement between pipe makers about whether extended aging is beneficial for briar. Not sure how this translates to morta, though.
Top Bottom