A Beginner's Pipes Cost $900

[daimyo]

I think that we just enjoy these implements of ritual and we enjoy making this whole thing more mysterious than it really is.

I want to say yes and no to this. I certainly wouldn't chalk it up to magic but there has to be a bit more than just rudimentary measurements and correct hole placement. If not, even the cheapest automated production brands would produce the finest smoking pipes. I definitely agree with Foggy that when it comes to Dunhill you are paying for consistent excellence. Whether that makes the price worth it to a person is personal but I think it is safe to say there is some expertise that allows for the correct selection and actions for the briar in question. In the end, we are picky customers. As connoisseurs, we wish for every pipe to be that one that smokes perfectly. Sometime that comes from getting that specific pipe from a normal manufacturer. Can you increase your odds buying from a well known artisan maker? I don't honestly know because I haven't ventured into that territory enough to form a valid opinion. Still, as simple a device as a pipe is, there seem to be countless small things that can change the quality of the product. I could see experience leading to craftsmen who can account for these things and bring out the best in a particular piece of briar.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

As someone who has a fair share of pipes in every price and quality range, it is of my humble opinion that the idea of a "perfect" smoke is totally mythic. What does that even mean? Smoking is totally subjective. I think that we should think of pipes more like cars. Each car has a "way" it has been designed to be driven, and each pipe has a "way" in which it was designed to be smoked. Whether or not a pipe is perfect for you, may or may not correlate with how it is for someone else.
I do have many factory made pipes that smoke "in my style" better than some of my expensive handmades. It happens. The price you pay doesn't always correlate with the mechanics and engineering; however, I do prefer the attention to detail that some pipe makers give to things like the button. Some don't. I think Former's pipes are the worst when it comes to detail.
Do we actually believe that there is some mystical knowledge that pipe makers pass on about how to make certain briars require different dimensions of drill gauge or chamber size? Or, if I showed you that Ivarsson used the same diameter drill bit on everyone of his pipes, would that start to shatter some of these beliefs?
But, I don't want to bicker on it or pound the point too much. It is sort of nice to think that there's some mystique in these things. Fire itself is magical beast, so why shouldn't the ritual things about the fire also have some magic. But... ::

 

[kanaka95]

Man that's a ruff price for me.I could never afford that.But no discredit to the maker.It sounds like hes pretty kick a$$ in the pipe making realm.I can barely afford to buy baccys every month.But i love the hobby.

 

[wcannoy]

I'll admit that I have yet to figure out what makes pipemaking seem so hard that you'd have to apprentice with someone first. I've gone over my pipes with gauges to figure out what makes each of them smoke differently, and they all look fairly basic to me. Two holes of various gauges. They aren't nearly as complex as making a dovetail joint or a hinged door, and people figure that stuff out without apprenticing or taking a class all the time.

Is this really what people think about making pipe? That it is easy?
I sincerely want to know, so these are my open questions to all members:

1. Do you think it is or would be easy to make a (sellable) pipe?

2. Have you ever made a briar pipe?
I'll start, but I'll answer the second question first:

2. Yes. I've made too many pipes to count.

1. Each and every one has been difficult to make well.

 

[bulletsnbriars]

Mr. Walt, we're not saying it's super easy. We just can't imagine it being worth 900, even after expensive materials and several man hours.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yes, please explain what makes pipes harder to create. ::

 

[wcannoy]

BTW, let's keep in mind...
of that $900 price tag, Ray earned around $450 selling it to smokingpipes.com

 

[wcannoy]

Yes, please explain what makes pipes harder to create.

I'm not sure what you're asking for. Describing all of the steps required to make a decent pipe, as well as the care, precision and time involved in carrying out those steps... that would fill volumes.
There's an interesting phenomenon if you head over to pipemakersforum and search for "my first pipe" threads. It's not pretty, man... It's not pretty.

 

[numbersix]

I'm not sure what you're asking for. Describing all of the steps required to make a decent pipe, as well as the care, precision and time involved in carrying out those steps... that would fill volumes.
There's an interesting phenomenon if you head over to pipemakersforum and search for "my first pipe" threads. It's not pretty, man... It's not pretty

Great to hear this POV. I've balked at some of the prices I saw when I first started this fine hobby of ours, but have since come to believe that the prices being charged are worth it if someone will pay it.
Consider that if a person is going to support themselves making pipes, they must decide on a price that will both pay the bills and sell at the same time. These makers are IMO entitled to earn whatever the market will bear. If they price too high and no one's buying, they will find the correct price eventually.

 

[monty55]

Well .. all sold out, so I guess that about says it all...

 

[tslex]

"The price of a thing is what it will bring."
Adam Smith, more or less.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Walt, you won't get me to say it's easy to make a pipe. I can't change a lightbulb without screwing something up. I do know that the hourly rate I charge for what I do is more than what this carver's pipes went for, and even if I was skilled, I couldn't make it in an hour.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Here's the one I bought. If I worked the entire year around the clock I don't think I could make something like this.









I will report back how she smokes.

 

[beefeater33]

What a great looking pipe!

Mr. Glukler made some good points-- I'd say its worth every penny, even though it may not be everyone's "cup o' tea"

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I am a zen type guy so I love the look.
My Zen master once said to me, "Do the opposite of whatever I tell you."
So I didn't.

 

[pruss]

I am a zen type guy so I love the look.
My Zen master once said to me, "Do the opposite of whatever I tell you."
So I didn't.

I had you down as more Zork than Zen.
-- Pat

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Thanks Mike. I have a semi-milestone birthday coming up the first part of June and the wife asked me to pick out a pipe that she could give me, and I chose this one. So it wasn't just to annoy Foggy, lol.

 

[daimyo]

I think that we should think of pipes more like cars. Each car has a "way" it has been designed to be driven, and each pipe has a "way" in which it was designed to be smoked. Whether or not a pipe is perfect for you, may or may not correlate with how it is for someone else.

Again, yes and no. While we may all have predispositions, there are good and bad cars. Likewise with pipes, while all need to be smoked correctly, some just don't smoke as well while others seem to lead you down the path. I agree completely that a truly great smoking pipe can be had for not much money but it does seem hit or miss. I've had two of the same Chacom pipe at different times and one was clearly a better pipe. Also, going back to Dunhill, whatever knowledge they have garnered has lead them to very consistent results in performance if not grain pattern. There is an old Japanese saying that goes "In the mind of the beginner there are many choices, in the mind of the master there is only one." I tend to see the truth in that, in most crafts. While I have never made pipes myself, working with natural materials lends itself to varying results. When a pipe maker starts with a piece of briar, I'm sure he isn't aware of exactly how a sandblast will look, if there are inclusions, if there are pits where he hoped there wasn't. These are bigger and more obvious examples but I would hope that in years of making anything, these types of choices would build a repository of information and opinions. So while some of by best pipes have been $70 dollar pipes from the usual suspects, it would make sense that a skilled pipe maker will make the correct choices for the individual piece being made.
Peck, congratulations and let us know what you think once you smoke it.

 

[monty55]

Peck, that is one fine pipe. Congratulations! Wish I had purchased it when I saw it yesterday lol, but I'm sure you will provide the proper home for such a fine piece.

 

[drwatson]

as a tattoo collector myself, mine are all in the Japanese school / style

I was reading this post and finding it very interesting, till I came across this line. At this point my OCD kicked in and could'nt get beyond how does one collect tattoo's? Please tell me you don't have dead peoples skin on your wall. Cause that would be way too Silence of the Lambs! "IT PUTS THE LOTION ON THE SKIN OR IT GETS THE HOSE AGAIN"
Now on to the pipe! Those pictures are stunning! I don't think that it is crazy to spend that kind of money for a pipe like that. I've seen a Dunhill go for 10 grand. Now that was crazy. But if you have the money and would like to spend it on that, instead of feeding the poor in your city, then so be it.