About The Sherlock Holmes Heritage Pipes
- Thread starter Davy
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I finally bought one a couple of years ago, and it was just a shiny black pipe. But if you want a shiny, black pipe, then it's great.
I have a few Heritage finish Petersons, and two actually have decent grain under the finish, while the third is nearly black with hints of boring grain. If you watched the 2022 POTY drop, there was a much smaller percentage of 'nice grain' pipes (e.g: Terracota) than in 2021. I think that Peterson is having trouble finding good briar, and we'll see more and more Heritage finish pipes, and they'll keep getting darker
.I read an old advertisement from a pipe-maker once, that emphasized that their pipes were never dark-stained, and that such pipes were just to hide bad grain. That was back in the days when what was considered a 'bad grain' pipe would be a higher grade in today's world. The old pipe-makers would have tossed out many of the stummels that we fill and stain today.
As much as I enjoy a smooth pipe with nice grain, the dark finishes have their appeal to me. But I find I am enjoying sandblasts and rustication to be more aesthetically pleasing, for Petersons and beyond. Nice grain is, er, nice, but sandblasting and rustication are arguably more labor intensive and allow for more individual expression from the person or persons making the pipe. I also find myself enjoying the texture of these finishes, and for Peterson's especially, the rustic looks of these finishes fits their classic-meets-muscular aesthetic very well. I know current Peterson rustication has its fair share of haters, but I LOVE it, and it sure is nice to save a few dollars on what is essentially the same pipe.
If I had to guess, and others have said this already, but I think a lot of pipe makers, especially those involved in making pipes in great numbers, are starting to have supply issues, and dark finishes and rusticated/sandblasted finishes make it easier to hide trivial imperfections than lighter or more colorful stains do.
If I had to guess, and others have said this already, but I think a lot of pipe makers, especially those involved in making pipes in great numbers, are starting to have supply issues, and dark finishes and rusticated/sandblasted finishes make it easier to hide trivial imperfections than lighter or more colorful stains do.
I agree that the craggy rustic pipes from peterson are appealing. I like smooth as well but, like some others stated the heritage and ebony l dont care for. I recently bought a Rathbone and chose the rustic over blasted. No "normal" shade of stain was left at that time.
I bought my only Rathbone in the rusticated finish last year and like it fine. Find that the rustication patterns tend to differ among various Pete lines. Bought a rusticated B42 spigot this year and the rustication pattern was a bit different and more to my liking than the Rathbone.
I don't mind the Heritage finish. I'm not a grain connoisseur. I prefer a smooth finish, but the quality of the grain is not a consideration. More important to me is the overall appearance. The shape, proportions, and fittings are what I look at. If the winning pipe is in Heritage, ok. If it's a lighter finish, cool. If it happens to have interesting grain, even better.
A
AroEnglish
Guest
I'm with you. I'll pass on the ebony and I don't mind the heritage but a poorly shaped stumel I just can't get behind. Some of the 302 and 303 shapes especially have had some awful examples of shaping.
I picked up a heritage squire. I picked a splotchy looking one on purpose. A lot of good grain peeking through under the right light. I can’t really pick it up with my cellphone tho. So I like this one but not really a fan in general. Gotta atleast have a lil something to look at.
I own two Sherlock Holmes pipes. I have no idea what "Heritage" is supposed to mean with Peterson's new black pipes. My finish is classic Peterson red/mahogany. I may be looking to expand my SH collection (I love the Baker Street bulldog), but not with these new finishes.
I know - and as I sit here smoking on of those exact pipes I must say, how great it is to have a nice piece of Peterson history.
I rather like the heritage finish. I have a SH Deerstalker in that finish that I adore.
I have a Strand and Professor in Heritage. Both are beauties.
They take longer to make; at least twice as long. There is an interview in PM or PPN about it. The bowls need to be perfect and devoid of grain before the 8-12 layers of lacquer will adhere to the bowl. If it doesn't work they remove it and start over. Its a tuxedo type finish for formal occasions. Perhaps not to everyone's taste but high end none the less.
When it first came out there was an interview with someone at Peterson, they are quite proud of that finish as it harkens back to the old days of pipe finishes. The manager felt it was his favorite finish. Its a matter of taste. As for furnishings everyone likes oak wood these days so it is more expensive but some us still appreciate Mahogany, Black Walnut and Tiger Maple, and if you could even find it --- old growth cypress (the death wood) which used to be used for coffins as it is impervious to rot and needs a diamond dust saw blade to cut.
The heritage finish reminds me of black walnut wood. Tastes change I prefer less grain in pipes now and would like to try an ebony someday to see if it smokes differently.
I should have said perfectly smooth and with little or no grain. Look up the interview with the Peterson guy or check PPN. You can have your own opinion ... its o.k.