Ascorti Business Pipe of the Year 2004

[beef]

It looks like a "replacement" was made from an existing stem from a different pipe... the tenon tuned to fit but nothing else. Besides the oversize barrel, there's no trademark "A" on it, either.

FWIW, new stems that look original / are undetectable can be made for stummels.

Here is a cousin of your pipe (a Cavicchi) whose owner didn't like the short barrel for visual balance reasons, so decided to "stretch" it while leaving everything else alone.



View attachment 343506
View attachment 343507

That's right. I gave it a close look to see if the A was buffed off, but it doesn't look like it. So there is no difficulty in maintaining the shape of the draw when bending the stem? I assumed that you be tough. The replacement in your picture looks great. So, what is so difficult about the oom paul shape that so few are on the market? The drilling, I suspect. I know there are peterson system pipes, but it seems like the system just is avoiding the difficult angle of the drilling.

 

[Briarcutter]

That's right. I gave it a close look to see if the A was buffed off, but it doesn't look like it. So there is no difficulty in maintaining the shape of the draw when bending the stem? I assumed that you be tough. The replacement in your picture looks great. So, what is so difficult about the oom paul shape that so few are on the market? The drilling, I suspect. I know there are peterson system pipes, but it seems like the system just is avoiding the difficult angle of the drilling.

It's not the bending of the mouthpiece but the drilling of the air way,as you mentioned ,that's a bit tricky in a Oom Paul. If they use a large diameter mortise it makes it a bit easier though. The right amount of heat and taking your time,the air way won't collapse while bending the mouthpiece.

 

[georged]

So there is no difficulty in maintaining the shape of the draw when bending the stem?

No. The hole will stay round in cross section unless/until the material is heated to putty soft before bending (which isn't possible with acrylic in any event... it would bubble before reaching that temp). The whole "put a cleaner in it first" is myth food.

So, what is so difficult about the oom paul shape that so few are on the market?

They aren't especially difficult to make (somewhat, but not a lot). The reason you don't see many comes from the demand end, not the supply end... the shape is tough to smoke while doing anything significantly more than sitting still. If clenched, the bowl will hit your shoulder if you turn your head, and your chest if you look down. Plus, a lot of smokers don't care for the straight-up-your-nose smoke stream when it's idling.

I know there are peterson system pipes, but it seems like the system just is avoiding the difficult angle of the drilling.

The drilling itself isn't show-stoppingly harder than any other shape. Again, a lack of popularity is from low demand. Even properly drilled Oom Pauls won't "pass a cleaner" because of the geometry, and some people can't stand that. (There are recorded instances of people becoming so frustrated that they jumped in front of fast-moving trains and off sky scraper rooftops, in fact.)

 

[beef]

(There are recorded instances of people becoming so frustrated that they jumped in front of fast-moving trains and off sky scraper rooftops, in fact.)

I hope that I don't turn out to be one of them!

 

[georged]

I hope that I don't turn out to be one of them!

Indeed.

The doctors who have studied the cases that ended that way said there was always a 'tip off" sort of precursor behavior known as "mulching" where the offending pipes were first tortured by being forced into use as flowerpots, and then thrown into a trash bin outright.

Meaning you have nothing to worry about unless you find yourself thinking along those lines.

 

[beef]

The guy at 1:45 is what I have in mind for an oom paul: