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dunnyboy

dunnyboy

Lifer
Jul 6, 2018
2,446
29,814
New York
Seeing those blocks of raw briar and those top-tier pipes in the same post made me marvel at the incredible skill and creativity that can transform the one into the other. Happy birthday and thanks for sharing that great story and beautiful pics.
 
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J

JimK

Lifer
Feb 11, 2021
1,268
24,716
Very Happy Birthday! Those Autographs are beautiful! I usually only smoke Upshalls and Autographs, and it's because of the wood which makes them the best smoking pipes, for me ayway. Enjoy!
 
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TheIronMonkey

TheIronMonkey

Lifer
Dec 3, 2021
4,886
41,209
Pennsylvania & New York
Thank you, everyone!

The draw on the 514 KS was so nice and open, smoking the Margate was very relaxing; there was an ease to the experience where it almost felt like time had slowed down. I used the balsa filters in the Autographs, but, I think next time, I'll pop the adapters in. The chamber on the Author was on the smaller side, at least compared to a 320 KS. It was an enjoyable evening. Thanks again, for all the good wishes.
 
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Latakia Dave

Latakia Dave

Lifer
Mar 4, 2021
1,666
20,964
Shenandoah Vally Virginia
TheIronMonkey said:
So, a little while back, I had been eyeballing a Savinelli Giubileo d'Oro 320 KS Author pipe at smokingpipes.com—the idea of getting a three dot Savinelli with a matching tamper was very appealing. I have a couple of Punto Oro one dots, but, never had a three dot. I wasn't blown away by the pipe initially, but, something about it compelled me to return to the site and look at it again and again. One night, it dawned on me that the grain and orientation was quite unusual. It was almost as if a fireball or meteor was at the front of the pipe and speed lines raced along the shank straight back to the stem. It made me think of the comic book artist, Jack Kirby, whose work I had grown up on, and how this could've been drawn by him and inked by Mike Royer. I knew then, that I had to have it, and decided to treat myself to an early birthday present. I'd order it, wait, and probably smoke it on my birthday. The pipe arrived and I didn't open it right away. But, when I did a few days later, I was incredibly disappointed to discover a scuff on the finish of the left side of the pipe. A three dot is supposed to be the finest of the regular tier of pipes; this wasn't what I was paying for with this flaw. I supposed that I could polish it out, but, it wouldn't be the factory finish that I wanted/expected from Savinelli. Sadly, I had to return it. I knew I would never be happy with that scuff or if the finish wasn't by the marque. I didn't want a restored pipe in this instance. I was buying a new pipe. It should be flawless.

View attachment 127853

Now, without the birthday present I intended for myself, I started poking around. I ended up getting an unsmoked '70s or '80s Savinelli Giubileo d'Oro 514 KS Long Shank Bulldog (Bent Stem) with beautiful, tiny, birdseye. It has a gold tube/removable stinger. I'm not sure (the seller wasn't sure) the box is original to this pipe. Perhaps, a collector or historian here can tell me if it's the correct period packaging for this model.

View attachment 127860

Because I hadn't spent as much for this as I originally did with the 320 KS, I thought I'd check out some of the new Savinelli Autograph pipes that were available at SPC to use my credit on—I had never seen an Autograph Author, and the one below (4 grade) really caught my eye. It was like a 320, but with its rounded lip ground flat. It became a candidate. With just a little bit more spent on top of my original purchase, I could have two pipes instead of one. At least, that was the PAD logic at work.

View attachment 127864

Then, I came across the Bent Dublin Autograph (0 grade) below, and fell in love. The shape, with the beveled front edge of the chamber, the grain. Stunning to my eyes. It was way more than I planned on spending, but, it felt right. Not wanting to miss out on the rarity of the Autograph Author, I popped both in my cart. My wallet hurts, but, I don't regret their purchase.

View attachment 127866

This morning, when I awoke, my girlfriend, Susan, presented me with my birthday presents. She's a thorough researcher, and finds info online all the time. She wasn't sure of what pipes I already had or would like, but, she knew I was planning on carving a Meerschaum pipe for myself. She started looking through these forums to get ideas. I saw the pale yellow background of the forum on the screen on her laptop the other week and knew she was up to something.

The gift below, she gave to me last week, because I had inadvertently opened it when I got the mail. I saw the Vermont Freehand return address and thought it was powdered Carnauba Wax for the skull pipe I was going to carve. I didn't remember checking my cart out, but, figured I must've done so. I opened the package and saw the book, Pimo's Guide to Pipe Crafting at Home, which was odd, because I already had it, and wouldn't have ordered another. Maybe it was a complimentary gift with my order? That didn't make sense. I pulled out the invoice and saw a list of tools and briar blocks and thought, "Oh man, I didn't order this. I ordered wax. They sent the wrong order to me—I need to package this up and send it back." Then, I saw Susan's name. Ugh. I hadn't looked at the whole mailing label; I just glanced at the return address and thought, "Vermont Freehand, pipes, me." I had ruined her birthday surprise. I brought the package into the kitchen to show her and explained how I thought it was for me. She said "Well, it is for you. You may as well open it."

View attachment 127869

She had ordered everything the same day, but, they arrived separately, and were intended to be given to me today, all at once. So, this morning, she bestowed upon me, the rest of my birthday present. A pipe carving kit from Man Crate with a briar block with stem, a bench vise, cross-cut blade pull saw, a rasp and file set, instructions, sandpaper, and wood finish.

View attachment 127871

Last, but, not least, she got me a plateau kit, and four undrilled blocks from Mark Tinsky's company, American Smoking Pipe, Co. The only downside to this portion of the gift, was there was a tuft of cat hair inside the shipping envelope that sent me into a ten minute, coughing-so-hard-you-almost-vomit fit (I'm highly allergic to cats; I still think about my colleague at National Lampoon, Gerry Sussman, who died from an allergic reaction to cats). I love these thoughtful gifts from my sweetheart, who tolerates me smoking my pipes in the house. She's a keeper. Now, I need to figure out what I'm going to carve!

View attachment 127873

I'm probably going to christen the above three virgin Savinelli pipes with a few blends from Esoterica tonight and will post in the ***What Are You Smoking?** thread. See you there!
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Happy Birthday sir! Great haul indeed ??
 
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MarkAP

MarkAP

Lurker
Jan 3, 2022
4
4
That is fucking awesome and I'm jealous. I'm a woodworker that hasn't pulled the trigger on the tenoning jig yet but need to. I got my first stummel shaped but still haven't tried to finish the rest of the pipe yet. Just ordered pimo's book though, so hopefully I'll build up enough guts to finish it soon.
 
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TheIronMonkey

TheIronMonkey

Lifer
Dec 3, 2021
4,886
41,209
Pennsylvania & New York
MarkAP said:
That is fucking awesome and I'm jealous. I'm a woodworker that hasn't pulled the trigger on the tenoning jig yet but need to. I got my first stummel shaped but still haven't tried to finish the rest of the pipe yet. Just ordered pimo's book though, so hopefully I'll build up enough guts to finish it soon.
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It is a bit intimidating. I'll probably work on carving my Meerschaum skull first, then tackle a pre-drilled briar kit or two before venturing into fully drilling a pipe. I'll be curious to see what you think of the book. I read it awhile ago and it didn't seem as informative as I'd hoped. I should reread it.
pipesandscotch said:
Happy Birthday! The 514KS is one of my favorite shapes.
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The way it smoked, I can see why. I may grab another down the line.
dunnyboy said:
Seeing those blocks of raw briar and those top-tier pipes in the same post made me marvel at the incredible skill and creativity that can transform the one into the other. Happy birthday and thanks for sharing that great story and beautiful pics.
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It is impressive, seeing the raw material and what is possible with some vision and skill. It makes me think of the marble sculptures of Michelangelo and Bernini, how they started as big hunks of stone and were transformed into beautiful art.

Thank you, everyone for the birthday wishes—it's much appreciated!

I decided to break in another special unsmoked pipe today. Pics in this post.
 
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