Estate Pipes Nice To Look At, But-

[cosmicfolklore]

You know when you contact an artisan, and they've got orders ahead of yours? That's me. Sorry. But, I have a passion for artisan pipes, but two things makes it a difficult endeavor. First, I hate storing pipes, and the second is that I absolutely refuse to smoke a pipe more than once. So, I will savor and enjoy the new wood on a freshly made pipe... then just toss it away. The biggest problem, is that I smoke between 9 and 12 pipes a day. So, I have to keep scores of artisans working non-stop. But, f you think about it, I save a ton of money on pipecleaners.

 

[irishearl]

You know when you contact an artisan, and they've got orders ahead of yours? That's me. Sorry. But, I have a passion for artisan pipes, but two things makes it a difficult endeavor. First, I hate storing pipes, and the second is that I absolutely refuse to smoke a pipe more than once. So, I will savor and enjoy the new wood on a freshly made pipe... then just toss it away. The biggest problem, is that I smoke between 9 and 12 pipes a day. So, I have to keep scores of artisans working non-stop. But, f you think about it, I save a ton of money on pipecleaners.

You're wonderously FOS.

 

[beefeater33]

I have one factory pipe left in my collection. I prefer the feel of hand made stems and I like the way an artisan pipe smokes in comparison to any other type of pipe. I do have one factory pipe which is the first pipe I bought but haven't smoked it in a decade it is a Savinelli and it smokes fine except for the stem. I also have a few Meers, but I am not sure how to categorize those. As far as I am concerned they are average to poor smoking pipes even though one is an IMP and is supposed to be a good pipe. The stems all suck

My last 12 purchases have all been new pipes and they have all been Jack Howell commissions.. I still look at every estate pipe I can and I see lots of dog crap for stupid prices. I don't understand how people are selling these dogs.

Harris............ did you sell off all of those Willmers you had?

 

[OzPiper]

Harris............ did you sell off all of those Willmers you had?

I hope he didn't chuck them in the trashcan like Duane(@chasingembers) did with his fleet of Sav yachts

 

[Chasing Embers]

I hope he didn't chuck them in the trashcan like Duane(@chasingembers) did with his fleet of Sav yachts

That was everything excluding artisans, meerschaums, and one 904. Oh, and they were yachtsmen, a yacht is a zulu.

 

[beefeater33]

That was everything excluding artisans, meerschaums, and one 904.

You should have donated them to soldiers overseas, or homeless people under the bridges...........
Man, I always loved looking at that collection!!...........

 

[Chasing Embers]

You should have donated them to soldiers overseas, or homeless people under the bridges...........
Man, I always loved looking at that collection!!...........

That's been several months ago. When I'm cleaning and something becomes clutter, out it goes.

 

[LikeDadDid]

I'm surprised no one has voiced my brother's and my sentiment, that estates are great because each has a story, even if we will never know that story. We like the bit of mystique that's in the mystery of an estate.

I've never owned an artisan so can't compare their functional difference to estates, but among my estates there's a wide gap in smokability. This also offers me enjoyment, since I'm a tinkerer. My bro wants to simply refurbish an estate, leaving it mostly as he found it, but I want to tune each pipe to its best performance and appearance, sometimes drilling and sanding and refinishing until it's completely remodeled. My willingness to completely alter a pipe usually requires the maker's marks to be already rubbed into oblivion.

Eventually I will begin making my own pipes. I don't know what that will do to my perspective on estates. We will see.

 

[mikethompson]

We like the bit of mystique that's in the mystery of an estate.

The back story of an estate is part of the appeal for me as well.

 

[Morrison Jeremiah]

I'm surprised no one has voiced my brother's and my sentiment, that estates are great because each has a story, even if we will never know that story. We like the bit of mystique that's in the mystery of an estate.

I've never owned an artisan so can't compare their functional difference to estates, but among my estates there's a wide gap in smokability. This also offers me enjoyment, since I'm a tinkerer. My bro wants to simply refurbish an estate, leaving it mostly as he found it, but I want to tune each pipe to its best performance and appearance, sometimes drilling and sanding and refinishing until it's completely remodeled. My willingness to completely alter a pipe usually requires the maker's marks to be already rubbed into oblivion.

Eventually I will begin making my own pipes. I don't know what that will do to my perspective on estates. We will see.

The artisan made pipes that I have were not made for me to my specification, I just bought them as is. I really don't have have the ability to design a pipe for myself. Good luck with making your own pipes, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
I would do it if I had the design skills. I probably have the hand skills and I have loads of tools and equipment that could be used for making pipes. Hope you show us your pipes when you've made them.

 

[pappymac]

If you are gonna think about a commission pipe...let me suggest a Ron RdPipes or a Cramps (Cramptholomew) pipe..both will knock your socks off.

I was lucky to buy to of Ron's pipes last year. A bent billard that was on his website and a large Cutty that I ordered. He had a rough time with the Cutty and wasn't happy with it but I convinced him to send it anyway. It's been in my weekly rotation since it arrived.

Ron announced in May that he's only taking one commission per month, so unless he's walked that back I imagine it's going to be quite a wait if you can even get on the list. He and Jason (Cramptholomew) both do beautiful work, but Jason (jeverettpipes on IG) might be a little more attainable these days. I'll also vouch for Mike Couch on IG, he made a fantastic strawberry devil anse for me in under a month at less than $200.

I bought my pipes from Ron in May 2020. He said back then that he was thinking about cutting back on the number of pipes he was carving because of health issues.

edit: I just checked his website and he does have some new pipes listed, so he must be doing better.

 

[orlandofurioso]

My every day work horse is a 1961 Dunhill 127 shell with an extra long stem and a scorched rim.
I bought it as an estate and did the refurbishing myself, as with all my estates.
It smokes as a freight train and never let me down. I own artisan made pipes and never smoked them .
Recently bought one of Paul Hubartt's last pipes, before he sadly went out of business.
Now I feel reluctant to give it the first light. What I like about estates is their history revealed
and I go to lenghts to find out about it. I once bought a 1926 Dunhill Shell 59 from a very congenial German seller.
It had belonged to his grandfather who emigrated to the States fearing all the turmoil in Europe .
The ship he was on moored in London where he went ashore and more or less by accident bought the pipe
in a Dunhill shop. The pipe was ordered by a regular customer who never showed up to collect it.
So it went with some discount . His grandfather took it with him to the USA , soldiered it through WO 2 in Europe. Much later the pipe found its way back to his grandson and now to me. I'm full well aware it is probably sentimental nonsens,since pipes cannot talk and the truth can never be verified . But that is what I am ; sentimental nonsense

 

[Kal]

I’ve never been one to spend much on pipes. This is for two reasons. Firstly, I do not have the disposable income for most artisans. Secondly, any extra money that I have I’ve put toward tobacco. A good portion of my pipes are estates that I have picked up from antique stores. I’m not really an eBay guy but I thoroughly enjoy the hunt at local shops. I’ve been pretty fortunate at what I’ve come across.

I agree. Sure I'd love some of the finer pipes, but realistically I just can't afford then. It's the same for most tins of tobacco.
My weakness is small regional blenders. I over spend on tobacco to try and support them. They're just difficult to find except by word of mouth.

 

[rdpowell]

Ron announced in May that he's only taking one commission per month, so unless he's walked that back I imagine it's going to be quite a wait if you can even get on the list. He and Jason (Cramptholomew) both do beautiful work, but Jason (jeverettpipes on IG) might be a little more attainable these days. I'll also vouch for Mike Couch on IG, he made a fantastic strawberry devil anse for me in under a month at less than $200.

To the OP topic, I've recently been buying estate artisan pipes and I think it's the best of both worlds. Usually a real qualitative jump up from factory pipes, often at less than factory prices. I don't mind that somebody else smoked them, as long as they were either cared for or restored well by the seller. When I was a kid my mom used to make me try on pants in the aisles of the thrift stores where all my clothes came from, so I'm not too fancy for a used chunk of wood I'm going to burn leaves in.

Because of health issues I had to cut back on commissions and pipe making in general. Although I'm feeling much better now I'm still trying to pace myself so I can continue to meet the demand. I am taking more commissions now but, I'm being a little more picky as to what I choose to do. I hope all understand and thank you.

 

[tschiraldi]

So they've all only been with virgins? Seems unlikely, or boring.

So, they bring their own forks to restaurants???

 

[MarcosEZLN]

Because of health issues I had to cut back on commissions and pipe making in general. Although I'm feeling much better now I'm still trying to pace myself so I can continue to meet the demand. I am taking more commissions now but, I'm being a little more picky as to what I choose to do. I hope all understand and thank you.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Ron! As much as we all love your pipes I'm sure you feeling poorly was a much bigger concern for us than your reduced output.

 

[jpmcwjr]

You should have donated them to soldiers overseas, or homeless people under the bridges...........
Man, I always loved looking at that collection!!...........

Or a thrift shop!

I'll never understand just chucking out anything of value that could be donated to a good cause.

 

[sablebrush52]

My every day work horse is a 1961 Dunhill 127 shell with an extra long stem and a scorched rim.
I bought it as an estate and did the refurbishing myself, as with all my estates.
It smokes as a freight train and never let me down. I own artisan made pipes and never smoked them .
Recently bought one of Paul Hubartt's last pipes, before he sadly went out of business.
Now I feel reluctant to give it the first light. What I like about estates is their history revealed
and I go to lenghts to find out about it. I once bought a 1926 Dunhill Shell 59 from a very congenial German seller.
It had belonged to his grandfather who emigrated to the States fearing all the turmoil in Europe .
The ship he was on moored in London where he went ashore and more or less by accident bought the pipe
in a Dunhill shop. The pipe was ordered by a regular customer who never showed up to collect it.
So it went with some discount . His grandfather took it with him to the USA , soldiered it through WO 2 in Europe. Much later the pipe found its way back to his grandson and now to me. I'm full well aware it is probably sentimental nonsens,since pipes cannot talk and the truth can never be verified . But that is what I am ; sentimental nonsense

I don't think it's nonsense at all. Knowing something of an object's history makes it more familiar to us and certainly more singular.

 

[captaincalabash]

I grew up listening to my grandparents who were young parents in the Great Depression (if it was so depressing, why do we call it great?), then fought/lived through WW II, then the Cold War. Grandad's philosophy, stated many times, was "Never throw anything away, it may be useful someday!" Small wonder then that most of my pipes are estates, a few professionally refurbished, but must cleaned up by yours truly. This served to increase my minimal crafting/cleaning skills where pipes are concerned. I too find myself thinking about a pipe's history as I smoke it. They all have "character", and I didn't have to worry about breaking them in!

 

[cshubhra]

I'll also vouch for Mike Couch on IG, he made a fantastic strawberry devil anse for me in under a month at less than $200.

Mike made the same Strawberry Devil Anse for me under a week. I think this is how it happened.

Mike made a Strawberry Anse and was showing off in various places. The first one was booked even before he was showing off, but he got a bunch of orders immediately.

The first one (If it was a commission) then the customer has to wait. All subsequent ones, depending on where the customer is in the queue will get quickly or have to wait.

I was second on the list (First copycat) so I got mine quickly.