Fills in Briar and Pipe Philosopy

[mso489]

For beginners, fills are those little spots in briar patched with filler to keep a bowl smooth

or in shape. Sometimes these spots are covered by rustication or sandblast, but in many

pipes you can see them on close examination. If I like a pipe otherwise, and the fills are

small and well done, I really don't care about them. I'm not into competitive pipe smoking,

don't long to impress others at pipe shops, clubs, or shows. I admire pipes without fills, of

which I have a few, but I also think fills can add a bit of character and charm and keep a pipe

unpretentious. How do you feel about those little telltale spots on the briar?

 

[philobeddoe]

To the best of my knowledge I don't own any pipes with fills, if I do, they are so well camouflaged that my eyes could not discern them. I decided long ago to avoid such pipes, the fills bother me and seem to stand out much more I my head than they do in reality. This may come off as elitist or snobbish, by hey...they're my pipes not yours. I certainly don't look down on others who choose to smoke pipes with fills, I just don't like them for myself.

 

[numbersix]

I have to admit that I prefer my pipes to have no fills - but small ones I can tolerate.

This may come off as elitist or snobbish

The way I see it, a pipe is both functional and a thing of beauty. I see fills as being similar to a dent in one's car. Some don't care about those things and for those who don't, I say more power to 'em - but for me, it takes a way from the beauty of the car (or pipe).

 

[sablebrush52]

My chief concern is that the pipe be a good smoker. I have a few pipes that have a fill or two, and I really don't care. I know that they're there, but it's so secondary to me.

 

[papipeguy]

I'm with sable that it's the performance quality that counts. However, there really should not be any fills in expensive pipes, which to me are over $150. At that point you are paying for high quality briar.

 

[pylorns]

I'm with papipeguy - if I'm paying a premium, I expect no fills.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I've got a few pipes with small fills, and like sable, they don't bother me because the pipe smokes so well. Sometimes if it's a pipe I really like, I'll refinish the pipe and find a way to make the fills mostly invisible. I enjoy the process, and I end up with a pipe that looks better too. Yeah I still know they're there, but eh, I just don't care enough to let it bother me.

 

[necron99]

I just say don't drive you pipe or smoke your car.

A wise man once said something to the effect of I have my worries and none of them are yours. Changes worries to pipes and shazam! I have my pipes and none of them are yours.

Or in the immortal words of that song some chick sings. " if it makes you happy.......it can't be that bad.... If it makes you happy........why the hell are you so sad." not the sad bit just the happy bit.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If a fill brings down an artisan pipe by two or three hundred dollars, then I say, "give me the fill, please."

 

[monty55]

I assume that a lot of pipes that are blasted or rusticated have some fills, or at least have a high probability of having one, but I do not know how to identify them through the sandblasting or rustication processes. I do have one very nice estate pipe made by a very famous American Artisan pipe maker, and sold by a very popular .com retailer that I found a small spot in the bottom of the bowl that is filled. It was not advertised and I was surprised. But, it is small and you can't see it and the pipe smokes like a champ. So I never complained to the retailer or to the artisan.

 

[claypipesarchaeologist]

+1 for cosmic. And I do like a few little holes. I think they're cute and they give me a little something extra to look at as I twirl my pipe in my hand during a smoke-pause.

 

[ravkesef]

I take it for granted that my premium pipes will be just that--premium. It will look and smoke great. However, if I pay $100 for a pipe, even though I expect that the pipe will smoke well, I am not going to be upset at a minor fill here and there.

 

[settersbrace]

Fills aren't a deal breaker as long as it's not a pipe that's being priced as a premium grade. I prefer that the maker just rusticated the pitted area like JM Boswell used to do in earlier pipes that used to be sold in the Tinder Box stores and such. Like Sable, I'm all about how it smokes and I've had some pipes with obvious fills that smoked well and never showed any sign of burnout.

 

[settersbrace]

Deleted

 

[ithelouniverse]

My favorite sav has two fills on the bowl. I smoke this pipe often and have no complaints at all. Love it

 

[gmwolford]

For me it just depends: some fills, especially small ones, I don't really notice, but others drive me crazy. I think where it's located has a lot to do with this, for me; if I'm constantly staring aa the "wart" something has to be done.

 

[mso489]

Most of my pipes don't have fills, or any that are conspicuous. And I have put plenty of pipes back on the display rack

because they have fills in obvious spots, or large fills, or just weren't appealing enough with even minor fills. So I'm not

promoting shopping for fills. And I certainly agree with the comments about premium pipes; I expect no fills, or back to

the retailer it goes. I have five pipes from one carver, who is remarkably reasonably priced, but those pipes have no fills.

But my old (35 years plus) Savenelli unfinished pipes with fills ... sublime. First I loved 'em despite the fills, and now I

love 'em all the more because of the fills. It's not rational, I admit.

 

[bwithers55]

This may be another way of asking whether you are a collector or a smoker. The collector probably avoids fills, while the smoker is less concerned about them. YMMV
I have gravitated from the ranks of collectors to the ranks of the smokers.I was spending *way* too much money on pipes. So- yes, most of my pipes have fills. I'm more concerned with shape (lovat), size (no more than 5.5 inches and less than 40 grams), and how the bit feels in my teeth. Oh, and fills. I still pay attention to the fils. I don't like them, but I can tolerate them now, particularly of I like the pipe in all other respects.
I don't mind cleaning up a few ebay pipes to find one worth keeping. I just sell the rest (newly cleaned) where I found them.
Best Wishes,

Bill Withers

 

[brudnod]

My best smoker has a small fill in it. It is still my best smoker. I am more worried about a darkish hue on the side of the wall of the bowl. Not necessarily a problem but, in addition to not looking quite right, it can be a sign of full thickness burn. I would guess that most of the followers of this forum appreciate the beauty of a finely made, flawless (and expensive) pipe but as had been said many times before, the smoke is the charm...

 

[kcvet67]

I am a huge fan of Savinelli Autographs. I have learned over the years that the "Hand Made" (Autograph seconds) series (when you can find them) smoke just as well as a pipe without fills that qualifies for the "Autograph" insignia.
A small fill generally has no affect on the way that a pipe smokes. It can have a huge price on the price that you pay.