Found Myself a Black Frigate Pipe

[alaskanpiper]

I have been wanting a pipe to dedicate to Black Frigate for a while now. With my wife's PAD replacement therapy rules in place (cheap restoration acquisitions only!) ebay has become my methadone clinic. I finally found an awesome pipe that I am excited to have as my dedicated BF only smoker. It is a Comoy's Scrimshaw shape 368 with an awesome little shank accent of a scrimshaw style naval scene on it, that features a ship that is strikingly similar to the one that graces the labels of the black frigate tins. As well as a nice Dark and Stromy stain/grain. I scooped it up for $21. It will be an easy resto, only needing some stem oxidation removal, chamber and rim reaming/cleanup and a new coat of wax. Nomenclature, briar, and stem are all in great shape underneath. Office lighting isn't the best for capturing grain, but check it out...

 

[husky]

That is a pipe with some personality! Great catch!

 

[jaytex1969]

 

[Chasing Embers]

Great looking little apple! I actually like BF so much that I had a volcano commissioned for it several years ago.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Great looking little apple! I actually like BF so much that I had a volcano commissioned for it several years ago.

Thanks! Yeah, I've seen the pics you posted of that one. Awesome looking pipe. It's a weaver, right?

 

[trouttimes]

Great looking pipe. Did it originally have the scrimshaw band or is that a repair? I love all my Comoy pipes and that is one I would love to have. Don't know f I would use it for Black Frigate, those pirates scare me.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Great looking pipe. Did it originally have the scrimshaw band or is that a repair? I love all my Comoy pipes and that is one I would love to have. Don't know f I would use it for Black Frigate, those pirates scare me.

The band is original, it was a series they released some time ago. The word Scrimshaw is also below Comoy's in the nomenclature if you take a look at that second to last picture. I am still researching to try and find out when these were released/more info about them generally. Found some other examples out there on older forums and google images, mostly blasted ones. From what I have read the style of C inset on the stem makes it post Cadogan (1980), but that's all I have found out so far. Someone on another forum guessed early 80s but didn't offer much as to what led them to that. If anyone else knows anything further I'd love to hear it.
And just to be clear for anybody wondering, the band is scrimshaw "style" but it is white acrylic, not ivory or whale bone, haha. Although that would be radical if any of you pipe maker's out there want to take note! May have to source that in Japan....or Barrow......excuse me, Utqiagvik.....hahaha.

 

[trouttimes]

Thanks for the info. I'll start looking for one in the estate listings. I would also love it if it was really bone but only organic, non gmo, gluten free bone of course.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It's a weaver, right?

Sure is, the very first he carved for me.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Sure is, the very first he carved for me

Awesome. Was saddened to hear about his passing. Hope is fam is doing ok. Would love to own one of his pipes someday, but they are too rich for my blood at this point, and probably going to go up significantly now.

 

[Chasing Embers]

they are too rich for my blood

He gifted me a couple of them. :mrgreen:

 

[lawdawg]

Very cool pipe! If it were mine, I'd use it to smoke navy flake style tobacco since I'm not aboard the Black Frigate ::

 

[alaskanpiper]

He gifted me a couple of them

:worship:

 

[alaskanpiper]

Very cool pipe! If it were mine, I'd use it to smoke navy flake style tobacco since I'm not aboard the Black Frigate

You are lucky to be alive after jaytex made you walk the plank the other day! Re: Navy Flakes, I tend to load them up in wider pots/authors, as I do with all flakes. I just like the way they smoke better in those shapes. BF is crumbly enough to get away with the roughly 1.5/.8 bowl shape of this one.

 

[yohanan]

Very nice acquisition, Congrats!!!

 

[cortezattic]

Great little pipe for the nautical themed smoke.

 

[Chasing Embers]

BF is crumbly enough to get away with the roughly 1.5/.8 bowl shape of this one.

Any tobacco works good in any chamber size. Fitsall about packing and cadence.

 

[mikethompson]

Nice pipe! I haven't seen a pipe with an image on the stem like that. Great for Black Frigate, or Blockade Runner for that matter.
I hear you about the estate purchases too! Its nice to score a good pipe at a cheap price.

 

[danimalia]

Great haul, dude. I'd have loved the stem accent even if it had been plain white because of the contrast with the black stem, but the little natutical illustrations take it to the next level.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Any tobacco works good in any chamber size. Fitsall about packing and cadence.

Yep. But I am lazy and recognize my limited ability to pay attention to my cadence at times, so I *usually* do what feels easiest for me. Every few bowls I'll load a tobacco into a chamber shape I wouldn't usually smoke it in, just to practice so I eventually get better at smoking anything in anything, but most times I don't want to have to pay attention when I'm trying to relax, so I just load the tobacco into whatever chamber shape it seems to smoke easiest in with my usual packing methods and then just smoke with my natural cadence so I don't have to pay attention.
I am still fairly new to it all. I can smoke any tobacco in any chamber and enjoy it, but certain shapes tend to be more effortless than others for certain cuts with my limited experience, so I stick to those most times so I don't have to think about it. Then every once in a while shake it up and pay attention so I can keep learning.
Ribbon cuts or crumble cakes I have no problem smoking in any shape right now, it's just the flakes, plugs, and ropes that I tend to prefer shorter wider chambers with, at least right now.