High Quality Pipes and Fills

[sablebrush52]

That carver was not pulling your leg - the largest fills I have ever found were on a sandblasted pipe.

Not a surprise in a sandblast. Flaws are why some stummels become sandblasts.
Barling was known for their flawless smooths and for their fanaticism on the matter. A part of the art of carving that is not appreciated by end users is the skill it takes to re-carve the shape to remove the imperfections that show up in even the best wood, while retaining that shape well enough to still meet the model number pattern. That part of the manufacturing process is called the "cut down". The skill that those factory hand carvers had is second to none, including any artisan ever. Period.
One other part of the process that was widely used was coating the bowl with a fine film of gum arabic prior to waxing. The gum arabic is permeable, and it sinks into the surface to add additional smoothness by filling the little bit of natural texture in the wood.

 

[settersbrace]

Walt, that is a very cool little decoder trick you shared and thank you for that. Now I feel like a more informed consumer, which is what we should all strive to become. Those little lights are cheap and I can't wait to try it out.
Jesse, your knowledge of the Barling's Make and the little details of that operation is nothing short of amazing.

 

[buroak]

Not a surprise in a sandblast. Flaws are why some stummels become sandblasts.

That makes a lot of sense, especially with more experience under my belt. Until I found the fills in that pipe, though, I had always thought that sandblasting was an alternative to fills.

Walt, that is a very cool little decoder trick you shared and thank you for that.

I have always used a very bright LED light, but a UV light sounds even better.

Jesse, your knowledge of the Barling's Make and the little details of that operation is nothing short of amazing.

When are we going to see a book on Barling's?

 

[fishnbanjo]

My personal preference is I would rather see a sand pit, even on a smooth pipe, since the briar is a product of Mother Nature I believe a carver shows respect for the product allowing its true beauty to show and like a beauty mark on a human this is how I see a sand pit. The only pipes that have filler are cobs but I have seen them w/o fill as well and they can be very handsome and unique, just my obligatory $.02.

banjo

 

[warren]

I buy pipes only to smoke and do not collect as a hobby. I may buy 2 or 3 in a year and may go a couple of years without seeing a pipe which interests me. I believe Peck's scale is very reasonable and spot on.

 

[seacaptain]

Now, here's fill!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOWHQa68Oqo

 

[mso489]

peck's given a set of pipe grades at the connoisseurship level, but just for contrast, I'd propose much lower grid.
Low level: Cob prices to around $60 for briar

Low medium: $61 to $80

Medium: $81 to $150

High Medium: $151 to $250

High Level: $251 to $500

Connoisseurship level: $501 up
Just guessing, but I suspect that's how the volume mass market looks. What portion of the over all market the mass market represents would be interesting to know. Maybe eighty percent, with the twenty going to many fewer pipes at much higher prices. I'm guessing at the price spread from pipe shops, pipe shows, and online retail.
So back to the subject of fills, I still say, no visible fills should be seen above the new pipe price of $80.

 

[northernneil]

I think I agree with you MSO, as far as less than $80 being an acceptable range to use putty fills in pipes. Looking through my personal collection, I have quite a few pipes that cost around $90 and up that are fill free. They are mostly sandblasted with a couple smooth specimens in the mix. But I also have some more expensive pipes, none exceeding $200, that have numerous putty fills present.
I feel it really comes down to the carver when determining the price range where fills are acceptable. Some feel it is okay up to a certain price range, others feel it should be lower.
As others have said, I too prefer the natural flaws in briar to be left present or altered, rather than filled with putty. And fortunately, there are carvers out there producing fill free pipes at very reasonable prices.

 

[gloucesterman]

For the most part I don't buy new pipes. I buy estate pipes and refurbish them, mostly English brands (GBD and Comoy) or Italian Artisans (Ascorti, Radice, Ser Jacopo, Caminetto, etc..) With the English pipes I don't find a lot of fills and the few I do find are quite small which is acceptable to me because they are all but undetectable. If the stummels were seriously flawed they usually found their way to the blast bin or ended up textured in some way. Seconds is another matter, Buy a Dr. Plumb (GBD second) and it almost assured to have fills. And if the Italian pipe have fills they're well camouflaged under very artistic work. Even when smoked they don't appear obvious. But its always been my belief that your intent dictates your perspective on fills. If you buy a pipe because you value the way it smokes, fills are not an issue. If on the other hand you buy a pipe as an artistic investment they are. I concur with the stated position that anyone selling high grade pipes should not be marketing pipes with fills but I'm not sure that pipes selling for less than a hundred dollars should be flawless. The cost of labor and materials alone dictates a reasonable return on investment. Just because you can't see it underneath the rustication or blast doesn't mean it's not there. Trying to sell smooth pipes with flaws is just a way to minimize the expense of production and that IMHO speaks volumes about the maker.

 

[sablebrush52]

When are we going to see a book on Barling's?

I was approached about writing one, but I declined. Jon Guss would be a better choice.

 

[buroak]

I was approached about writing one, but I declined. Jon Guss would be a better choice.

How about an edited volume with Jon Guss and the handful of others with the necessary knowledge of the company?

 

[buroak]

mso489, I like your scale, but I see apparent, sometimes large fills on new pipes well above the $80 price point.
This thread has done a lot to reinforce my decision to smoke estate pipes. Old Kaywoodies that would have sold for $1.50 or $3.00 in the 1930s are made of excellent briar and have no fills.

 

[northernneil]

I have never understood why people believe that pipes were so much better in the 30's, 40's and 50's. As I understand it, pipes during that time were mass produced in the tens of thousands, and they more than likely did not have the time to let the briar properly cure and dry. Today, pipes are produced in much smaller numbers and I cannot help but think that more attention to detail is paid today with lower production.

 

[buroak]

Other forum members will know more about the specifics of various makers' manufacturing processes, but I think I can say a little. First, pipes made before the midpoint of the 20th century benefited from the availability of huge old growth burls. Second, perhaps due to lower labor costs in that same era, even mass produced pipes seem to have had a lot of hand crafting involved in their production. For example, the airway at the button end of stems on old Kaywoodies, even lower-graded lines show hand working to smooth and open the transition at that end of the airway. I do not see that kind of work on more recent pipes of similar grading.

 

[jackswilling]

Low level: Cob prices to around $60 for briar

Low medium: $61 to $80

Medium: $81 to $150

High Medium: $151 to $250

High Level: $251 to $500

Connoisseurship level: $501 up
This makes sense. Just got another new medium price Chacom and no fills, excellent fit and finish.

 

[northernneil]

Buroak, you have a point with quality of workmanship in relation to the dollar. A $3 pipe from the 30's would be the equivalent of a $50 pipe today. You will not find a handmade stem in that range today, but there is some phenomenal quality to be found in new, established pipe makers.
If you think about it, the bad pipes from past generations would not have survived through to today. They would have been smoked through and discarded. It would have only been the best pipes that lasted through the decades. I truly believe those same pipes are available today in the more than $50 but less than $100 range. There were some amazing factory pipes created back in the day, and there are some tremendous factory pipes produced by modern carvers. It takes education and patience to be able to weed through the the good and the bad (see artisian pipes to make this decision easier) but it can be done.

 

[sablebrush52]

I have never understood why people believe that pipes were so much better in the 30's, 40's and 50's. As I understand it, pipes during that time were mass produced in the tens of thousands, and they more than likely did not have the time to let the briar properly cure and dry. Today, pipes are produced in much smaller numbers and I cannot help but think that more attention to detail is paid today with lower production.

Completely and utterly incorrect.
The best makers all cured their wood. Makers like Kaywoodie and Barling air cured, a process that took years. Dunhill and Sasieni oil cured and heat cured, which sped up the process, but were diligent in the pursuit of properly cured wood for the manufacture of their pipes. Where there el cheapo crappo pipemakers back in the day? Of course, just as there are today. Was there el cheapo perverto wood used back in the day, you betcha! JUST like today. Only you won't be getting nicked for hundreds of dollars by a neophyte pipe shaper like you do today.
But don't kid yourself for a nanosecond that today's artisan pipes are some how superior to old factory briar. Artisan pipes are unique and beautiful and I love mine. And none of them are superior to my British and Italian factory pipes. They're simply a different approach to the pipe hobby.
True, Barling didn't go to Mimo for their briar. But that was because they WERE MIMO, baby! They controlled EVERY aspect of the manufacturing process from the ground to the sales counter and nobody today does that. Barling conducted their own harvesting operations in Algeria, they stockpiled the finest briar that they could find and let it properly air cure for years before milling and shaping, and they hand carved their pipes. The their carvers were so damned good that they could cut down for flaws and still maintain their shaping to the precise tolerances needed to hit an exacting shape pattern. This was a factory of artisans. Everything they made, they made to order. Anything they made they guaranteed and any flaws that showed up they made good. Any custom orders Barling was happy to oblige. You wanted a pipe carved to order in a shape that you wanted, Barling would do that for you. And they would do it with properly years aged, carefully house harvested, selected, and processed briar. Good luck finding that today.
Algerian briar became unavailable after the War of Independence. From what I've been told, the kind of shrubs that Barling went after were located in some tough terrain and that no one wants to make that effort as there's decent stuff to be had with less work. Today's artisans are largely, not completely but largely, at the mercy of the mills and the cutters, who perform the most critical part of the process, namely cutting up the burl. Not too many artisans, Spanu being an exception, who have any experience digging the stuff out of the ground and taking it through the entire process. Neither, for that matter, to many factories.

 

[buroak]

If you think about it, the bad pipes from past generations would not have survived through to today. They would have been smoked through and discarded. It would have only been the best pipes that lasted through the decades. I truly believe those same pipes are available today in the more than $50 but less than $100 range. There were some amazing factory pipes created back in the day, and there are some tremendous factory pipes produced by modern carvers. It takes education and patience to be able to weed through the the good and the bad (see artisian pipes to make this decision easier) but it can be done.

Northernneil, I think there is quite a lot of truth to the argument that only the better of the old factory pipes will have survived to the present day. Of course, however, a flawed pipe given good care throughout its life will have a greater chance of survival compared to a perfect pipe subjected to malevolent neglect or outright abuse. I have owned and loved estate pipes from both sets of circumstances.
I will agree that there are still excellent factory pipes produced today. From what I hear Castello pipes, if we can call them factory pipes, produced today are at least in some ways superior to earlier Castellos. They are certainly, though, not in the $50 to $100 range.
I have scarcely any experience with artisan pipes, so I cannot really speak to the situation in that part of the hobby.

 

[seacaptain]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely learning some things here.

 

[buroak]

You never know what question will open the floodgates.