I'm Not Smoking A Work of Art

[bigpond]

I try to treat my pipes as tools not trophies. Keeps me from going PAD mad. When I do get something really pretty I make sure to burn the hell out of the rim on the first smoke to teach myself a lesson. Some times you just gotta knock things down to "fight club" status.
Pain meds have influenced the above post.

 

[delro]

Interesting, I personally do not buy pipes to have them as pieces of art, but rather have them become part of an "artful" process of packing, lighting, and smoking. I like to have my pipes show the use as you speak of - lets me see that they are used and enjoyed - and that they are mine. I always clean them and take care of them, but I certainly don't mind the inevitable charred rim etc etc..

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I've tried preventing myself from "collecting" in the past, but usually fail miserably.

The best advice I can give to newcomers in any hobby now is to resign yourself to becoming very familiar with the sales forum if you spend any significant amount of time on the subject.

 

[styler]

Lots of interesting thoughts here.
Sablebrush, I also love that this hobby has provided a little window into the past and having an antique pipe definitely does have the ability to transport be back in time but it's smoking it that does it for me, not just owning/holding it.
Conlejm, I absolutely know what you mean. The 2 guitars I have bought new, as an adult, have barely been out of their bags compared the the ones I have bought second hand. Those are the ones that I gig with, swing about and actually enjoy using rather than the ones that are basically there just to look pretty.

 

[blueeyedogre]

I don't understand owning something and not using it. In the firearm world we refer to unfired firearms as "safe queens" as they never leave the gun safe. I have friends who have them but I refuse to buy a rifle I'm not going to shoot. Same goes with pipes, if I'm not gong to smoke it then I'm not going to buy it. My buddy buys wine but doesn't like wine, he calls it an investment and I call it foolishness. Now buying a pipe that is going to be saved for special occasion...... That I get. Lol

 

[maxx]

Fender guitars with the pre-worn look strike me as silly. I'm a Gibson man, myself, but if they offered pre-worn models, I'd still avoid them. Don't assume from this I have great skill on the instrument.
I see nothing deplorable about owning something and not using it for its designed purpose. It might not be financially prudent, but it isn't immoral. Some people are inclined to make a virtue out of their personal necessity.
I'm planning to get a Catlinite pipe sometime this year, and I'm not certain I'll smoke it.

 

[mrenglish]

This is why I prefer sandblasts over smooth. They hide the nicks/dings better than a smooth pipe plus feel better in the hand. I have a few smooth pipes and think the dings and darker rims add character. That said, I will never buy a pipe to not smoke.

 

[blueeyedogre]

I see nothing deplorable about owning something and not using it for its designed purpose. It might not be financially prudent, but it isn't immoral. Some people are inclined to make a virtue out of their personal necessity.

Sorry..... I wasn't trying to say anyone was deplorable or immoral. I have a firm "To each their own" standpoint, and a firm believe that while my opinion is my own it may not be everyone's or the right one for that matter. I don't, and wouldn't look down on someone because their purchasing habits or their collective differs from my own.

 

[iamn8]

I smoke the couple dozen pipes I own except for my Kent Rasmussen. The Kent I see as a work of art. I had planned on smoking it, but just couldn't bring myself to bring flame to it. Some will inevitably see this as a waste. i do not agree.

 

[drezz01]

Fender guitars with the pre-worn look strike me as silly. I'm a Gibson man, myself, but if they offered pre-worn models, I'd still avoid them. Don't assume from this I have great skill on the instrument.

I have this same aversion toward leather boots which are pre-distressed, or the replication of barn-yard-find home decor that is in style. Some people take this concept to their jeans only buying raw denim that acquires its own wear pattern through use.
There's an architectural text by David Leatherbarrow called On Weathering: The Life of Buildings in Time, which champions this thought of honest wear. It's the buildup of a relationship between man and object accrued over time; the physical remnants on a well-loved piece.
The pre-worn or pre-distressed mimic the aesthetic but fail to capture the character because you can't fake honest wear cheaply and their is no narrative between the owner and object that is captured by the faux finish.
I have three pairs of leather work boots that all have their own character that they acquired through adventures we've been on together. I've also got an unfinished oom paul that has some interesting tonality from the smoke and oils from my hands.
It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I kinda like a thing with a story.

 

[iamn8]

Very well said Drezz!!!!

 

[av8scuba]

+1 drezz... I like the old, vintage, weathered, tried-and-true kind of life. I doubt that I would justify spending $500 or more on a pipe, but if I did I would surely smoke it. Life's too short not to. ::

 

[menuhin]

Irrelevant to the thread title..., kind of...

:P

 

[ssjones]

Most of my pipes are estates, that I've restored. I have to say that I'm pretty picky about the maintenance and appearance of most of my pipes. They all get smoked, but you won't find any burned tops or chewed stems in my cabinet. But, to each his own, right?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have some that I call my beaters. They get tossed around, cake coated rims, dents, scratches. They go in my pockets, the dashboard, the toolbox, where ever I need it. I love them no less than my dress pipes, my more gently cared for pipes, Viprati, Dunhill, even a Bjarne and Nording. These I smoke when I want to look good doing it. And, then there are my art pipes, or what I consider so, the Beckers and custom mades. These I do smoke and connect to the maestro who made it.
I do have a few that I've not smoked yet, bought during bouts of PAD, when I had more cents than sense. But, not many, and I am not conserving them for anything more than the right time and place.
I think that the whole idea of investment is overblown here. Yes, there are instances of people getting a return on a pipe, but very, very few. I believe it was the first PM Radio Show that I ever heard had Brian talking about how when you break it down, inflation, etc... there is no such thing as a return on your investment with pipes.
However, I am most grateful for the pipe collector who will offer up unsmoked pipes. For if it were not for these beloved collectors, how would we be able to ever have an opportunity to smoke some of these marvels for the first time.

 

[moriarty]

I look after my pipes. A lot of craftsmanship has gone into making them and I chose my pipes because of the craftsmanship and care that the pipemakers apparently put into them. I want to respect that, and appreciating the beauty of the pipe is part of the smoking experience. It does not interfere with my smoking pleasure to just take a little care not to burn the rim when lighting, or to wipe the stem clean after use and then put it in its sock. I would be lying if I said that a pipe is just a block of wood with two holes, to me, and that I don't care how it looks. It is much more than that.
That said, I know the pipe will show wear over time, with use. That's fine and is part of making the pipe mine. No need for carelessness, though, or not valuing the quality of the pipemaker's work. I never think about resale value - I bought my pipes to enjoy smoking them and not to sell one day. I have never sold a pipe but, if one day I do slim the herd, I will get whatever they are worth. I cannot imagine I will make any profit and, anyway, I won't compromise my enjoyment of the pipes for the idea that maybe one day I might get a few more dollars if I sell them. Not worth it.
Just my own view.

 

[foggymountain]

If art is related to the word artifice (how would I know?) it means a representation of something not really there. A pipe is there. If you could smoke a picture of a pipe it might be art.

 

[daimyo]

 

[seacaptain]

I don't understand owning something and not using it. In the firearm world we refer to unfired firearms as "safe queens" as they never leave the gun safe. I have friends who have them but I refuse to buy a rifle I'm not going to shoot. Same goes with pipes, if I'm not gong to smoke it then I'm not going to buy it.

This pretty much sums it up for me as well.

 

[sablebrush52]

We have this discussion at least once a year. People present their reasons for what they do. It's pretty interesting. But reason just isn't the only part of the equation. And after years of discussions, both on and off forums, I'm not sure that "reason" plays a large part. Those who espouse a practical utilitarian view, and who have more than a simple rotation, say 7 pipes, are not in touch with what drives them. They are lying to themselves. Because one really doesn't need more than seven pipes, and really, one doesn't even need more than a couple of pipes, or just one.
One doesn't need a hand made pipe, one doesn't need a hand made stem, or a unique design, or nice grain, or a particular shape. None of that is necessary. One doesn't even need a pipe. Get a handful of reeds, or a small bowl to hold tobacco, light it, and breathe in the smoke. Beyond this simple commitment one becomes a collector and there is more to going on than mere sensible utilitarianism. Collectors collect for a wide range of reasons. No one gets to define or limit what is, or is not, valid, except for himself.
One person may say "I'm not smoking a work of art." Another says, "I'm smoking a work of art." And another says, "This is a work of art, and I can enjoy it without smoking it." And all are equally valid. Some may not understand more than one point of view. That doesn't mean that the others aren't valid. It only means that some don't understand other points of view.