Is a Pipe Really a Pipe If It Has Never Been Smoked?

[sparrowhawk]

If you smoke a shoe, you usually wind up in jail as a terrorist. :lol:

 

[jon11]

I know there are more guys out there that have unsmoked pipes. Come on fellas come forward. Some guys don't want to admit it because it is looked down upon by a lot of pipe smokers. If there weren't more guys with unsmoked pipes in their collection then why do they come up on the estate market daily. I bet Peck has a bunch of unsmoked beauties.....how about anyone else, come on guys come forward.

 

[captainsousie]

The following comment is not directed at anyone nor is it referencing anybody on this site at this time.
In response to your original query, I posit this corollary. Is an idiot really an idiot until he opens his mouth?
This is a sophist's debate that will only be resolved by the end of the world. A thing's identity resting with it intended use, or lack thereof, is academic at best.
That said...Yes, by definition, it is the object defined as a "pipe" whether used or not. Use does not necessarily equate with validity in my opinion in this instance.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I certainly do have some pipes that are unsmoked. It's not that I have any rule about not smoking them - I have never bought a single pipe where I said "I will never smoke that one."
The fact is I am a pipe smoker who is also a pipe collector. Some pipe smokers view a pipe as a purely utilitarian object - a device for lighting tobacco and nothing more. And there is nothing wrong with that view. Many people view a car as nothing more than a mode of transportation - according to this line of thinking, a Toyota Prius is no different than a Duzenberg (well, except that the former is more reliable and therefore more desirable). There is nothing wrong with that perspective, but it's just not mine.
I love the aesthetic beauty of a pipe as a functioning piece of art. I love to see the different perspectives carvers have on shaping, grain exposure, blasting styles, shank treatments, stem composition, engineering - the list goes on and on. It is hard for the Duzenberg collector to explain to the Prius driver why he likes Duzenbergs, and I would be foolish to try to do that.
Because I am a collector and a pipe smoker, I tend to collect more pipes than I could possibly smoke. I may decide to smoke the pipes I acquire right away, or next year, or not at all. It's not that I ever say that I would never smoke them, it's just that smoking a new pipe takes time and energy that I don't always wish to devote to the task at that moment. It is far easier if I just want a smoke to grab a broken in pipe off the rack then to devote the considerable time and attention to breaking in a new pipe. Much of my smoking is done while I am working, with my attention focused only at the task at hand.
And if I am going to smoke a new artisan pipe for the first time, I want to choose just the right moment to do so, when I can savour the experience and revel in it.

 

[monty55]

And if I am going to smoke a new artisan pipe for the first time, I want to choose just the right moment to do so, when I can savour the experience and revel in it.

Peck, it sounds like you do in fact place an importance of that first fire in the bowl, at least with an artisan pipe. That one event that actually completes the circle.

So, when you order this "thing" from somewhere, and you get it, did you not just receive a new pipe? And, if not, then what is it? and how do you know to smoke it?

cosmicfolklore, that's pretty funny, but I don't think you turn into an moron just because your pipe is unsmoked. It doesn't effect the world around it. It just sits there as an object... until it's successfully smoked .. once.

 

[jon11]

Well put Peck. Totally agree and understand what you are saying. As a collector, I also tend to collect more pipes than I could possibly smoke.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

No worries Jon, and thanks for publicly outing me. :rofl:

 

[sablebrush52]

Dusenberg, Peck, Dusenberg. I've been reliably informed by a couple of owners that they drive like a truck.
Here's a corollary to the argument. Is a pipe not a pipe when it is no longer being smoked, when it has been retired? Does this explain the existence of Viagra?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Of course the argument is silly. But, some like a silly argument. And sometimes, some are I.
I just lack the discipline to have an unsmoked pipe. I wish I could. I am in awe that collectors, pipemakers, and dealers can resist the temptation to just give each and every pipe a try.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Dusenberg Schmoozenberg

 

[andrew]

So, I was thinking more about this today... If a pipe, isn't a pipe until it has been smoked, then that brings up a interesting quandary. So, when you order this "thing" from somewhere, and you get it, did you not just receive a new pipe? And, if not, then what is it? and how do you know to smoke it? I know this is extreme, but I'm just trying to follow the logic.

You aren't smoking the right kind of tobacco my friend......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Treachery_of_Images

I have estate pipes I haven't smoked, simply because I haven't opened tins yet that will become dedicated to a blend. When you have a store like I do and you go in and see a 10$ stanwell in brand new condition practically, it's hard to say no......

 

[goldsm]

I do not have any unsmoked pipe but pipe collecting or pipe smoking is a hobby to me.

So I do respect both smoked or unsmoked collecting if there is a enjoyment. Happy smoking.

 

[jon11]

My bad Peck, but if I wouldn't have outed you we wouldn't have gotten your great post. :rofl:

 

[sablebrush52]

Dusenberg Schmoozenberg

Very interesting that you should mention the Schmoozenberg. Not too many people are aware of that model, which was designed for Robert Dusenberg's wife and her mahjong girls. The passenger compartment could hold a table, chairs and was fitted with sound proof glass.

 

[derfargin]

So peck...you're sitting on a mountain of unsmoked tobacco, and according to this post you have a bunch of unsmoked pipes to boot. You got some catching up to do.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Ouch! You wound me.

 

[necron99]

Weird.

 

[cigrmaster]

saddle, I am coming to your house with a gun, put it to your head and make you smoke your 1907 cased Barling companion set. I want to see you cry as you put fire to those museum pieces. lol
I know for a fact that peck has more pipes that he can ever smoke, but it is not about collecting for him, it is all about him rolling around naked with his shiny new pipes.
A pipe is a pipe is a pipe. If it goes unsmoked, who cares, it is up to the person who owns it what they want to do with it. I personally smoke every pipe I buy. Yes the pipe may be unfulfilled by not being smoked, but who cares about the feelings of a pipe, they are not going to start whining at you, smoke me smoke me.

 

[sablebrush52]

saddle, I am coming to your house with a gun, put it to your head and make you smoke your 1907 cased Barling companion set. I want to see you cry as you put fire to those museum pieces. lol

Good luck getting past my neutron ray gun array, Harris. You won't leave a grease spot. BTW, I've targeted your tobacco stores with my tobacco seeking missiles.
Peck is a man on a mission. He hasn't a clue what his mission is, but he's on it. Personally, I think his mission is to accumulate as many pounds of pipes as he has tobacco. Weekly.
Another corollary:
Is a woman a woman, or a man a man if she/he hasn't been...

 

[numbersix]

saddle, I am coming to your house with a gun, put it to your head and make you smoke your 1907 cased Barling companion set. I want to see you cry as you put fire to those museum pieces. lol
I know for a fact that peck has more pipes that he can ever smoke, but it is not about collecting for him, it is all about him rolling around naked with his shiny new pipes.

:rofl:

A pipe is a pipe is a pipe. If it goes unsmoked, who cares, it is up to the person who owns it what they want to do with it. I personally smoke every pipe I buy. Yes the pipe may be unfulfilled by not being smoked, but who cares about the feelings of a pipe, they are not going to start whining at you, smoke me smoke me.

+1
Harris telling it like it is!