It's official - I'm an expert pipe smoker.

[jpmcwjr]

There are folks who've smoked for 40 years or more and are far from having any expertise that's worth sharing. (no one here, of course!) And there are those who tackle it with gusto, reading, experimenting, observing, etc. and who may gain a high level of expertise and have the knack for imparting useful knowledge to others. Fortunately there seem to be quite a few of this latter group posting here.
Pipe on, mates!
And a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[michaelmirza]

I'm gonna place a massive pipe order so that I can be an expert too. :mrgreen:

 

[hakchuma]

Ok fine. The word 'expert' was a tongue & cheek but geesh. Everyone just calm down.

 

[stvalentine]

Great little article Mr. Lowercase! But what confuses me is the term "Barbour knife". I have been collecting pocket knoves for quite a while but never heard about a Barbour knife. I suppose for cutting plug the oldtimers would use a Barlow knife in the USA and maybe a Sheepsfoot in England or Ireland. One of my favorite patterns is the One Armed Jack" which should be ideal for cutting plugs.

 

[bigpond]

the true face of people come out when you describe your own achievements as if they would rather you slither in squalor.
Not surprised as they describe themselves.

Lol! It's the hubris, m'boy. You can't throw out something like that without expecting a solid ball breaking. Take it in stride.

 

[hakchuma]

No problem. Ill just have to make sure I start throwing my poop on the next drug induced poet describing their pipe, tobacco or epiphany.

 

[bigpond]

Well done sir! That'll show 'em!

 

[deathmetal]

Everyone just calm down.

This is the internet... people don't do that.
Congratulations on reaching expert status. I hope to join you someday, but for now I'm just smoking PA.

 

[davet]

start throwing my poop on the next drug induced poet describing their pipe, tobacco or epiphany.

Quite proper, I agree whole heartedly with that response. Ban the thesaurus! :evil:

 

[sjfine]

Great post. Really.

 

[kaboom]

You've been on this board for quite a while now. And you have a fair number of posts.

Hence you know that the general feeling in this forum is that pipe smoking is an art that most believe will never be fully mastered in all of its complexity. This is an opinion that is frequently voiced by those that have been smoking for decades.
Did you really not expect this to play out the way it did?

 

[judcole]

Exactly, kaboom.

 

[misterlowercase]

Great little article Mr. Lowercase! But what confuses me is the term "Barbour knife". I have been collecting pocket knoves for quite a while but never heard about a Barbour knife. I suppose for cutting plug the oldtimers would use a Barlow knife in the USA and maybe a Sheepsfoot in England or Ireland. One of my favorite patterns is the One Armed Jack" which should be ideal for cutting plugs.

Saint,

in the article the author confessed that he could have been spelling it wrong, so after I read it I did a bit of looking, and to me, it was most likely the James Barber ERA brand out of Sheffield.
Perhaps looking like this?

or this?

Here's a few relevant quotes I've came across:

You always cut your own?
'Yes, I like my baccy and my theology off the plug. Baccy in tins and the coarse or fine cut and dried theology of books don't seem to meet my case."
- William Hume Blake
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"And the bone-handled knives with which

They earned their Bread?

My granny grinds

Her plug tobacco with one to this day"
- Derek Mahon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"As a prelude to what he was about to convey to you he cleaned out the bowl of his pipe and began to pare paper-thin slivers from the plug of Bendigo tobacco which he had extracted from his waistcoat pocket."
- John B. Keane
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"'Did you bring me any black Bendigo tobacco?' he asks. 'I love it, 'tis the devil to cut though I have the wickedest little knife in the world.' His hands are calm and mad."
- Brendan Kennelly
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When he had drained his mug, we watched him take a plug of Mick McQuaid tobacco from his waistcoat pocket. He cut several slivers into his grubby palm with his penknife, and rubbed them with his thumb."
- Tom McCaughren
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Jimmy was cutting tobacco, Clarke's Perfect Plug, with a worn penknife blade that had an equally worn bone handle. He offered the tobacco to Timothy, who turned it down. He preferred the milder Maltan, which came pre-cut..."
- Gerard Murphy
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[pruss]

@MLC - "That's not a knife." "That's a knife!" - Mick Dundee


@hakchuma - "Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know." - Lao Tzu
- Pat

 

[stvalentine]

@Mr. Lowercase: I think you have nailed it! It must surely have been a James Barber knife and my best guess would be the typical kind of the English farmers, the sheepsfoot. With it´s straight edge it would be perfect for cutting plug.

 

[misterlowercase]

@Pat


Indeed!
But, *gasp* a Japanese blade to slice an Irish or UK plug?

:wink:
My Yankee Slicer is bigger though :P and made of ultra-heavy cast iron!

 

[fnord]

Hak:
I've always enjoyed your posts and I've always appreciated your knowledge, sense of humor and willingness to share said knowledge greatly. When you anointed yourself as an "expert" in your opening post I merely took it as a tongue in cheek comment and moved on.
Guys, go back and read his posts. Hakchuma is one of the good guys around here. He's opinionated as hell, I don't always agree with him, and while he's also cheeky and smug, so what?
We're having a shortage of acerbic wit around here these days? (Peck? Walter? Jud?)
If you don't like his posts - drive on.
Fnord

 

[klause]

fnord, you're spot on - very well said.

 

[newbroom]

After re reading this thread what strikes me is the conversation regarding the last 1/4 of a bowl. This is definitely controversial and, I think, relevant to the subject of 'mastery'.

On this subject I admit that I don't always get that last part burned before I end the effort. Some pipes and some tobaccos lend themselves to my cadence more readily than others it seems and they will finish in ash, while others might, but they're so intense at that stage, I have to put the pipe down.

That last quarter is where your cadence tells the story because if you've been too aggressive, the moisture content of your blend will impede combustion and create heat/steam.

So far, I feel I have not mastered cadence for one reason or another. Too greedy for nicotine, flavor, and not fully on board with dedicating time to the process. (former cig smoker) ADHD? or whatever that attention disorder is.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

My wife gots PhD in pipe smoking.
I just have a BS in pipeology