I'd seen a few of the posts from @chasingembers and thought the pipes were pretty cool. Didn't really think I'd be looking at something custom, but in searching for some interesting possibilities as Christmas gifts for my girls with a Dickens Christmas Carol theme I ran across someone who makes old coins into rings, saw a half crown that had been made into one and just like that an idea came to mind. So, I contacted @cramptholomew and things went from there. He worked the ring into the design, the top of the bowl is to harken a lump of coal and although not a "true" author type (no expert here on pipe styles), I think it is a more substantial version of an author and was kind of going for that as well and he came up with a beauty, IMO. He also fashioned a couple of tampers from a Ghost of Christmas Past looking "brand" I had made, here is a pic of one of them. Finally gave it a try today - it's a chunk, but not too heavy, and the bowl stays cool despite my beginner techniques, lol. Just thought I'd give a shout out and share some pics. Fun process.
