Mike Butera For Carmignani Roma

[orlandofurioso]

Dear friends,
According to Pipedia MB in the beginning of his career purchased briar blocks from Carmignani.
Every now and then a C. pipe shows up with a silver dot on the left side of the stem and the typical early Butera
block letter stampings on the stummel. Did Butera make pipes for Carmignani ?
Usually it is a classic shape and there is no Butera stamp on those stummels, only Carmignani Roma and sometimes a shape nr.
Sorry, pics. are not available now. Maybe someone knows
Thank you in advance.

 

[briarblues]

Probably best to reach out to Mike Butera or Steve Leaders to get a concise answer. I assume both are at the Chicago Pipe Show this weekend.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Probably best to reach out to Mike Butera or Steve Leaders to get a concise answer. I assume both are at the Chicago Pipe Show this weekend.

Unfortunately I'm not, I cannot swim for that long and my flying skills are very poor
Will try to retrieve MB's email address.

 

[briarblues]

Unfortunately I'm not, I cannot swim for that long and my flying skills are very poor
Will try to retrieve MB's email address.

I understand. hahaha Maybe there is someone that knows, but it's a long shot. Contact Marco at Regali Novelli in Rome. Marco might know .....

 

[orlandofurioso]

I understand. hahaha Maybe there is someone that knows, but it's a long shot. Contact Marco at Regali Novelli in Rome. Marco might know .....

That's a good one ; thank you !
Sent mail; see what happens

 

[kcghost]

Mike Butera is someone we should remember as a giant in early American pipe efforts. He really did a lot to bring American pipe carving up to the English/Italian/Danish standards. Today as we rush along to pipe shows we forget the guys who led the way.

 

[orlandofurioso]

I understand. hahaha Maybe there is someone that knows, but it's a long shot. Contact Marco at Regali Novelli in Rome. Marco might know .....

I got word from Marco; he was still in diapers when C. was in business, so not a clue.
When did they shut up shop ?

 

[briarblues]

I got word from Marco; he was still in diapers when C. was in business, so not a clue.
When did they shut up shop ?

hahahahahaha .. well ok, maybe he was..... the shop closed in 1979, according to Pipedia, BUT ....... Fritz and Palo Becker's earliest pipes went to the shop under the shops name, so I would guess ... maybe it closed in the mid 1980's......

 

[AroEnglish]

Mike Butera is someone we should remember as a giant in early American pipe efforts. He really did a lot to bring American pipe carving up to the English/Italian/Danish standards. Today as we rush along to pipe shows we forget the guys who led the way.

I just recently heard his first/only interview with the PM Show. Is he still carving now?

 

[briarblues]

I just recently heard his first/only interview with the PM Show. Is he still carving now?

Mike Butera has retired. A few years ago, a weather disaster devastated his workshop and contents.

 

[AroEnglish]

Mike Butera has retired. A few years ago, a weather disaster devastated his workshop and contents.

That's too bad but it makes sense. He talked about selling his insurance business and taking a pay cut to make pipes. Sounded like it was really a passion project for him but when something like that happens later into your life it's hard to want to rebuild from the ground up.

 

[kcghost]

I just recently heard his first/only interview with the PM Show. Is he still carving now?

Now quit in his upper sixties when his workshop was flooded due to a hurricane.

 

[Briarcutter]

Mike never made pipes for Carmignani.

 

[AroEnglish]

Now quit in his upper sixties when his workshop was flooded due to a hurricane.

Yeah it’d be hard to come back from that. He’s still enjoying his pipes and tobacco, presumably?