I've long loved the look and feel of late 19th and early 20th century pipes, but the stem situation back then, though elegant, was a bit of a hassle. "Found in Nature" materials like amber, horn, bone, and so forth---even bird wingbones were used for some reading (churchwarden) pipes---require that allowances be made regarding long term daily use. And their attachment method and fit was problem prone by today's standards. (Bone screws alone are enough to drive people mad. Virtually manufacturer used a different thread pitch, depth, tpi, etc.) And clench comfort? Fuhgeddaboudit. It wasn't even a consideration.
I've also long loved the look and feel of latter 20th century Scandinavian pipes. The practical shapes, anyway, where hand feel and stem comfort is a high priority. They're ergonomic. The problem? The ones produced by the artisan carvers who pay the most attention to such things are very $pendy.
Say hello to the best of both worlds. A stummel that's a 2004 replica of a model Peterson made over a century ago, fitted with a stem that's as streamlined and comfortable as tools can make it. And the material it's made from is top grade Tortuga tortoise shell acrylic that's both visually attractive---the old time guys would have used it if they'd had it, I think---and crazy durable.
The combination makes me smile.
I've also long loved the look and feel of latter 20th century Scandinavian pipes. The practical shapes, anyway, where hand feel and stem comfort is a high priority. They're ergonomic. The problem? The ones produced by the artisan carvers who pay the most attention to such things are very $pendy.
Say hello to the best of both worlds. A stummel that's a 2004 replica of a model Peterson made over a century ago, fitted with a stem that's as streamlined and comfortable as tools can make it. And the material it's made from is top grade Tortuga tortoise shell acrylic that's both visually attractive---the old time guys would have used it if they'd had it, I think---and crazy durable.
The combination makes me smile.
