Recently picked up a McGimpsey billiard, don't know much at all about the carver, but he's got some fine lookin' pipes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcgimpseypipes/
I've shifted my focus to trying and get American artisan pipes, when I can find one that'll fit in my budget.
I'd like to have a quiver of billiards.
I usually never go for smooths, but something about this crosscut called to me, I think the mixed grain is interesting and indeed it is beautiful, looks much better in the flesh than in the photo. I haven't smoked it yet, but everything seems to point to it being a very fine pipe.
And from Pipestud came this great little Ashton XX lovat, superlight 'n divine.
2013 manufacture and it's nearly new! All for a few bucks over $100.
This is my first Ashton, I was initially distressed when I inspected it because it's drilled about .5mm too high and the stem was the loudest whistler I've yet to experience - I was gonna file the stem innards and mud the bowl bottom, but I decided to at least smoke it first - and I was amazed! This pipe gave the sweetest first bowl of any pipe I've smoked so far, it followed up again with a 2nd, and then a 3rd, each different baccy seemed intensified moreso than usual, if it keeps this performance up I'll start callin' it a magic pipe - odd how technically it should be a wet smoker, or constricted or just bad or something, but it has so far been a dream!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcgimpseypipes/
I've shifted my focus to trying and get American artisan pipes, when I can find one that'll fit in my budget.
I'd like to have a quiver of billiards.
I usually never go for smooths, but something about this crosscut called to me, I think the mixed grain is interesting and indeed it is beautiful, looks much better in the flesh than in the photo. I haven't smoked it yet, but everything seems to point to it being a very fine pipe.
And from Pipestud came this great little Ashton XX lovat, superlight 'n divine.
2013 manufacture and it's nearly new! All for a few bucks over $100.
This is my first Ashton, I was initially distressed when I inspected it because it's drilled about .5mm too high and the stem was the loudest whistler I've yet to experience - I was gonna file the stem innards and mud the bowl bottom, but I decided to at least smoke it first - and I was amazed! This pipe gave the sweetest first bowl of any pipe I've smoked so far, it followed up again with a 2nd, and then a 3rd, each different baccy seemed intensified moreso than usual, if it keeps this performance up I'll start callin' it a magic pipe - odd how technically it should be a wet smoker, or constricted or just bad or something, but it has so far been a dream!
