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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
I always like the dress finish and came close to buying a smaller billiard, by Castello standards.I looked at it again and again but never purchased. Certainly really liked it; probably money.

From what I've seen the finish dulls. But right now it is magnificent, as is the pipe underneath it! Gloves?
 
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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Why not return it? If a cheap estate no,but $100.00 and over is a return for me. . . that is if weird shit can be avoided by the shippers in shipping. If I were still ordering I would have stopped all international orders.
Fair question. I took a chance and smoked it upon arrival. I bought it from Ireland and didn't really want to deal with returning it since it smoked well enough. I suppose it would cost me a few bucks if I decide to sell it because I'd feel obligated to tell potential buyers, but I bought it to smoke and it suits that purpose well, so not a huge deal on my end.
 
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danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I've been slowly but surely working on a seven day set of 58s. Or 54s? I've seen them referred to as both. From what I can tell, 58 is an older number and 54 more modern. Ca n'a pas. When I talk about them I call them "my 58s" simply because I like saying that out loud more. Sounds wicked cool. But I do think 54 is more accurate. Either way, o' enigmatic castello riddlers, the squat bent bulldog. I find it to be such a beautiful shape, especially in profile. They seem to like to playing around with it a bit too - mixed finishes and pi's cropping up fairly often. Not the most common shape either, making it easier on the wallet to chase. Which is good because I'm totally lying to myself about stopping at seven (come on Le Dune! Or Preziosa, dang).

View attachment 79222
View attachment 79223

If anyone else has some 58s (54s), I'd love to see photos. I like to covet as much as I like to collect ha ha! (Almost).
Those are all very interesting and bequtiful pipes. I am especially drawn to the white and black stem in the top picture and the saddle stem second from the top!
 

jon

Lurker
Apr 14, 2021
10
39
I always like the dress finish and came close to buying a smaller billiard, by Castello standards.I looked at it again and again but never purchased. Certainly really liked it; probably money.

From what I've seen the finish dulls. But right now it is magnificent, as is the pipe underneath it! Gloves?
Ha ha no kid gloves yet but I do treat these with a little more care than the rest of my pipes. Each one gets smoked on it's particular day of the week, in the evening. That dress is from 1998 and has held up really well but, yes, the finish fades. Especially around the rim where the heat seems to make the organic stain more unstable. And the wood is peeking through in places. I don't mind the fade at all, though. I really like that pipes transform and come into character over time. I read on here that the Perla Nera stain is made from crushed beetles but haven't been able to confirm. Apocalyptic!

pn1.jpg
pn2.jpg
 
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jon

Lurker
Apr 14, 2021
10
39
Those are all very interesting and bequtiful pipes. I am especially drawn to the white and black stem in the top picture and the saddle stem second from the top!
Thank you! The saddle stem one is the most recent find - from Briar Blues. So stoked to have it, never thought I'd find one from the 80's era.
 
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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
So you really meant it when you bought a 7 day set, smoking each pipe on its assigned day of the week at night. My version would be to smoke each pipe all day with multiple bowls.

Good that you have patience with fade because it's going to happen regardless of your feelings.

For my part knowing that crushed beetles are an ingredient of Perla Nera solidifies my liking for the finish, especially as in my merciless way, I commonly crush them even with my foot, and even if unsocked and unshod. Their carapace, along with roaches makes such a satisfying crunchy sound as they are dispatched, I know not where, as the literature on their transitional quarters is basically nonexistent.
 
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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Large Castello bulldogs have become their own collecting category for me. Here is the latest, also the largest at 111g and a 13/16” x 2 1/2“ chamber:

View attachment 68684View attachment 68685View attachment 68686
The rim unevenness adds uniqueness to the classic shape, but to me more remarkably are the colors that you photograph of the wood, rich and warm. In good light in-person I'm not sure that the color would be as good. The last time I commented positively on your pipes it was in part for the same reason.

And you took these pictures in what looks to be overcast!
 

tfdickson

Lifer
May 15, 2014
2,115
40,895
East End of Long Island
The rim unevenness adds uniqueness to the classic shape, but to me more remarkably are the colors that you photograph of the wood, rich and warm. In good light in-person I'm not sure that the color would be as good. The last time I commented positively on your pipes it was in part for the same reason.

And you took these pictures in what looks to be overcast!

I can promise you that my photography skills are nowhere even close to making a picture look better than real life, in hand. Usually when I post a pic I’m actually a little disappointed in what I see on my screen vs what I’m holding in my hand but figure that it’s as good as it’s going to get.
 

jon

Lurker
Apr 14, 2021
10
39
So you really meant it when you bought a 7 day set, smoking each pipe on its assigned day of the week at night. My version would be to smoke each pipe all day with multiple bowls.

Good that you have patience with fade because it's going to happen regardless of your feelings.

For my part knowing that crushed beetles are an ingredient of Perla Nera solidifies my liking for the finish, especially as in my merciless way, I commonly crush them even with my foot, and even if unsocked and unshod. Their carapace, along with roaches makes such a satisfying crunchy sound as they are dispatched, I know not where, as the literature on their transitional quarters is basically nonexistent.
Ha ha! Well, if word about all this gets out in the egyptian deity scene, some goddess or god is going to roll in, lay waste to the castello factory, impound all of our dress pipes, and smite your unsocked feet off for good measure. Probably Khepri since it's his face we're messing with.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Brian, your video was truly frightening. Looked like an assembly mummification line, of course with a snip of the tongue, and after being Saran-wrapped and laid in the coffin, given a blanket of hundreds of scarabs. Ai-yaai -yai!

But then I looked up Khepri, a sun God subordinate to Ra, who in all respects would be the Egyptian god I would most like to be angry with me as all he does is push the sun across the sky every day. Usually these guys have multiple functions, or at least a dark flip side.

Sorry, ain't afeared of Khepri.
 

mikegun

Lurker
Oct 7, 2011
5
1
81
Colorado
wow a smashing thread for influencing castello PAD :)
My dream castello -->
002-386-2392.jpg
Very unusual, but great looking Castello...
 
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