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NC TX ID pipeman

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 25, 2021
561
1,220
North Carolina,Texas,Idaho
View attachment 154000
Beauties, aren’t they? Puffy
I am sometimes thinking when seeing all them hard driven pipes at antique stores or from photos-why they look like this?thick cake,dirty stems,charred rims,covered with grease.....I guess they just used it as a tool back then...no internet to find info about cleaning their pipes,likely a lot less free time to do it and they smoked it 24/7 seems like....
 
Dec 3, 2021
4,791
40,288
Pennsylvania & New York
I am sometimes thinking when seeing all them hard driven pipes at antique stores or from photos-why they look like this?thick cake,dirty stems,charred rims,covered with grease.....I guess they just used it as a tool back then...no internet to find info about cleaning their pipes,likely a lot less free time to do it and they smoked it 24/7 seems like....
I sometimes marvel at how thick the cake is in some estate chambers—these guys were lucky if they were able to load a thimble's worth of tobacco in these pipes.
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,065
Carmel Valley, CA
I am sometimes thinking when seeing all them hard driven pipes at antique stores or from photos-why they look like this?thick cake,dirty stems,charred rims,covered with grease.....I guess they just used it as a tool back then...no internet to find info about cleaning their pipes,likely a lot less free time to do it and they smoked it 24/7 seems like....
That's some of the pipes, probably the majority.

However, there were pipes 100 years ago owned by folks who bought the best and took care of maintenance. Some were men and women of leisure, some of every stripe of education and income who took care. Well before AG invented the 'Net.

That we see a ton of so-so pipes that were smoked to death doesn't mean that's the way it was for everyone, even most. Some of those good pipes are in Jesse's hands, and many more here who treasure a fine smoking tool.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,759
13,781
Humansville Missouri
An extremely high condition Lee Three Star 7 point star walnut stained medium squat Bulldog. $40 on eBay, delivered today.

It had been smoked once or maybe twice, halfway down.

A4F21876-BF0F-40B3-9463-4135849FF3E0.jpeg9EF6D4ED-01EE-4F17-9A15-37DCBA4B7E7E.jpegCFC6D072-0500-490B-A66C-A4E360367076.jpeg897572F9-E2D6-4328-A363-D0A479AEF410.jpeg399DF1CE-EFC6-4C99-845F-73517549245F.jpeg223BF952-C495-43E2-9B1C-A8B8B23F84D6.jpeg7626DDB3-A00C-4BD1-9B08-8799E1481009.jpeg3925FE42-AE61-4BC4-8ABA-CE870ECEBC6B.jpeg
This one has really nice grain, above and beyond typical three star, but it’s dark stained, so they could use briar with more hidden fills.

Cleanup was with ever clear and 4/0 steel wool, plus grapeseed oil.

These were the best factory pipes on earth in 1946.

And, it’s a mere $10 Three Star.
 

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
5,756
30,560
71
Sydney, Australia
@Briar Lee
That is a very nice bulldog.

Now that you have started, please continue uploading your Lee collection
It would be nice for current and future members to have a photographic archive.

While I've been guilty of sniping at you over your comments re:Lee pipes, if it were not for your enthusiasm, I would never (in all probability) have heard of the brand.
So thank you for adding to my very scant knowledge of American factory pipes.

I became interested in pipes by lurking on these Forums and oohing, aahing and drooling over the pipes posted by members over the years.
A photographic database is invaluable in promoting our passion.
 

shanez

Lifer
Jul 10, 2018
5,188
24,080
49
Las Vegas
An extremely high condition Lee Three Star 7 point star walnut stained medium squat Bulldog. $40 on eBay, delivered today.

It had been smoked once or maybe twice, halfway down.

View attachment 164713View attachment 164714View attachment 164715View attachment 164716View attachment 164717View attachment 164718View attachment 164719View attachment 164720
This one has really nice grain, above and beyond typical three star, but it’s dark stained, so they could use briar with more hidden fills.

Cleanup was with ever clear and 4/0 steel wool, plus grapeseed oil.

These were the best factory pipes on earth in 1946.

And, it’s a mere $10 Three Star.
I do have to say I really like the general aesthetic of that pipe.
 
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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,759
13,781
Humansville Missouri
@Briar Lee I really like the look of that bulldog. How does it stack up against your Pete 307 from the same era? (Genuinely curios, not just stirring)
The Pete I think has better, tighter, more attractive birdseye grain, which is surprising because the Irish had exactly the same WW2 briar shortage as the rest of the civilized world. The latest my circle Made in Ireland Pre Republic 307 could have been made was 1947. The Irish had a good selection of briar again, whenever it was. And the 307 is huge!

5904A0E2-823B-4922-8626-F9AFC8582CBD.jpeg

A Lee is not prized for flashy grain.
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,065
Carmel Valley, CA
Diff folks; diff strokes. I have never found that woman attractive. Certainly not unattractive, but I could name 50 better looking stars. (3 and above, up to 9/10!)
 
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