Skip lives down the road from me. He is the owner of The briary and we have become friends over the years. He doesn't make as many pipes as he used to, and he is finicky as hell about his pipes... I think all artisan/craftsmen are. He doesn't take commissions, and his pipes sell faster than he can get them posted, so I knew I probably would never get one of his pipes.
Well, we were kicking around in his studio, while he was working, and he was examining this stummel for a dublin. I was standing behind him eyeing over his shoulder. He got frustrated and chunked it in the waste bin, seemingly for no reason. So. I pocketed his trashed stummel. I took it home and pulled out some of my rod stock and turned a stem. I filed it just like I had seem him do. Stained it, and the next time I was over, I showed it to him. He looked it over carefully.... He was impressed... and if anyone knows Skip, that is a rare thing to see. So, he stamped it. I was happy to have a Skip Elliot pipe.
Now, when he sees me with it, he grills me about when I am going to pay for that pipe, ha ha. I put the band on it. It has a silver band, with a set ruby and a small little hand formed tobacco leaf.
Eh, it's probably not a fascinating story, but a story nonetheless. I love the pipe, and it smokes really well.