wayneteipen
I by no means speak for anyone but myself and my own opinions. And, excuse me, I may have been stuck with my head in the turd thread still, ha ha. But, there are some things that I think that a group mentality gets set upon that doesn't translate to the variety of pipe smokers. For one, notice how a tapered draft with flared draft at the button doesn't come up much in these few threads that have started in response to the turd? A smaller draft or larger draft seems to be how we translate our appreciation of the draft. And, while I appreciate these details, I don't think it translates very much for me in my experience with smoking, as the majority of factory pipes don't have these nuances in detail, and many of them we are willing to pay more than most artisans charge.
I for one also love a thin chamber on my Dublins, for at least for part of my collection. I have six Hilson stacked dublins that are my favorites that come in at a hair under a quarter of an inch. I like these because they force me to feel the heat of the chamber and adjust my cadence. And, none have burned out. (knock on wood) Yeh, personal preference, I know. But, a quality none-the-less.
As I read the PMF string it seems they thought that a draft with no taper, no flared draft, etc were something that was a terrible for all of us and "hurts the industry." When Stanwell, Savinelli, and many other companies don't seem to have been hurt by not paying any head to these nuances.
As for you and what you do, I would think that joining in on the camaraderie would only be a plus. I have no idea where the statements that someone wanted pipemakers off of our forums comes from, unless they were trying to tell us what we want or need. Or, maybe the makers got offended at some criticism. I can easily see someone rudely shooting down a maker. We can be a cantankerous bunch at times. But, that is also an opportunity, or can be with a little tact.
Maybe I am mixing quality with preferences, as everyone else is, but I have said and will continue to defend quality as subjective also. I might suggest
The Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance. The whole book goes into the philosophy of the subjective nature of quality as it pertains to motorcycles and life, Great book, IMO.
In setting back and watching a few pipemakers discuss pipes at The Briary, they went over all of this minutia about stem design and drafts that I just don't think most of us would really notice. Maybe noticing these drafts and flairs is a learned nuance like learning to differentiate the nuances of Virginias. It might take years to pick up on it. I don't know. But, some guys appreciate it, and some don't care. While some pipemakers like Tinsky has his stems all injector casted and the stummels are all hand carved, and Todd's pipes are the opposite with the widgit mass produced bowls and hand made stems, these are nuances that I just don't think matter for most, or at least they NEVER come up in discussions on here.
Do we need to be educated on this. Ha ha, someone can try, but having someone tell me what I should be looking for strikes a kneejerk reaction of walking away. Now, telling me how you do it, perks up my ears. That interests me. But, telling me that I should always look for this or that doesn't. Does that make sense?
We all have our differences here. Some like to hold their pipes, and some like to clench. Some like to do both. Some are slow smokers, and some like to make big puffs of smoke. Some will notice the nuances of how the smoke enters their mouth, and some don't. Some like thin chambers, some don't. Some guys prefer cobs to a Becker, and some only buy the most expensive pipes that fit a much more detailed list of criteria than I have.
This is what I mean. It is awesome that some pipemakers will set strict standards for themself. I can appreciate that. In my own work, I take each setting and look at it under a microscope to be sure that no file marks can be seen under stone settings that most can't even see with the naked eye. I know that at some point another jeweler may be looking at my work under a microscope on down the line. These are great things. But, not everyone wanting an engagement ring is going to go to a jeweler that does this, or even care. We tend to live by the best noticeable standards that we can afford. And, I can take one of those pokers with flames, straight draft, and just a wheel bur indention at the button and make it smoke like a Becker for me with enough time.
Ugg, This is getting lengthy, and I apologize again. Basically, quality is subjective, IMO. it may be that Peck and other high end collectors would rather not smoke at all as to smoke from one of my favorite burners. And, if given the opportunity, I might find one of the best handmades not to meet my expectations either. Just on here, some had issues with Rad's pipes, whereas many said they love them. Differences make the world go around.
Was I just jumbled, or did this make sense. And, thank you for being on here and discussing this with us. I for one treasure talking to artists. :
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If I failed to specify that I am only talking from my own opinion, I am sorry. I am no spokesman for any one or group. Just my own insights.
