The Tinsky Sisters

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I bought a Mark Tinsky from Skip at The Briary about ten or so years ago. A small bulldog with this nice tamarid accent on the shoulder. I remember buying a new tin of Balkan Flake to break it in with. Before I could even smoke it, I had to run into the grocers to pick up some stuff for Mrs. Cosmic. It was a hot day in Alabama, but I knew I wasn’t going to be long. I set the pipe in a rack in my dashboard.

When I got back to my truck, the pipe was in pieces. The wood accent had popped in two. So, I drove back to the Briary. I wasn’t mad. I was heartbroken. I was sooo looking forward to smoking this pipe. Skip offered to send it back to Mark, which I thought was excessive. “Can’t you just glue it back?”
“No, no, Mark fucked up,” and Skip proceeded to explain to me how the design of thisnpipe was flawed.
So, I sighed, and said ok.

There was a back and forth between Skip and Mark. I’ve since learned that Skip can be very strange. But, Skip made it sound to me like Mark was refusing to fix it, but Skip was twisting his arm.
“Whatever.”

I ended up talking to Mark outside of Skip’s rhetoric, and I just explained that I loved the design and I didn’t care if it was merely glued back. Hell, “if it’s too much trouble, just sned it back to me, I’ll fix it.” Which is what I should have done in the first place.

Long story short, that pipe became my favorite, and Mark and I developed a friendship. I now make his stars, bands, and caps for him.

So, when I saw Mark’s son, Glenn, making a bulldog on IG, I contacted him to make me one. I wasn’t sure if Glenn knew that I was their jeweler or not, and didn’t want any extra favors. But, I sent him pics of the one his dad made and wanted a sister for it. A father son set. Didn’t have to have the woodwork on it. But, I did want an amber stem.

So, I got it in the mail today. The one with a lot of smoke patina on it is Mark’s, and of course the virgin pipe is Glenn’s.

These guys know their pipes. It is interesting that the bowl shape is so different between these two, but I like these differences.

Anyways, I’m about to fire up some 13 year old Astleys 109 for the inaugural smoke in this baby.

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I couldn’t be more pleased.
 

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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,019
16,051
I'm always amazed that so many of you guys survived ! Clearly the greatest generation ! :ROFLMAO:

I was a lightweight compared to most. But I did have two older brothers, so I got exposed to certain things at a very young age...which may have actually been good, because in a way it sort of innoculated me against at least some of it.

Ok, I won't screw up Cosmic's thread any more (but it's partially his fault for choosing that title...couldn't resist).
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,475
30,867
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I bought a Mark Tinsky from Skip at The Briary about ten or so years ago. A small bulldog with this nice tamarid accent on the shoulder. I remember buying a new tin of Balkan Flake to break it in with. Before I could even smoke it, I had to run into the grocers to pick up some stuff for Mrs. Cosmic. It was a hot day in Alabama, but I knew I wasn’t going to be long. I set the pipe in a rack in my dashboard.

When I got back to my truck, the pipe was in pieces. The wood accent had popped in two. So, I drove back to the Briary. I wasn’t mad. I was heartbroken. I was sooo looking forward to smoking this pipe. Skip offered to send it back to Mark, which I thought was excessive. “Can’t you just glue it back?”
“No, no, Mark fucked up,” and Skip proceeded to explain to me how the design of thisnpipe was flawed.
So, I sighed, and said ok.

There was a back and forth between Skip and Mark. I’ve since learned that Skip can be very strange. But, Skip made it sound to me like Mark was refusing to fix it, but Skip was twisting his arm.
“Whatever.”

I ended up talking to Mark outside of Skip’s rhetoric, and I just explained that I loved the design and I didn’t care if it was merely glued back. Hell, “if it’s too much trouble, just sned it back to me, I’ll fix it.” Which is what I should have done in the first place.

Long story short, that pipe became my favorite, and Mark and I developed a friendship. I now make his stars, bands, and caps for him.

So, when I saw Mark’s son, Glenn, making a bulldog on IG, I contacted him to make me one. I wasn’t sure if Glenn knew that I was their jeweler or not, and didn’t want any extra favors. But, I sent him pics of the one his dad made and wanted a sister for it. A father son set. Didn’t have to have the woodwork on it. But, I did want an amber stem.

So, I got it in the mail today. The one with a lot of smoke patina on it is Mark’s, and of course the virgin pipe is Glenn’s.

These guys know their pipes. It is interesting that the bowl shape is so different between these two, but I like these differences.

Anyways, I’m about to fire up some 13 year old Astleys 109 for the inaugural smoke in this baby.

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I couldn’t be more pleased.
wait which is the new one? (it's impossible to tell just by looking at the cake and char marks.)
 
  • Haha
Reactions: cosmicfolklore
Dec 6, 2019
4,903
22,477
Dixieland
I was looking at Tinsky's website. Those Naked Glen Tinskys look pretty cool.

They have tits carved on the pipe.

I may have to email him and see if he has any available, that site looks like it hasn't been updated in a while.

What's the best way to find their pipes?
 
Last edited:
I was looking at Tinsky's website. Those Naked Glen Tinskys look pretty cool.

They have tits carved on the pipe.

I may have to email him and see if he has any available, that site looks like it hasn't been updated in a while.

What's the best way to find their pipes?
You can email Glenn from Instagram or the website and ask to get on the email list is the best way to see what is currently available the fastest. Or, you can order from the website. They are both always so busy that something must be working.
Other than that, I am not privy to what might be the best way to order.