Tiny Imperfections - Something or Nothing?

[mrjerke]

Need more help. I'm full of questions this morning.
So I won a few auctions and I was so excited for my new pipes. Now this particular pipe was unsmoked, new, and looks great. I inspected closely and was very happy with the quality. Funny thing though, when I took it out for it's second smoke last night I noticed some minor imperfections in the grain. Are these what would be considered sandpits?
I also want to know if it was fair for the listing to say "Upon our inspection, we found no noteable product flaws."

I am very interested in purchasing more items from this seller.
They don't really bother me and I understand they shoudn't affect the smoking quality (it smokes great by the way) but I just want to know if this is fairly standard so I'm not making something out of nothing.
I marked the spots on the photo...

In fairness I paid $84 for this which costs almost double new. I still love it, just wondering if I'm insane.

 

[rigmedic1]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Those do appear to be sand pits, and would bump it down a bit on the value scale. An artisan pipe maker might rusticated an area like that, but I would leave it alone. As far as the price you paid, many pipes with flaws like that would still sell for much more, with the straight grain. If you like the way it smokes, than you got a superb deal.

 

[papipeguy]

Overall it is a great looking pipe. Frankly, those would not bother me so I'd smoke it and enjoy it.

 

[igloo]

Natural imperfections in the wood are ok in my book .so enjoy your new pipe .

 

[pitchfork]

I think I know the seller and have bought from them before. If it's the same seller, they don't really know pipes that well and mainly sell other kinds of collectibles. However, by all appearances they are an honest and reputable collectibles dealer/ ebay seller. So when they note they find no flaws or defects they mean cracks, scuffs, stains, etc., not "flaw" in the specialized sense that we pipe smokers use that word. Anyhow, those look like very small sandpits and I have artisan pipes that have pits like that -- some people accept them, some people would rather not.

 

[pitchfork]

I checked it out, it's def the same seller I've dealt with before. As far as pipes like Winslow Crown, Stanwell, etc. , a few small sandpits are not unusual for a smooth pipe. IMHO, you got a great pipe for half price. I wouldn't think twice about those pits, unless they bother you aesthetically.

 

[nachman]

Nice pipe, nice price. In a little while there will be more imperfections than that just because you smoke it. I never worry about small imperfections or even a little rim darkening because all pipes are for smoking, not framing.

 

[jdto]

Put the magnifying glass away and smoke the heck out of that beauty :D

 

[mso489]

I don't want to go all philosophical on you, but in some arts and crafts, like Japanese pottery, a few

flaws are considered the character of the piece. In the tea ceremony, part of the ritual is admiring the

pot and cup, and their artful irregularities. I'm not a big tea ceremony person, but it illustrates the point.

As when the Car Guys advise buyers of new cars to accept the first dent graciously because it frees you

from worrying about small stuff so you can enjoy your car. As the chain-gang warden in "Cool Hand

Luke" says, you have to "get your mind right." Take in the big picture. Ignore the small stuff; it's all

small stuff. Enjoy your pipe.

 

[zack24]

Sandpits are God's way of laughing at the pipemaker's quest for perfection...About the time you spend hours shaping a nice pipe with glorious grain, a sandpit invariably rears it's ugly head. Even with high quality briar, only 5-10% of finished pipes are even close to what most people consider flawless. The rest get blasted, rusticated, or stained to hide the smalll pits like those...Nothing to worry about...

 

[mrjerke]

Great advice mso. And I do enjoy the pipe thoroughly. So much so that I smiled like a school girl the entire hour of the first smoke. I actually bribed my wife with sushi dinner to pick it up at the post office for me the day I was stuck at work and missed delivery.
I'm just still new enough to my favorite hobby to not know if this was normal.
I will keep smoking and enjoy the heck out it. She really is a beauty. And yes I'm weird, I name my pipes like I do with my guitars. Whinnie is a looker!