*** What Are You Smoking?*** (June 2018)
- Thread starter JimInks
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Frog Morton’s Cellar in a mid-to-late-40s D&P Pipe Works Spartan v4 (the version numbering is my own).
The first Spartans were made in 1942 for U.S. soldiers. The Spartan v1 (again, my version numbering) was simply a squared block with one hole drilled for a tobacco chamber and another drilled for the insertion of a wooden stem. The angular design that you see here evolved from that to meet the expectations of the post-war, civilian market.
You can probably tell from the grain that the wood isn’t briar. It’s either North Carolinian mountain laurel or rhododendron burl. The former is a genetic twin to the Mediterranean heath tree (the source of briar wood), the latter is a very close relative. Neither of them share the same fire resisting characteristics of briar however, which is why the blocks were treated with a patented fire-proofing process. It appears to have worked. The smoking qualities of the pipe are on par with what I would expect from a briar pipe of the same design.
The first Spartans were made in 1942 for U.S. soldiers. The Spartan v1 (again, my version numbering) was simply a squared block with one hole drilled for a tobacco chamber and another drilled for the insertion of a wooden stem. The angular design that you see here evolved from that to meet the expectations of the post-war, civilian market.
You can probably tell from the grain that the wood isn’t briar. It’s either North Carolinian mountain laurel or rhododendron burl. The former is a genetic twin to the Mediterranean heath tree (the source of briar wood), the latter is a very close relative. Neither of them share the same fire resisting characteristics of briar however, which is why the blocks were treated with a patented fire-proofing process. It appears to have worked. The smoking qualities of the pipe are on par with what I would expect from a briar pipe of the same design.
2002 Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake in a 1997 Dunhill Amber root bent rhodesian with a repair band and cumberland stem.
Condor Plug in my Jody Davis blowfish purchased from Music City Marketing (Uptown’s) in Nashville Tn. back in 2001.
Looks like I’ve clawed my way up the food pyramid to member status
Looks like I’ve clawed my way up the food pyramid to member status
Smoking a pretty good hausegemacht blend, slowroll mystery Balkan. Latakia, Dark Fired Kentucky, and McC 2050. Mystery, because I have no idea what's the secret sauce in 2050, but it reminds me of the floral, herby, spicy note that old Balkan Sobranie had.
D&R 3 Sails in a Barling & Sons smooth 4065 gracefully bent with flame grain, tapered stem. ($29.00 on ebay, like new.)
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