Smokingpipes Daily Reader

Behind Apprenticeships and Silver-Craft at Peterson

September 18, 2014 by Dennis Mann

3 Comments

As the pipe manager for Smokingpipes, I have the privilege of not only viewing and holding many of the pipes sold on the site, but also witnessing where and how they are born. When arriving at a pipemaker's workshop for the first time, in the back of my head there is an expectation of what I think the workspace will look like, yet, somewhat often, I'm surprised. Below is an account of my journey and observations on my recent trip to Peterson's storefront and workshop. ... Read More

Eltang Turns to a New Stain

August 20, 2014 by Sykes Wilford

5 Comments

A few months ago, back in maybe June or July, Tom Eltang called to chat. We talk pretty regularly, so this wasn't particularly unusual. After a few minutes of chit-chat, the conversation took an interesting turn. Tom dropped something of a bomb. He was done with the Golden Contrast stain after decades of using it as his primary—often his only—pipe stain. He'd developed an allergy to one of the components. ... Read More

11 Secrets of a Bruce Weaver Sandblast

August 14, 2014 by Andrew Wike

2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, master blaster Bruce Weaver was here visiting the shop. We're all quite familiar with the quality of his ultra-fine sandblasts. He aggressively attacks the briar to reveal the briar's intricate growth rings for a finish unlike anything else out there. Affable as can be, he gladly agreed to share some of his secrets in this exclusive interview. So here they are: 11 secrets behind Bruce Weaver and his one of a kind sandblasts.

Meet Konstantinos Anastasopoulos

August 12, 2014 by Bear Graves

This past week saw the introduction of pipes to smokingpipes.com. If you haven't seen them, I highly suggest you do before they are all gone. Tackling a bit of an enigma, Bear set out to learn more about this pipemaker and his craft. ... Read More

Interview: Micah Cryder of Yeti Pipes

August 5, 2014 by Bear Graves

2 Comments

Recently, Bear Graves sat down with Micah Cryder, the creative force behind Yeti Pipes. Yeti? Why are they called Yeti? In order to understand the answer to that conundrum, you need to first understand the man behind the pipes. The young, hyper-intelligent and good humored gent, who was born/currently lives and carves full time in Montana, offers two (of many) reasons. ... Read More

8 Facts About Pipe Making You Might Have Overlooked

August 1, 2014 by Andrew Wike

6 Comments

While we talk a lot about our pipes and venerate their makers, there's a lot that goes into your briar that we often overlook. This past week I had the pleasure of meeting American carver Bruce Weaver and visiting Adam's workshop for the first time. As the two artisans were chatting about the ins and outs of their craft, I ... Read More

Pipemaker Interview: Reicihi Ray Kurusu

March 20, 2014 by Bear Graves

4 Comments

Bear Graves and Ryota "Our Man in Japan" Shimizu, sat down and had a chat with Reiichi "Ray" Kurusu. Ryota, pipe man and translator extraordinaire, amply demonstrated his value throughout the interview, by correcting Bear's poor Japanese. Thus, questions which arrived as "Do you have any sisters at home?" became "Do you smoke a pipe yourself?" SPC extends its deepest thanks to Ryota-san. ... Read More

Interview Meet Roman Kovalev of Doctor's Pipes

January 23, 2014 by Bear Graves

Bear Graves: Busting up my usual question format a bit, I have to ask: how did you decide on naming your company "Doctor's Pipes"

Roman Kovalev: Sixteen years of my life was spent working in a hospital as a pediatric neurologist, even then I smoked my pipes a good deal of the time.