Pipe Line

Waldo Waterman: Pipe Smoking Aeronautical Genius

January 6, 2021 by Chuck Stanion

7 Comments

If we transported someone from around a hundred years ago to the present time, we might expect them to be impressed by cell phones, satellites, interstate highways, computers, and digital media, not to even mention BBQ potato chips. There are lots of things we have now that should impress those people, but our time travelers would be disappointed. ... Read More

Unexpected Company

December 31, 2020 by Truett Smith

8 Comments

Airports are universes unto themselves, dictated by their own laws of physics and time. Ten minutes through security actually takes five hours, and a five-hour layover really only lasts two beers — yes, beers transmogrify from beverages to measurements of time (the result of a complicated process that Einstein only touches on in his fifth Annus Mirabilis paper). ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: January 2021

December 31, 2020 by Andrew Wike

It's the new year and time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. Below you'll find seven unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution formats. ... Read More

George Burns: King of Comedy (and Cigars)

December 25, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

12 Comments

Remembered for his quick-witted comedic delivery, gruff voice, and an incredible entertainment career that spanned over eight decades, George Burns was a gifted performer and one of the most famous cigar smokers in history. Burns was rarely seen without a cigar and it quickly became one his trademarks, with various sources claiming the comedian likely smoked hundreds of thousands of cigars over the course of his life. ... Read More

How to Discipline Your Pipes

December 23, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

12 Comments

Many of us romanticize our pipes, admiring their execution and design, their flowing lines, crisp ridgelines, and meticulous engineering. We wax poetic about the tightness of a pipe's grain, its easy airflow, or the superior flavor of that block of briar. But pipes are instruments designed for a purpose: the combustion of tobacco. ... Read More

Frank Jack Fletcher: The Pipe Smoking Admiral

December 9, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

6 Comments

"Valor" is an admired quality, especially in terms of military personnel when circumstances and common sense can dictate that they remove themselves from preposterously dangerous situations. It's more than courage: It's a testament to our armed services members that their training, determination, and tenacity overcome ... Read More

The History of Pipe Design: Italy

December 4, 2020 by Truett Smith

17 Comments

In the first installment of The History of Pipe Design series, we discussed the development of the standard pipe shape chart by early French and English factories. The conventions for shaping and proportion of these archetypal shapes define what we at Smokingpipes and others in the pipe community refer to as "classic" or "traditional" pipes, and this Anglo-French style is foundational to all other design aesthetics. ... Read More

Pipe Smoking Desktop Backgrounds: December 2020

December 1, 2020 by Andrew Wike

It's time for another round of beautiful pipe smoking desktop backgrounds! As in previous months, we've compiled some of our favorite shots and artwork to share with you. Below you'll find six unique images, split between desktop and mobile orientations and available for download in two high-resolution formats. ... Read More

Jean-Paul Sartre: Philosopher, Author, Pipe Smoker

November 27, 2020 by Chuck Stanion

28 Comments

Through his writing, teaching, and lectures, Jean-Paul Sartre made existentialism part of popular culture. "Existence precedes essence," he wrote in his book, Existentialism and Humanism (1946). Sartre's argument reversed traditional philosophical thinking whose default position most often inferred that essence is more fundamental and unalterable than its existence. ... Read More

Bela Lugosi: Horror Movie Icon and Pipe Smoker

November 20, 2020 by Jeffery Sitts

13 Comments

Best remembered for his iconic portrayal of Count Dracula in the 1931 film adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, Bela Lugosi is widely considered one of the greatest horror movie actors of all time. Lugosi also appeared in several films with legendary English actor Boris Karloff, delivering memorable performances that showcased his acting talents and continue to enthrall audiences decades later. ... Read More