Thread: Pipe smoking and SR shaving

Originally Posted by mparker762

Ok, I'll bite. I've got a Stetson Chatham in Sovereign grade, two Borsalino Comos, and a Stetson Imperial Homburg, and a Stetson 10x cowboy-style hat. And a Borsalino straw.

Still looking for a good Cavanagh in 7 1/4....

I can post pics tonight if anyone's interested...

First, the pipe is gorgeous. I hope my meerschaum looks that cool someday. How long did it take you?

As for me, I have two Biltmore fedoras, and a Stetson Panama. I'm looking to maybe pick up a "real" Panama for this summer, though they cost as much as a Livi razor. I might try a homburg, but even for me that's a statement.

Bowties, anyone? Usually not to the office, but on occasion.

Yes. bowties too. Only about 6 or 7 of them. I had to wear the long ties in private school, and have hated them ever since.

Originally Posted by JerseyLawyer

First, the pipe is gorgeous. I hope my meerschaum looks that cool someday. How long did it take you?

It took about 4 months. I used Butera Sweet Cavendish, and one of Butera's coloring bowls. Mike Butera is a big meerschaum fan, and he made the Sweet Cavendish specifically for coloring meerschaums quickly, and the coloring bowl keeps the pipe from getting hot and ruining the finish. Sweet Cavendish is great in a meerschaum, but sucks pretty hard in a briar.

I've got a couple of others that have decent color, but none that deep -- I don't smoke much anymore (sinus problems since I moved to houston) and tend to smoke mostly latakia blends which don't color meerschaum very quickly.

Originally Posted by mparker762

I've got a couple of others that have decent color, but none that deep -- I don't smoke much anymore (sinus problems since I moved to houston) and tend to smoke mostly latakia blends which don't color meerschaum very quickly.

That's probably my problem. Too much latakia. Mine is sortof cafe au lait colored at the moment.

Yep, that's about all you'll get out of latakia. It'll get darker, but it'll always be that drab tannish-brown color. Virginia will turn the pipe a lovely reddish-orange, and Burley will turn it golden. The Sweet Cavendish turns it a kind of purplish color.

One of the guys at the pipe shop has a beehive carved pipe with multiple layers of carving, and he smoked burley in it for a few months with a coloring bowl and it turned a beautiful, very even honey color.

I've got a cavalier that I smoked burley in, I'll try to dig it up and post a photo...

If you're interested, here's a photo of my Cavalier.

The little funnel thing is the coloring bowl, it fits down in the main bowl and holds the tobacco, so the meerschaum pipe doesn't get hot. You can see that it's got a little color but not much, the heat tends to melt the wax and it soaks in and prevents the color from reaching the surface.

Originally Posted by mparker762

Yep, that's about all you'll get out of latakia. It'll get darker, but it'll always be that drab tannish-brown color. Virginia will turn the pipe a lovely reddish-orange, and Burley will turn it golden. The Sweet Cavendish turns it a kind of purplish color.

One of the guys at the pipe shop has a beehive carved pipe with multiple layers of carving, and he smoked burley in it for a few months with a coloring bowl and it turned a beautiful, very even honey color.

I've got a cavalier that I smoked burley in, I'll try to dig it up and post a photo...

Hrm, unfortunately I switch between and among varioust types of tobaccos with my pipe, so maybe I'm just out of luck with this one. Not that it's anything special - it's just a billiard ball shape. But I like simplicty.

Interesting thread.
I'm not a pipesmoker but I have always liked pipes. The shapes, wood grain etc. If they weren't that expensive I would collect them.
Have anyone tried pipe making? I made a pipe for a friend some years ago. It was a kit with the holes pre drilled. Very interesting and he was very happy for it. Realised that one needs a mask working with some wood though. Coughing and a headache from briar.
For really nice custom pipes check out this site
http://www61.pair.com/talbert/briar.shtml Check out the Mortas, bog-oak.

And I like hats, walking sticks, pocket watches, fountain pens, bow ties, waist coats, knives and of course SRs.

Mats

"And I like hats, walking sticks, pocket watches, fountain pens, bow ties, waist coats, knives and of course SRs."

Yes! Me too! Not to mention pipes; I have around 70 of them.


Talbert's bog oaks are really nice! Say Mats, don't you correspond w/ my friend Perry Fuller on The Churchwarden site? Perry's been working some long hours I understand, and his site hasn't been updated in quite awhile.

One of the guys at the local pipe shop is a big fan of Talbert's pipes. He was always sold out when I visited his website (pre-france), so I never managed to acquire one, and now I don't smoke anymore.