Any Pipe Smokers? Interest in Pipe Knives?

Guyon

Guyon

Biscuit Whisperer
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On occasion, I like to smoke a bowl of pipe tobacco and sip a couple of fingers of a good sipping whiskey.

I've long admired the Laguiole brand of handcrafted pipe knives, but never have had the cash to shell out for one.

It occurred to me recently that the Case line of Doctor's Knives might be a good substitute. They have a flat end for tamping the tobacco, a knife for cutting sliced tobaccos, and a spatula for bowl cleaning. I'm eyeing the Case Doctor's Knife in Amber Bone in particular. The stainless blade steel should help prevent staining from the ashes/tobacco.

Any thoughts? Any good leads on other pipe knives?
 
I am totally with you on the occasional pipe and whiskey. Only happens a few times a year for me. Sometimes just a pipe, sometimes just a whiskey; but the two at once after a nice meal is just great. I never found a good pipe knife, most where just those cheap tamper things you find at tobacco shops. The doctor's knife might work, but it could be too wide to fit in some pipe bowls. I have a churchwarden that is my favorite pipe and the bowl is pretty narrow. Let us know if you get one how it works.
 
I've got a few decent tampers. My favorite, I made myself out of a deer antler and the cleaning jag for a .50 caliber muzzleloader. Ground the jag flat and polished it to a bright brass finish. Drilled and tapped the antler to accept the jag. Screwed it in and secured it with a little Loctite. If I can locate a pic, I'll post it.

As for the size of the Case knives, they also make an entire line of Baby Docs. I've eyed them as well for pipe smoking.
 
I think a tamper is a personal thing, a flat head screw will do, I used a horseshoe nail for a while, my brother had one in ivory, lately I've been using the oval shaped from Sheffield on the bottom right in the picture, labeled "Monte Cristo" (oops, I placed it upside down on the scanner).

A doctor pattern should work fine, I think I even mentioned that in some old thread.

I guess my old Peterson's could use new mouthpieces...

Luis

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I smoke a Benton on occasion, usually rubbed golden flake from the netherlands
 
There is somethig civilized about a pipe smoker, cigarettes on the other hand are a sign of TPT ;)

Don, my Grandad had the same one from the bottom right corner. He used it for peeling oranges though :)
 
Luis,

The pipe in the bottom of the photo looks like the 314 or the 317 model. I have a couple of them and they are a wonderful smoke. I've sort of been collecting Petersons for the last 10 years or so, and I'm afraid I've become a fanatic.

Have you tried one of thier mearshaums?
 
Ah Petersons..., since I started smoking in 1973 I have accumulated several dozen pipes, yet maybe 90% of the time I reach for one of the Petersons. I do have a Meerschaum Peterson but I prefer their briar "standard system".

Here's a picture which also includes some Meerschaums.

Left top to bottom, Petersons: 314,317,73,303.

Right top to bottom, Meerschaum: Peterson (no markings), GBD, Calabash (note chipped bowl, my dog did that), typical carved Turk.

Luis

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Just love the calabash!

I have one lone calabash that is my after dinner " in for the evening" pipe. I've got about a dozen and a half pipes, but the seven Petersons are the ones I use the most. Looks like we've been at it about the same number of years.

Yeah, there's nothing quite like "the system".:thumbup:
 
Well, as long as we're talking smoking...

Any of you ever try the humidifying discs in your pouches or containers? I just bought five or six of them from Guy and Jackie over at affordablepipes.com. I don't smoke that often, just every now and then, but I like trying different blends of tobacco. However, I noticed that several of my tins have dried out a fair amount, so I thought I'd give these disks a try. Jackie recommended taking the tobacco out of the tins (which no longer seal completely once opened) and putting it in small canning jars that I can seal. Supposedly, I can soak the disc in distilled water and put it in the jar along with the tobacco, and the tobacco will eventually soak up some of the moisture. Thus, it won't smoke too hot and fast.

Any thoughts? Other suggestions?
 
I have had those disks, I always used them with tap water, they work, truth is I haven't used them for a long time.

I have kept bulk tobacco in ziplock bags for years by spraying it with tap water once in a while, you have to learn from experience how much water is needed, start with very little.

For my cigars I currently use aluminum tubes with holes along the sides, packed with cotton, I dip them in tap water, shake off the excess and put them alongside the cigars in a cedar box.

Luis
 
Luis, glad to hear the disks work. They were pretty cheap--buck apiece I believe.

Little experiment today: One can that was pretty dry was some Frog Morton on the Bayou (I'm fond of the McClelland Tobaccos). I folded up a paper towel and wet it good and then just left it in the can for several hours. Seems to me that the tobacco is already a lot more moist. May go have a smoke now just to try it.

I kind of like the idea of the small (half-pint?) Mason jars for long-term storage since you can get a good seal. For as little as I smoke, I have to keep my tobaccos a while.

Petersons, huh? I need to try a Petersons one of these days.

My favorite (and most expensive) pipe right now is a W.O. Larsen "Rustica," though I usually smoke more inexpensive pipes. Have a number of Charatans, a GBD, and some Kaywoodies. Heck, even some Dr. Grabows that smoke pretty good. I also picked up, for a song, some new "Graco" pipes made in the 1960s. They had been shelved at a wholesaler's warehouse for decades. Really nice briar in those Gracos. Will post a pic if I get a chance.
 
I tend to buy my tobacco in bulk as I smoke 3-5 pipes a day, and a pound bag will last me a month. If it gets a little too dry I spread it out in a shallow stainless steel pan and GENTLY spray a little water on it from a mist bottle. An old windex bottle or such will work, as long as you get a spray, not a stream. Spray a little mist over it, then mix it by gently tossing it with your fingers to mix in the damp tobacco on top with the bulk of it.

I keep it in a hummidor jar that has a rubber seal between the glass lid and jar. Depending on how long it has been in inventory, sometimes those tins are too dry when you open them. What ever you do DON'T put a piece of apple in there like some folk tale, you will end up with mold in your tobacco. That can make for a very strange smoke!

Guyon, you may wish to try a Peterson, make sure you get one of the models with the system. Look in the Pipes magazine for a pipe show in your area, you can get great deals on used pipes in very good condition for a fraction of the cost of a new one. The last show I went to in the Washington D.C. area I got a Peterson 317 in very good shape for 20 bucks, that was a 75-80 dollar pipe new. I got a used but well cared for Savinelli for 25.00.

Some tobaccos smoke a little dryer than others anyway. An English blend with latakia is better off a little dry, unlike a virginia or burley blend that may be an aromatic.

Enjoy!
 
Well, the Frog Morton smoked just fine. Seems the paper towel trick worked okay. I thought about mold growing on the paper towel as well even before your post, so I'll probably take it out tonight just to be sure no bacteria in the tobacco suddenly starts a culture in the paper towel.

I'll have to look up the Peterson "system" to see what you mean.

I've never actually seen a pipe show in these parts. Not to say they don't have them, but I've never seen one advertised. Maybe I'll ask this dude: www.frenchyspipes.com He lives pretty close by, and I've bought a restored pipe or two from him.

A while back, I did buy a grinder/buffer with variable speed that goes slow enough to buff old pipes without burning or damaging them. For a while, I thought about buying used pipes and doing some cleaning/restoration work on them. Even found a source for raw carnuba and bought a hunk of it. Just haven't had time to fool with it, though I have an old pipe or two I can practice with when I do get time.
 
Not being a pipe smoker, this whole thread has been fascinating. And I have never seen a pipe knife, never had any interest in them. But cool! Hey Luis, did Schrade ever make a pipe knife??

neat thread.

Phil:thumbup:
 
Basically you need a tamper, a pick and a reamer, this one adds a cutting blade, I have seen many that are functional but none really good quality, like the steel tends to be on the soft side and the springs tend to be weak. I have not seen the Laguioles mentioned in this thread.

I don't think that Schrade ever made one, it would have been nice to have it with those old Prince Albert offers.

Luis

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Tried smoking a pipe for awhile but didn't enjoy it enough to get me away from my cigars. :) Am enjoying this thread, though. It's been too long since I've had a smoke. Looks like the dog's getting an extra long walk tonight as I trim off the end of a Bolivar with my Buck 526 (preferred cigar knife), roast it with a wooden match, then head off into the night with my two best friends. :thumbup:
 
I've collected a number of pipes over the years and have seen damage done to the bowls by knives in the hands of clumbsy pipe smokers. I prefer the manufactured combo pipe tamper, scraper, and reamer, although in a pinch I have been seen using an Uncle Henry to carefully clean cake out of a bowl.

As one of you mentioned, whatever works best for you is the way to go:thumbup:
 
May pick up a Case Baby Doc this weekend to try.

I'm partial to billiards and canadians. This new Kaywoodie Flame Grain should be on its way to me by now.

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Matches said:
I've collected a number of pipes over the years and have seen damage done to the bowls by knives in the hands of clumbsy pipe smokers. I prefer the manufactured combo pipe tamper, scraper, and reamer, although in a pinch I have been seen using an Uncle Henry to carefully clean cake out of a bowl.

As one of you mentioned, whatever works best for you is the way to go:thumbup:
Click to expand...


I know exactly what you mean. When I was a kid, ( 1950's) my Uncle Paul and my dad both were pipe smokers of the old school. Nothing expencive, a Yellow bowl or Dr. greybow. One of my most clear memories was of either of them getting done with a pipe load and taking out a small pocket knife and scrape, scrape, scrape. They would then peer down in the bowl intently, and often another couple of scapes.

When I grew up and took to smoking my own pipes, and learned to appreatiate a good one, I would shudder with those memories.
 
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