Any pipe smokers on BF?

There's a great pipe and cigar thread somewhere at the traditionals forum.
I am casual pipe smoker but here are some pics:

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jackknife said:
I've spent about 40 years putting some good color on this carved Turkish one.


Be careful with the aromatic stuff. Fake flavorings and the junk they put in there tend to make it smoke hot. A nice light English blend that isn't overly loaded with latakia is a nice smoke, but smells like bering leaves to non smokers. My better half exiles me to the back patio for my pipe smoking.
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Nice pipe! What is that knife though, it looks good!
 
A.L. said:
Nice pipe! What is that knife though, it looks good!
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That knife has an interesting backstory.

I wa friends with Bill Moran for over thirty years. I originally visited his shop in Middletown Maryland about knives of course, but it took a strange turn. I was smoking a Peterson pipe, and Bill noticed. It turned out that Bill was a lifelong pipe aficionado, and we started talking about pipes, and a friendship took off from there. Also we both were into traditional archery. Bill was a fantastic archer with a longbow or recurve. We went to archery shoots and pipe shows. In fact, knives actually took a back seat to our archery and pipe smoking.

Sitting on his front porch smoking our pipes and braining a new bow string or whatever, I admired his pocket knife many times, and he told me the story of how it came to be. About late 1943, some German POW's were assigned to work on his families farm in Lime Kiln Maryland. Bill's father was one of the biggest dairy farmers in the Middletown Valley. One older man in particular had worked in the German cutlery trade in Solingen before the war. Bill as a teenage was already trying to be a knife maker and he asked the older German many questions. The man's name was Albert Wurtz.

Albert, at Bill's insistence showed young Bill how to make a folding knife. Bill had a nice piece of crown stag, and it was neatly split to form the handles and the blade was made from a file. It's a simple slip joint and the blade holds a terrific edge. Albert had stamped his initials in the blade when it was done, and he and Bill were good friends after. After the war, they corresponded and when Bill became a real knife maker, Albert visited him in Maryland.

I had admired it many times, in fact every time Bill took stout to cut something, I chicken eyed it. Bill carried that knife from 1943 to about the mid 1980's when he phased it out for a new Hen and Rooster stag scaled stockman that was one of the real Bertram made Hen and Roosters. One day about 1985 or 6, I stopped by his shop and we were shooting the bull, and he was touching up the blade on the old Wurtz knife, and I again admired it. He handed into me and I coon fingered it and drooled a bit. When I went to bandit back to him, he wouldn't take it. Said something about it going to waste sitting there not being used because he has the Hen and Rooster. You could have knocked mover with a feather.

I carried that knife a lot up to Bill's death from colon cancer in 2006. Now it sits on my desk and opens my mail, and gets carried now and then. Every time I handle it, I remember my old friend and archery companion, and pipe aficionado. And I miss him.

The blade has about 1/3 of it sharpened away from use over the years, and the stag has shrunk away from the steel liners, but the walk and talk is still good and it cuts great. I used gently with fond memories.
 
J jackknife , I think that has got to be one of the best knife stories I have ever heard! To me... that knife belongs in a museum, but begs/deserves to be USED! That is an incredible honor, both to you and to Mr. Moran.
 
I'd like to take this opportunity to merge my two loves in life.... and invite all you pipe smoking knife knuts to arguably, the World's best pipe show: The Chicago Pipe Show. It is being held this May 5th weekend at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles Illinois. I will be there, and will undoubtably have at least two to four fine knives on me, along with some fine whiskey, and passel of pipes and tobacco to share. I am Mongo in the pipe world too.
 
Oh man Mongo, I'd love to come but it's a hell of a drive from Texas.

I've had a few get togethers with blade forums f0lks and it was a great time. Adding pipes into it would be the fudge topping on the Sunday!!

Take some pics and tell us about any pipes you pick up. See if there's any Petersons 300 series around. They are a great pipe.
 
jackknife said:
Oh man Mongo, I'd love to come but it's a hell of a drive from Texas.

I've had a few get togethers with blade forums f0lks and it was a great time. Adding pipes into it would be the fudge topping on the Sunday!!

Take some pics and tell us about any pipes you pick up. See if there's any Petersons 300 series around. They are a great pipe.
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They have these things called planes now... you buy a ticket for a seat, and get on it, and it takes you to a destination... like Chicago. Take an Uber out to St. Chas and enter pipe heaven. I recommend a bib for your first time there. ;)

I suggest preparing for next year's show. Rooms can be had at the resort, and there is plenty of shopping nearby for the missus. It is truly an amazing spectacle. I plan on picking up a pipe from a local maker named Norm Triptow. He makes nice pipes for a nice price. Of course.... you can find just about anything you want, except for Baki meers. I'd be in big freaking trouble if someone was selling those!

edited to add: www.chicagopipeshow.com This is the website for the CPCC (Chicago Pipe Collectors Club) We host/run the show.
 
I'll have to start saving for next years show. Rightnow we're saving up for the Key West trip we have reservations for in July. Some fishing, some snorkeling, some partying, some beach lounging, some more partying...

Between the guest house, rum, cigars, and tarpon fishing, this summers financing is shot to hell, but we'll have fun!
 
jackknife said:
That knife has an interesting backstory.

I wa friends with Bill Moran for over thirty years. I originally visited his shop in Middletown Maryland about knives of course, but it took a strange turn. I was smoking a Peterson pipe, and Bill noticed. It turned out that Bill was a lifelong pipe aficionado, and we started talking about pipes, and a friendship took off from there. Also we both were into traditional archery. Bill was a fantastic archer with a longbow or recurve. We went to archery shoots and pipe shows. In fact, knives actually took a back seat to our archery and pipe smoking.

Sitting on his front porch smoking our pipes and braining a new bow string or whatever, I admired his pocket knife many times, and he told me the story of how it came to be. About late 1943, some German POW's were assigned to work on his families farm in Lime Kiln Maryland. Bill's father was one of the biggest dairy farmers in the Middletown Valley. One older man in particular had worked in the German cutlery trade in Solingen before the war. Bill as a teenage was already trying to be a knife maker and he asked the older German many questions. The man's name was Albert Wurtz.

Albert, at Bill's insistence showed young Bill how to make a folding knife. Bill had a nice piece of crown stag, and it was neatly split to form the handles and the blade was made from a file. It's a simple slip joint and the blade holds a terrific edge. Albert had stamped his initials in the blade when it was done, and he and Bill were good friends after. After the war, they corresponded and when Bill became a real knife maker, Albert visited him in Maryland.

I had admired it many times, in fact every time Bill took stout to cut something, I chicken eyed it. Bill carried that knife from 1943 to about the mid 1980's when he phased it out for a new Hen and Rooster stag scaled stockman that was one of the real Bertram made Hen and Roosters. One day about 1985 or 6, I stopped by his shop and we were shooting the bull, and he was touching up the blade on the old Wurtz knife, and I again admired it. He handed into me and I coon fingered it and drooled a bit. When I went to bandit back to him, he wouldn't take it. Said something about it going to waste sitting there not being used because he has the Hen and Rooster. You could have knocked mover with a feather.

I carried that knife a lot up to Bill's death from colon cancer in 2006. Now it sits on my desk and opens my mail, and gets carried now and then. Every time I handle it, I remember my old friend and archery companion, and pipe aficionado. And I miss him.

The blade has about 1/3 of it sharpened away from use over the years, and the stag has shrunk away from the steel liners, but the walk and talk is still good and it cuts great. I used gently with fond memories.
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Sorry for delayed reply but than you for the great story!
 
Did any of you knife knuts happen to make the Chicago Pipe Show that just ended?
 
Since I live in the area I did pop in for a few hours on Saturday and spent too much money -- a bunch of tobacco, a few lighters, a couple of cobs, one clay, and I even grabbed a little fixed blade knife made by a fellow who had a table of pipes and leatherworks made by him and his son.
 
jackknife said:
That knife has an interesting backstory.

I wa friends with Bill Moran for over thirty years. I originally visited his shop in Middletown Maryland about knives of course, but it took a strange turn. I was smoking a Peterson pipe, and Bill noticed. It turned out that Bill was a lifelong pipe aficionado, and we started talking about pipes, and a friendship took off from there. Also we both were into traditional archery. Bill was a fantastic archer with a longbow or recurve. We went to archery shoots and pipe shows. In fact, knives actually took a back seat to our archery and pipe smoking.

Sitting on his front porch smoking our pipes and braining a new bow string or whatever, I admired his pocket knife many times, and he told me the story of how it came to be. About late 1943, some German POW's were assigned to work on his families farm in Lime Kiln Maryland. Bill's father was one of the biggest dairy farmers in the Middletown Valley. One older man in particular had worked in the German cutlery trade in Solingen before the war. Bill as a teenage was already trying to be a knife maker and he asked the older German many questions. The man's name was Albert Wurtz.

Albert, at Bill's insistence showed young Bill how to make a folding knife. Bill had a nice piece of crown stag, and it was neatly split to form the handles and the blade was made from a file. It's a simple slip joint and the blade holds a terrific edge. Albert had stamped his initials in the blade when it was done, and he and Bill were good friends after. After the war, they corresponded and when Bill became a real knife maker, Albert visited him in Maryland.

I had admired it many times, in fact every time Bill took stout to cut something, I chicken eyed it. Bill carried that knife from 1943 to about the mid 1980's when he phased it out for a new Hen and Rooster stag scaled stockman that was one of the real Bertram made Hen and Roosters. One day about 1985 or 6, I stopped by his shop and we were shooting the bull, and he was touching up the blade on the old Wurtz knife, and I again admired it. He handed into me and I coon fingered it and drooled a bit. When I went to bandit back to him, he wouldn't take it. Said something about it going to waste sitting there not being used because he has the Hen and Rooster. You could have knocked mover with a feather.

I carried that knife a lot up to Bill's death from colon cancer in 2006. Now it sits on my desk and opens my mail, and gets carried now and then. Every time I handle it, I remember my old friend and archery companion, and pipe aficionado. And I miss him.

The blade has about 1/3 of it sharpened away from use over the years, and the stag has shrunk away from the steel liners, but the walk and talk is still good and it cuts great. I used gently with fond memories.
Click to expand...
Awesome!
 
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