Selecting your pipe is a very personal affair. The pipe must, first of all, fit your personality and character. It should also en­hance your appearance, and provide you with the comfort, con­fidence, and satisfaction to which every pipe smoker is entitled.

When selecting a pipe, regard it as the old friend it will become, as something you will be living with for many years.

Once you've decided on the pipe style that suits you best, you will want to make sure that the pipe is of good quality and cor­rectly priced. Judging the merits of a pipe requires a certain knowledge of pipe manufacture, a familiarity with briarwood, and a smattering of background in the economics of the pipe in­dustry.

This chapter will serve as a general guide to briar pipe selec­tion. It is designed to help you choose a quality briar, and to tell you how much you should pay for it. It would also be a good idea to glance at Chapter Seven, "How Briar Pipes Are Made," before actually choosing your pipe.

FLAWS AND WHAT THEY MEAN

To make certain that you get the best pipe for your money, select a reliable pipe dealer who sells the product of a well-known pipe-maker. In this way, you can be assured of a quality pipe, since the manufacturer's reputation depends on the excellence of the pipe bearing his name.

Because briar is a product of nature, imperfections occasion­ally occur in the burl. The skilled pipe maker eliminates or min­imizes such flaws, however, through careful selection of briar block and hand-finishing of the bowl. These minute imperfections in no way affect the smoking quality of the pipe, and painstaking hand-finishing makes the flaws invisible to the naked eye.

Thus, pipes which may at first seem identical may vary sharply in cost, one selling for ten dollars and the other for only three. The reason for the wide difference is usually that the less expensive pipe has an imperfection or two, while the other pipe may have no visible faults at all.

A pipe with a crack penetrating the entire bowl would be use­less, and no reputable pipe maker would allow it to carry his name. Neither you nor anyone else would want it at any price. However, a good pipe with one or more minute surface imperfections, rendered invisible to the naked eye, will give you as fine a smoke for as long a time as a perfect pipe. Finally, you may run across an outstanding specimen, a pipe with beautiful grain, and not a visible defect inside or outside the bowl.

Imperfections originate in the briar burl when the growth of the burl is interrupted in some way. One kind of defect may be caused by a strong wind that bends or twists the plant so that its roots grow in an abnormal manner. This, in turn, may form small air pockets, partially open or completely enclosed . . . and invisible unless the pipe-maker's cutting blade happens to slice through one and expose it.

Another type of fault occurs when a small stone becomes embedded in the burl and the plant continues to grow around it. Such a stone, like the air pocket, remains undetected until the pipe is shaped from the wood. If the stone is not too deeply lodged within the briar block, it can be gouged out.

A flaw may also develop if water somehow becomes trapped inside the briar burl. The end result is a small pit or air hole in the finished pipe.

Blemishes are seldom visible on the surface of the briar block. Indeed, the manufacturer can never be sure that a particular block will yield a perfect pipe until the pipe is finished. Even the final sandpapering, which removes a mere thousandth of an inch from the wood, may disclose a hidden fault of such dimensions that the pipe has to be discarded. More often, the pipe maker will cut into an expensive block of the finest briar and find a few tiny flaws. These defects will be too small for the briar to be scraped, but large enough to relegate the pipe to the bargain counter.

The finer pipes, of course, never possess a single visible flaw. This is the result of careful selection. Reputable pipe makers sell their less-than-perfect pipes as "seconds" to dealers who market the pipes under different brand names. Very often an inexpensive pipe may appear perfect to the untrained eye; yet it will probably have a very small defect which may escape your scrutiny but not that of the inspector at the factory.

Do faults affect the smoking quality of the pipe? The answer depends upon where the flaw is located. If it is on the outside of the pipe bowl, reasonably small, and not too deep, chances are it will have no effect on the pipe's smoking properties. But if the defect is on the inside of the bowl, beware! Such flaws eventually lead to trouble.

Imperfections on the inside of the bowl appear as rough spots, depressions, or holes in the bowl wall. Unless the pipe is carefully broken in and a thick cake maintained over the bad spot, a burn­out could occur. The wood around the flaw may scorch easily, adversely affecting the pipe for smoking purposes.

Many smokers refuse to buy pipes with a carved finish because they believe that the manufacturer has used the carving process to eliminate faults on the outside of the pipe. This assumption is not necessarily true. When a defect shows up during the pipe-making process, the manufacturer has two alternatives (if he does not wish to discard the pipe): he can give the pipe a carved finish and remove the flaw in the process, or he can reduce the outside diameter of the bowl, leaving a smooth finish, and also removing the blemish.

In either case, the result is a flaw-free pipe. Many pipe smokers prefer a carved pipe because of its original appearance, lighter weight, and cooler smoke. The carving increases the surface area of the bowl, which in turn results in a greater dispersal of heat.

PIPE SHAPES

There are several principal pipe-bowl designs which the exper­ienced smoker will readily recognize, plus a half dozen variations on each familiar type. The following are the more common pipe-bowl shapes:

The pot bowl has parallel sides at right angles to the shank, with the base of the bowl slightly rounded. The pot bowl is usually larger than most other shapes. If the height of the bowl measures less than its diameter, it presents a somewhat squat appearance, and is referred to as a squat pot. Similarly, if the bowl's height is equal to or larger than its diameter, it is called a large or raised pot, respectively. The pot bowl seller shape has a pot bowl with a flat base.

The Dublinbowl diverges from the base of the bowl to its rim, like an upright letter V. On the other hand, the outline of the prince bowl converges from base to rim, as an inverted V. The billiard, pear, and apple bowls all bulge outward.

Traditionally, special names have been given to various pipe styles that combine certain shapes of bowl and shank. The Bull Moose, for example, is a sturdy pipe with a full, short, round shank, an apple bowl, and a slightly curved stem. The Woodstockhas a Dublin bowl, a slightly curved stem, and an oval shank.

The Bulldog has a pear bowl with a paneled (flattened) top, is beaded (grooved) around the circumference of the bowl, and has a diamond-shaped shank and stem. Straight shanks of greater than average length, with oval or round cross-sections, are called Canadian.

The Oom Paul is a large pipe, usually measuring about two and one-half inches from the rim of the bowl to the bottom. It got its name from "Oom" Paul Kruger, the Boer leader during the South African war at the dawn of this century. Although the diameter of the bowl is that of an ordinary pipe, it is very deep and holds a great deal of tobacco.

The Dawes pipe (more correctly named the Lyons, after its inventor, Charles Herbert Lyons) happened to be the favorite pipe of General Charles G. Dawes, Vice-President of the United States from 1925 to 1929. General Dawes smoked the curious pipe incessantly and it became popularly known as the Dawes Underslung, because the shank joined the bowl near its rim.

CHART OF PIPE SHAPES


 
 
 
 

STEM SHAPES

Most smokers buying a new pipe examine the bowl with care, but rarely do more than glance at the stem. Although the stem of a pipe may have little effect on the quality of the smoke, it largely determines whether the pipe will feel comfortable or awkward, and whether it will appear beautifully proportioned or odd-shaped and clumsy.

Walk into any pipe shop and chances are that you'll find at least thirty different pipe-stem designs. Stem manufacturers have de­signed their stems to bring out the graceful qualities of the bowl so that the finished pipe has a conformation pleasing to the eye, and a balance that makes the pipe easy to hold in one's mouth. Stems are classified by number and are always measured in milli­meters.

Thus each pipe shape traditionally incorporates a certain style of stem especially suited to the bowl, in terms both of beauty and the smoker's comfort.

Pipe stems are designed to bring out the graceful qualities of the pipe bowl. Here are but a few of the many stems that are currently in use.

A Canadian shape, for example, with its long wooden shank, would not look very well-proportioned with a long stem. Consequently, the Canadian is usually found with a short stem.

Large pipes with short shanks must have longer stems to keep the bowl and shank-stem line in proportion. A churchwarden would, of course, require a very long, slender stem. Bulldogs with diamond-shaped shanks need matching diamond-shaped stems. In the Oom Paul shape, the stem must be bent to a full right angle in order to keep the bowl upright and allow the bit to rest comfortably between the smoker's teeth.

Most bowl shapes can be fitted with a variety of stem shapes, but not all stem shapes fit all bowl shapes. Manufacturers usually select the correct stems for their pipes, but in the end the cus­tomer must be the one to choose a stem which seems both com­fortable and beautiful to him.

FILTERS

Many modern pipes come with an aluminum filter built into the stem. The filter has a double purpose. It lengthens the path the smoke must travel before entering the mouth so as to cool the smoke, and also so as to prevent small particles of tobacco, tars, and nicotine from reaching the lips. Filters do trap much of the undesirable matter such as tars and oils, and many ideas on the subject have been developed over the years. This is demonstrated by the innumerable filter designs registered every year with the U.S. Patent Office.

A number of pipes on the market are equipped with chemical filters, cloth filters, or more complicated filters of aluminum tubing. Some smokers may find that such filters suit their taste, but to most pipe lovers a simple aluminum stem filter, or no filter at all, usually proves desirable.

PIPE AND PERSONALITY

When selecting a pipe, try to find a shape or style in keeping with your own particular character. Or, if you must, choose a pipe so outstanding as to attract favorable attention. Sherlock Holmes, the fictitious detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is al­most as famous for his calabash as for his powers of reasoning. Mark Twain, by contrast, preferred a rough-hewn corncob, and puffed furiously away while writing. It is said that he burned his pipes out so frequently that he had to employ a man to break them in for him.

One way to find out whether or not a pipe flatters you is to pose with it before a mirror. Try on the pipe as you would try on a hat or an overcoat. If the pipe looks out of place in your mouth, put it back on the shelf and try another one.

A big man, over six feet tall and weighing two hundred pounds, would look ridiculous smoking a midget briar. On the other hand, a small skinny fellow has no business smoking a pipe nearly as large as his face.

Generally, a tall slender man looks better smoking a straight, long-stemmed pipe, such as the lumberman or billiard. Short, plump men, with rounder faces, look more natural with curved pipes such as the bent or Oom Paul. But the ultimate choice is up to the smoker, whose own taste should guide his selection.

People who work with their hands usually prefer pipes with short stems. Short stems allow greater freedom of movement than other shapes. Long-stemmed pipes, such as the lumberman or Canadian, are best suited for leisure-time smoking.

If a pipe is destined for easy-chair smoking, you might like to select a calabash or a meerschaum. A heavy briar also rates as a good choice if the pipe does not have to be carried about, since a weighty bowl usually provides a cooler smoke than a light bowl.

For leisurely reading or conversation, a long-stemmed pipe ranks high, for the smoke will not get into the smoker's eyes. This does not mean that long-stemmed pipes can be carried between the teeth; on the contrary, the longer the stem, the harder it is to hold the pipe upright. If you must keep your pipe in your mouth at all times, you'll find a short pipe much more suitable.

A pipe with a curved stem is even better suited for carrying between the teeth. A curved pipe hangs downward, producing less leverage on the teeth, and may even rest against the smoker's chin. A pipe to be smoked out of doors should be fitted with a cap. The cap will prevent flying ashes from starting small fires and keep the wind from burning the tobacco so rapidly as to cause a cracked bowl. Pipe caps come in various sizes, to fit any size bowl.

PIPE PRICES

A first-quality pipe is a thing of beauty, a cherished possession— the end result of age-old skills and artistry combined with fine old briar. It has no visible defects. Its bore runs true down the center of the shank and enters the bowl at the bottom center point. If, in addition to all of this, a briar has an outstandingly close grain that runs straight up and down the bowl, it probably will sell for fifteen dollars or more. In making one's choice, grain and ^lawlessness are the standards by which briar pipes are judged.

Most manufacturers find that out of one hundred pipes, per­haps only five can be rated as of the first quality. These flawless, straight-grained specimens naturally fetch a top price. Pipes of less demanding standards may be sold under the manufacturer's name at a lower price, or they may be sold under another trade name. Slightly defective pipes of good grain, as well as cheaper pipes, called "seconds," which have many plugged or smoothed-over flaws, may sell for a couple of dollars or less. The price of quality pipes is based strictly on the law of supply and demand; there are few pipes of high quality but many low-grade pipes of inferior quality.

Many novice smokers choose a cheap pipe of inferior grade as their first selection, with the intention of obtaining a better pipe as soon as they learn the art of smoking. This turns out to be poor reasoning. The smoker will find that it simply does not pay to buy pipes of inferior quality as such pipes do not possess the same smoking qualities as fine pipes and may discourage any further attempts at pipe smoking.

Top-quality pipes sell for five dollars and up. Other pipes of good quality are available at prices below five dollars. The price of the pipe depends on many things—the perfection of the grain pattern, the age of the briar employed, the trueness of the shape, the finish, the quality of the vulcanite stem, the absence of surface imperfections, to name the most important. Here again, the best guarantee of a pipe's true value resides in the reliability of the dealer and the integrity of the pipe maker. As in other handmade items created from a product of nature, the price of a briar pipe is based on quality and workmanship.

Don't count on the chance of finding a bargain pipe; pay a little more and get your money's worth of pipe-smoking pleasure. If you pay five dollars or more for a pipe from a reputable manu­facturer, you will be guaranteed a reasonably good pipe which will give you a fine smoke for many years.

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