Resurrection.

Resurrection.

A few months ago,I was following an E-bay auction for a great old notable Peterson 1910 Patent Bulldog, which interested me. Unfortunately the auction was suddenly terminated, with several days to go the pipe was pulled.
I found this most frustrating as I considered it a prime target for its rarity, in that it had a rare and unusual stem made from a translucent reddish- brown like material, that was marketed in that early period as 'Redmanol'. A very limited number of Peterson's had stems made from this material and they marketed them under the name Amberoid.

Having had dealings in the past with the seller Gary Malmberg,who probably owns the world's greatest collection of Peterson Patent and Pre-Republic pipes. I contacted him and asked if he would consider 'a buy it now price' which was mutually acceptable. Gary quickly replied and told me the sad tale ,that he had been showing the pipe to a friend and had dropped the pipe and broken the stem into several pieces. He immediately withdrew the pipe from auction.
As luck would have it,Gary kindly agreed to gift me the pipe for restoration as a display piece for my humble 'Sandpiper Peterson Museum'.

After a few days,the pipe duly arrived and a cursory inspection as per the photo above showed the main damage. The bone screw insert was a spare replacement, which Garry thought might be useful in any repair and restoration that might be carried out. In considering this I was aware that the damage was so bad that I had doubts as to whether it could be restored without still showing obvious signs of damage and chips. The Redmanol was/is a very brittle material,plus the original bone screw insert was missing and the 'spare' did not fit without the possibility of further adaptation being needed to the bowl. There was no way that I could have carried out the necessary restoration,so I decided to send the Pipe to Peterson and ask if the pipe could be restored to it's former glory.

In due course Peterson contacted me to say that they could not source a replacement 'Redmanol' stem. After prolonged discussion, I agreed to them creating a new Cumberland replacement,this being the nearest modern equivalent material and true to the original colour stem. I asked for the original stem parts to be returned. Considering that I might just glue the pieces together and keep it for posterity as a reminder of the original stem material.The photo below shows the pipe with it's new Cumberland stem. I am very pleased with the finished work and happy to include it in the 'Museum'.

Latest Patent for the Museum.

This is my latest addition to my 'museum' collection of older Pete's.

The pipe is impressed PETERSONS PATENT  to the shaft and is fitted with a silver band stamped K&P , Peterson, Dublin, and Irish hallmarks for Dublin 1920.Fitted with a push in Army mount black vulcanite mouthpiece.

It is a small pipe and was described by the seller as possibly being a ladies pipe.Personally I doubt that it was,I have several Patents from that period that are quite small.Given that the average man was much smaller at that time ,I think it was more likely intended for a predominately male market as a convenient Vest/Waistcoat pipe,which was a very popular form of dress at this time.

Deluxe System Series Stem Shapes

Deluxe System Series Stem Shapes.


On a purely personal note,I have finally come to the conclusion that I do not care for the saddle shaped stems on the Peterson Deluxe System pipes.In fact I have stopped buying them now.I much prefer the tapered versions.
The only problem I have with that declaration of intent, is that for some strange reason the tapered ones seem to be in short supply.
I just cannot get the Saddle shape,I find them clumsy and ugly.To my mind they detract from the aesthetics of the Deluxe briar.On a more practical note I find some are more difficult to clean, owing to the narrow compressed shape of the airway.
The tapered stem is much more aesthetically pleasing and compliments the handsome Deluxe shape.
The photos below show the two in contrast,I fully realise it is down to personal choice and taste,however it is my blog so I will stick up for the tapered version!!

Death of Dr Watson Actor.

Death of Dr Watson Actor.

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I was saddened to read that Edward Hardwicke, the well known British actor who played Dr Watson opposite Jeremy Brett in the Granada TV series Sherlock Holmes, had died recently after a long illness. 
I will fill a Peterson Dr Watson pipe with University Flake, in fond memory of a wonderful character actor who gave many years of viewing pleasure.RIP my friend.

Born: August 7th,1932 - Died: May 16th, 2011, aged 78. 

Pipe Tampers

I am probably no different from many other pipe smokers in having a growing collection of many various types of pipe tampers, either inherited ,given or purchased.It is amazing how quietly they accumulate without any effort .LOL.




In a previous post in the Blog last year, I mentioned that Peterson had issued a new Tamper based on our old friend Sherlock Holmes.It is different from their previous crystal ones in that it is bigger and is made from Pewter.
I was recently given one and must admit I am impressed with it. It is a nice weight and size,it also fits well in my big paws.
As most of my collected pipes are large,I do prefer it to the more fragile prettier crystal previous issue.

The New Mark Twains.

Since purchasing my own examples of Peterson's new issue Mark Twain pipes,I can now offer some feedback to those that may be considering purchasing them.

How do they compare to the previous issue from the 1980's?
The first and most obvious difference is that they are now being issued as a boxed pair,a Poker and a full Bent.The bents are almost identical in appearance,the new smooth version now having a shiny lacquered finish which is not to everyone's taste.Some smokers are concerned that the lacquer finish causes overheating.To be fair to Peterson, I cannot agree with that assertion,in the time that I have been smoking the new pipe,overheating has never been a problem.
The new pipes that I have are just as well made as the originals,the quality of finish and the smoking qualities comparable to the first issue.

As most pipe smokers are aware the original Mark Twains have a legendary  reputation for the quality of the smoking experience.In my opinion the new issue does not disappoint in this department.

The new Poker comes with fishtail stem only,it is a fairly large pipe which suits me .However I have heard complaints from some others that the pipe should have been slightly smaller and had the option of a P-lip.You cannot please everyone!!
I have to admit initially I was not too keen to have no option but have the Poker thrust on me as a set, in order to acquire the new bent.Again I was probably a bit hasty in criticising,as it transpires I have become particularly fond of the 'big fella' particularly in its Sandblast guise.

In looking at value for money and purchase cost,I have been amazed at the price that e-tailers are asking for this quality of pipe.Irrespective of those smokers who are boring fill and fault seekers.IMHO these pipes are excellent value for money.
More so in the Sandblast version,which obviates any overheating and filling issues.

Magic Morning Moments!

Magic Morning Moments!

As a pipe smoker I regularly aspire,on a daily basis to have a great first smoke .This situation has of course many contributing factors as I go through my personal daily early morning routines.

On analysing the key factors which may influence the anticipated potential for heightened pleasure and enjoyment of a good pipe smoke,I would list the following:-

1.Upon waking,giving thanks to the Big Guy above, that I am still alive and here!

2.Is my body functioning as it should,does it follow the sequential commands from the voices in my brain!

3.Opening the curtains, looking out and seeing Natures beauty and wonder.

4.Seeing my Wife's beautiful smile and responding to her asking me if I slept well.

5.My morning shower as the warm water refreshes both the body and the soul.

6.The smug achievement of successfully being dressed in good comfortable favourite clothes and footwear in a reasonable period of time.

7.Telling my Parrot to bugger off when I enter the kitchen and it asks “are you all- right?”

8.Enjoying a light breakfast while watching the chaos and tragic comedy of world news on TV.

9.Sitting in my favourite chair and switching on my computer to see my e-mail empty and that no one on Face-book wants to be my new friend!

10.Logging in to my Blogs and the IPPC forum and seeing many of my Pete friends on line.

11.Selecting a favourite rotation Pete and tobacco and taking the time to appreciate the pipes aesthetics and then opening the tobacco tin and taking a long hearty sniff.

12.Easily lighting the bowl mixture after thorough preparation and enjoying the wonderful creamy smoke of the successful initial lighting rituals.

13.Going into the zone for as long as possible and losing yourself.

Please excuse an old guy's pipe dream!

Accessing Peterson Pipe History and Knowledge.

Accessing Peterson Pipe History and Knowledge.

As an avid Peterson pipe smoker, enthusiast and collector, I am amazed at how little has been written in the past to chronicle the Peterson pipe history and the story of it's evolution. When I first started out with my obsessive interest in all things Peterson, I immediately encountered major historical reference problems and like most enthusiasts,I was hungry for further dependable and accurate information which was just not there. Thanks to the dedication of the late Mike Leverette,a well known and respected expert collector of Peterson pipes, an attempt to rectify this historical anomaly was initiated in the early 2000's . Mike and some of his colleagues created the well known 'Peterson Pipe Project' web site, which catalogued the known early years in Peterson history and in particular a marvellous section on hallmarks and dating older pipes. Unfortunately this wonderful reference tool was never to reach its full potential development, as Mike sadly died in 2009, following a long period of illness.

In 2010 I decided to take up the enormous challenge which was required, to progress the known and still unknown historical information regarding the Peterson pipe,it's origins and its continuing modern development. My main aim is to help to clarify an otherwise chaotic Peterson history for other enthusiasts,especially the new Peterson pipe owner or collector.

Several friends and acquaintances from the pipe smoking fraternity had previously encouraged me to consider writing a book on the subject. Apart from having been initially flattered, I never really considered myself as having enough knowledge or experience with which to take on such a huge task. However the more I thought of the knowledge vacuum which had been created by Mike's death, the more I realised that there was most certainly a crying need to satisfy the many global Peterson enthusiasts with good factual background history and knowledge.

In the end I decided that the best way forward was to put such a major project on line for all to see and to be more accessible for others sharing. The marvellous evolving Pipe Wiki reference site Pipedia, had previously caught my attention with the potential to develop such a project in partnership. Pipedia were eager to develop the very basic Spartan Peterson information, which they already had and were requesting input from specialist collectors, or those with some knowledge of the brand to help further develop the resource.
I eventually made contact with Scott Thile* the site's developer and discussed with him, my ideas on expanding and developing the sites Peterson pipe information resource. Scott immediately came across to me as someone who was genuinely keen on making the site into a respected quality world wide reference resource, for all things pipe. His enthusiasm was infectious and when I admitted to being a complete newbie to computer technology, I was immediately put at ease by Scott. I started off submitting pieces and photos to Scott in the late Fall of 2010.Now over six months down the line, the piece has gone from strength to strength and is now titled 'The Peterson Pipe Chronicles'.
It is now amongst the top three most read pipe brands being regularly viewed on Pipedia, hopefully it will eventually overtake Dunhill for the No.1 top place!!!
I also have it on good insider information,that the staff at Peterson's Dublin Factory have all been issued with copies of the main 'Chronicles' piece as a reference tool. Wow! that makes me feel really good!
Scott my friend,the world wide family of Pete Nuts owes you a hearty vote of thanks for giving us the platform for developing this marvellous resource. Thank you.

Link here:- http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Peterson


*Scott Thile – Pipe Maker and Developer of the Pipe Wiki Pipedia.

This photo is reprinted here with kind permission of PipesMagazine.Com the publisher.