So, it’s been quite a while since I updated our Pipe Blog, but with good reason. As those who follow our Twitter/Instagram/Facebook pages know, we’ve moved! We’ve relocated our home and workshop from our place in Greensboro to a new, exceedingly 1970’s home in Winston Salem, NC. The increased space has enabled us to improve the workshop a good bit, as we were bursting at the seams before. We more or less officially shut down the old shop back in September in order to start packing, and only in this last week have we finished rebuilding the workshop and gotten back into business. For those who ..read more

The Stone Song by Tom Bale My rating: 3 of 5 stars So, you want Stranger Things in an English village? Ya got Stranger Things in an English village. Which is not to say that this is bad, because I enjoyed it right through, but it’s pretty straightforward and derivative. Young, bicycling teens = Misunderstood but good, Weirdo alien = Misunderstood but good, Adults = Clueless, British military = Bad, American military = Full-on Chaotic Evil, just like every other representation of same on the BBC. An alien weirdo thing escapes transport and hides in an idyllic English village which is prompt ..read more

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Moving means EVERYBODY got moved ..read more

Some recent conversation in a Facebook pipe group spurred me to write something about my own experiences with different lighters over the last 30 years. Above you can see the four that I have at the moment, though only three of them are in active use because lighter-fluid Zippos are Things of Evil. So, from left to right… First up is the lighter-fluid Zippo, adapted for pipes. I say “adapted” in the way that humans are adapted to bicycles, which is to say, not at all unless you are a 6′ Preying Mantis. It does produce a sideways flame, sort of, as long as you hold it sideways. Chief advantage ..read more

Those kind folks in our Patreon have already seen the development of this look, as we’ve tried various techniques and textures all through this past summer chasing after something most peculiar – A rustication style that would be visibly a little frightening, or at least unnerving. It was a difficult nut to crack, as I wanted a unique look that we could apply to any and all Ligne Bretagne shapes in order to offer a more affordable alternative to our more elaborately carved and pricier Talbert Halloweens. So… Unique to us, affordable to produce, reliable to produce from shape to shape, and off ..read more

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I really enjoy 9mm charcoal filter pipes. I know this is anathema to admit in the US pipe market where everyone associates “filter” with those metal screw-in things that just make a lot of sludge, but a well-done 9mm filter works like a good pipe should, while also rounding off the harsher edges of tobacco flavors and mellowing bite-ier blends. Part of the reason folks have mixed opinions on filter pipes is because they encounter them most often on cheap factory pipes with molded stems, but a well-designed filter pipe with an airway balanced to the bowl size and tapered and funneled through th ..read more

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It’s that time again, when our Patreon folks can vote to see which shape we’ll be making a lot of in August. Will it be the straight Dublin or the bent acorn? If you’re one of our Patreon members, go check out the poll and cast your vote ..read more