By fading daylight, I gathered my wood butcher tools. Enjoyed half a slice of Wessex Burley in the Rossi Prince. Higher chance of precipitation as the week goes along, but today was partly cloudy tee shirt weather.
I tend to prefer filter pipes. Unfiltered even with condensers or stingers just seen moist in comparison. I tend towards Aros, and VaPers and they both get just as moist. It may be the humidity or maybe its how I smoke. I also prefer the carbon filters to the paper. They taste better to me. I think its the slight reduction in Nicotine they give me.
Way behind posting first smoke was 1792 in a MM Legend. Just finished Paul's Morning Smoke in a Savinelli New Art Natural 626, a VERY good smoker.
Filters always turn into hot topic on the pipe smokers forums. I'm in the camp of use whatever makes the smoke enjoyable to you. I have both filter pipes and non filter. Sometimes I use an insert instead of a filter sometimes I use a filter, all types. Paper in cobs that take them, balsa or charchol as well . Depends on if I am clenching, which I tend to smoke too fast and filters help with collecting moisture. I only really smoke 2 light aros regularly, Arrowhead and London Dock. Neither need a filter for me.
Finished a tin of DE Gatsby Luxury Flake in the Chacom this morning. After dark before the rain gets here, Deception Pass in a 3 hole stinger Kaywoodie Magnum.
I've got 5 bowls and 3 stems. 4 of the bowls are briar and I cycle thru them just to get even use. They really don't need to rest, since all the moisture is collected in the humidome. The 5th bowl is meerschaum, I use it a bit more often.
Yes, it's an estate I got on fleabay. From the nomenclature I believe it's from the late 50's to the 60's, but still in pretty good shape.
Like having a couple 3/8" drive ratchet wrenches and a socket set! Everything is interchangeable. I'll spot one in the wild one day or find a deal in an auction. They are reasonably priced new. I see stems at $24-$34, and bowls $24-$44. If I had eggs, I'd have steak & eggs, if I had steak.
I got my first bowl and stem on eBay. I then bought 3 new Hunter bowls and a new stem from the UK, it was cheaper to buy from the UK and pay shipping than buy in US. I later ran across the meerschaum bowl with another stem on eBay. They are excellent smoking pipes, and light. It's unfortunate they aren't more popular here in the US, so they would be more readily available.
I have a couple of Tinsky's. One is his classic bent apple I've had for around 20 years. I hope he's still carving. Great guy.
The Tinsky 2016 Christmas pipe was a gift from my wife (I learned to make specific Xmas wish lists). The basic pipe shape was available with a plethora of finish and stain combinations, and my wife who knows nothing about pipes enjoyed speaking with him. I'm definitely going to see what shape he picks for his 2017 Christmas pipe.
First pipe today was in a Johs with Elizabethan Mixture Just finished some Arrowhead in a Paul's Cayuga mini OOM Paul
Trying a different procedure this time. Half a slice of Solani 656 topped with a pinch of Perique. The vinegary smell has faded with the plum fruitiness coming forward. Time to transfer the perique to an air tight container.
The Pebblecut is my first tin of McClelland flake, I certainly understand the comments about "ketchup smell" on a freshly opened tin now.