Fun Stuff - Events
PSA's - Jokes - Interesting stuff
and Miscellany
(May or may not be pipe related)
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© Copyright 2009, 2010, Pipes4Mike - All rights reserved.
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© Copyright 2009, 2010, Pipes4Mike - All rights reserved.
.Legal Info
EVENT NOTICE!
in Las Vegas on Saturday, November 6th and Sunday November 7th, 2010.
It's sure to be another Great show, with lots of like-minded people, and
you'll be able to enjoy the many sights, smells, products and activities.
I can't wait!
This is the new
Pipes4Mike Logo
This is the Pipes4Mike business card
The music you hear on this page is called
"Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo.
This is the music I like to listen to while crafting.
It's my Mood Music.
And here's a list of just some of the other
shop music I listen to while working
Blasphemous Rumours - Depeche Mode - - - - - - - - - - - - >
Dreamer - Ozzy Osbourne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
Cleanin' Out My Closet - Eminem - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
Sometimes - Erasure - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
When Doves Cry - Prince - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
We Will Rock You - Queen - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
Celtic Woman - Caledonia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
Phil Collins - In the Air Tonight - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >
This is a Heath Tree.
The burl you see at the bottom is the briar that pipes are made from. It is cut into chunks, generally boiled to remove all the sap, and then dried for several years until it is made into a pipe. The burl is very dense, thus making it exceptional for smoking tobacco as it will not burn like ordinary wood will do.
Burl is normally harvested in Greece, Italy and other parts of the Mediterranean because of the optimal growing conditions. They prefer sandy soil that does not have lots of nutrients. This does, though, lead to the burl growing with sand particles in it, which often lead to pits that are uncovered while creating a pipe.
Most burls are collected after growing for 25+ years, as younger burls would not be large enough to obtain many chunks large enough to craft pipes from.
These are chunks of burl that have been dried for several years, and are now ready to be crafted into pipes. I see a few on this table that I'd really love to have!
Boy, what I could make out of them!
This is a clipping from the Columbus Dispatch on June 11, 1978 showing a burl that was cut into a large pipe. At the time, this was estimated to be valued at about US-$3,000.00 and I'm certain, it's worth a great deal more, today!
Wouldn't it be nice to find a Castello today for only US-$18.00?
Wow, If I was around in 1957, and could foresee the future, I'd have LOTS of them!
Pipes4Mike
Tampers & Turnings