Daily Archives: May 30, 2012

Hot off the refurb desk

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This is one that I just finished refurbishing. It came in a box of pipe bowls that I was given that needed re-stemming. I cleaned and reamed it and removed the tars on the rim. The shank had a small crack in it that needed to be fixed so before I re-stemmed it I cleaned the outside of the shank with a cotton swab of acetone to remove any finish that was on the area that the band would cover. I measured the outer diameter of the shank, picked out a nickel band. Just before placing the band I put some super glue in the crack and let it dry. Once done I dabbed a bit of all purpose glue where the band would go and then heated band so that I could pressure fit it in place. I re-stained the bowl with a dark brown aniline stain to give it a more even finish. I buffed it with Tripoli and White Diamond before giving it a coat of wax. Then I laid it aside.

I found an interesting stem blank that would give the pipe a pleasing look to my eye. I turned the tenon with a PIMO tenon turning tool until it was a close fit and then did the rest of the work on the tenon with sand paper by hand. Once I had the tenon fitting snugly I took my Dremel to the outer diameter of the stem to bring it as close as possible to the diameter of the shank of the pipe. I finished the exact fit by hand with varying grades of sand paper. Upon completion of the fit I used 240, 400 and 600 grit sand paper to remove the scratches and then 1500,1800, 2400, 3200,4000 and 6000 micro-mesh sanding pads to finish the polish on the stem. I put the stem on the pipe and then took it to the buffer and did a final buff with White Diamond buffing compound on a mixed felt/flannel wheel. Remember never buff a stem without it being in place on the bowl or you will round the edges at the stem/shank connection.

Once I had the stem as smooth as I wanted I gave it a coating of Obsidian Pipe Stem Oil and let it dry for half an hour and then buffed the entire pipe with a carnuaba wax buff.

Here is the finished product:

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Poor draw on a stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

I was working on a stem for a friend this evening. The bowl on the pipe had a great wide open draw. The stem by itself was awful – it was like sucking on a coffee stirrer. It was a Aerosphere pipe. He had plugged the carburetor which was good. Somehow the stem itself was not drawing. I heated it and straightened it. I pushed a pipe cleaner through the straight stem and a chunk of some kind of fabric fell out. I used a light and looked down the stem and saw that the airway was a half circle. I used a needle file to open it up and to open the slot on the button as well. I then reheated with a pipe cleaner inserted to keep the airway open and then bent it so as not to kink the stem. The draw is wide open now. This caused me to post here regarding opening airways on bent stems.

Here are a few things to consider:
1. Is there anything in the stem itself clogging the airway? Could be a chunk of pipe cleaner lint, or fabric or just plain gunk.
2. Is the button open or is the slot on it constricting?
3. Is there a kink in the airway caused by the bend itself? This can happen when the stem is bent too far for the thickness of the stem at the bend.
4. What is the shape of the airway from shank to button? Round? Oblong? Oval? half circle? Check it before you drill it?

Anyway just a heads up – check before you drill it open.

Correcting an overturn on screw mount stem

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Blog by Steve Laug

In years past I remember posting on a variety of pipe forums I have been a part of regarding correcting an overturned stem with a screw mount. I have had old Kaywoodies and others that have this kind of stem and inevitably they were overturned so that the stem did not line up. It was semi tolerable on round stems but even then it was bothersome for me. The worst was on a bulldog with a diamond shank and stem. To not have the diamonds line up just bugged me. I knew there had to be a fix for this but I had no idea what it could be. I used various paper washers to help with the process. I used cardboard and even thin leather. All of these were less than satisfactory. Besides I am a bit anal about that kind of thing and I want it as it should be not half way there.

I don’t remember who posted the help for me or if I picked it up in talking with folks but I have been using this method for a long time now. I have seen others ask on various forums for a method for correcting the problem and have often typed out a response for them. Today I had a few moments to spare so I thought I would write up the procedure and share it with you.

My procedure is actually quite simple. I have a small microwavable bowl that I fill with enough water to cover the metal tenon and about a quarter inch of the stem when it is placed in the bowl. My bowl has a 2 ½ inch diameter so I can lay the stem in it at an angle with the button over the edge. Care should be taken as the water can and will bring out oxidation on the stem and it can be a pain to remove. I try to not allow the water to climb too high on the stem to minimize the work. I also place the stem in with the bend down on a bent stem. Vulcanite has memory and will straighten with heat so I have found that placing the stem with the outer bend in the bowl aids in keeping the bend.

Once the stem is placed in the water I place the bowl in the microwave and set it on high heat for 2 minutes. This generally gets the water boiling or just under boiling. If you worry about the metal causing trouble with your microwave you can heat the water without the stem and stick the stinger/screw mount end in the boiling water once it is removed. Once it is hot I let it stand in the water for another 2 minutes and then reinsert in the shank of the pipe. The glue should be softened enough to turn the stem until it is in the correct position. Once I get it straight I set it aside and let it cool and the fix is finished.

I have used one other method with good success as well and that is a heat gun as the source of the heat. For me it is a bit more labour intensive as you have to keep the stem moving so as not to burn the vulcanite. It does work well though and you do not have to fight the oxidation. Once it is heated use the same procedure as above to straighten the stem and fit. Let cool and you have it finished.

If the stem does not turn easily you have not heated it enough. Give it some more heat with the gun or the water until it is easily turned on the shank. I have used this method on all pipes with the screw mount tenon/stem and had good success.

Because it worked so well with the metal screw mounts I decided to give it a try with a bone screw tenon on a couple of older meerschaum pipes and an old deco Bakelite pipe. The pipes I chose to try the method on were pipes of little value so that if it did not work it would not be a loss. I put a cup of water in the microwave and stood the stem in it tenon down and set the timer for two minutes (time to boil a cuppa in my microwave). I took it out at a minute and gave it a try and it was better. I put it back in the water and let the two minutes finish. I don’t know if the tenon loosened or if it swelled but it is certainly fixed.

On these old timers my two concerns with the microwave were integral damage to the bone tenon from the heat moving from the inside out and secondly to the Bakelite stem. I did not want it to become brittle from the same process. I tried to minimize that by putting it in the water. I have learned on the metal ones to insert the stem and tenon while the water heated in the microwave for maximum effectiveness. I decided to do that as well. I have been smoking these pipes now for several months and taking them apart to clean them without any problems. It seems that they have not been compromised.

I have yet to try it on amber as I have not had an amber stem to sacrifice. I now know that it works on Lucite, vulcanite, Bakelite and on older bone tenons. I continue to experiment with these older pipes to learn what I can in terms of restoration. If you have suggestions or ways in which you have worked with this issue let me know.

You don’t have a buffer? Here is one refurbed without the use of a buffer.

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I have one I am working on now that is interesting. It is a nice looking shape – Whitehall Washington Park Author. It had an overturned stem that did not line up and was oxidized and spotty on the stem

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I heated the stem in boiling water to loosen the glue this morning and turned it until it lined up then cooled it with water. The boiling water raised the oxidation and also softened it. The stem had a lot of marks like someone had used a pair of pliers to try to get it to line up. Pliers marks were all around the stem mid stem. The oxidation had some spots that were dark… so I sanded it and sanded it with 180 and 220 grit sand paper. I wanted to get the tooth marks and pliers marks out as well as the oxidation. The bowl is changing colours from the oils in my hands.

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Still in the process of sanding the stem. Next I have to see what I can do to hide the bubblegum pink fills – argghh. We shall see. Will keep you posted.

I am planning on doing the stem with sandpaper and Micromesh pads only. I want to show how it can be done without a buffer. At least that is the plan for now.

This is with 600 grit wet dry sand paper.

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The next are with 1500 and 1800 Micromesh pads. Going to work my way up to 6000 before waxing.

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Here is the stem after 2400 and 3200 Micromesh sanding

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Here it is after 4000 and 6000 Micromesh sanding

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Here it is with the final sanding with the 6000 and then a coat of Obsidian Oil.

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Ok. Stem is finished. I just picked out the pink fills with a dental pick. Three of the four I have filled with briar dust and superglue.

The first picture is of the fills before picking.

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The next two show it picked and filled

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These two show the fills on the front of the bowl and the large one on the left side of the bowl. I picked out the fill in both of these larger ones and filled with the briar dust and super glue. I still need to do a bit of fine sanding as the stain will not go into the glue areas.

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Here is a shot of it ready for staining

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And here is the finished stained bowl. The fills at the shank have vitrually disappeared. The larger ones are still visible but are dark and blend in better.

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And now the finished pipe:

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Confessions of a Pipeman – First edition – Gary B. Schrier

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Confessions of a Pipeman – First edition

Gary B. Schrier

Schrier subtitles his book “an irreverent guide for today’s pipe-smoking man.” It is indeed that!! In its short 90 pages he takes on almost every aspect of the life of a pipe smoking man. He debunks a lot of traditions and takes exception to some commonly held myths that seem to float around everywhere these days. Some of his takes on things will certainly ring true to you and some will actually tick you off, but all will make you sit up and take notice. Schrier has a knack for stringing together words in ways that carry a lot of punch for their schrift.

I sat down to read the book last weekend, with a pipeful of nice Virginia, and could not put it down. It is a quick read and there are even cartoons to convey his points. For those who need to have a page full of type interrupted by an occasional picture or cartoon these are great. I always read the foreword and the preface of every book I read. I have the often mistaken belief that the author or whoever wrote the foreword might actually tip his or her hand on what to expect of the book in hand. In this case that is exactly what happens. The foreword is written by Marty Pulvers. He says “For the aspiring pipe smoker, there is no source that can educated and inform as this book. It would not be going an inch to far to call this a critical resource for that incipient pipe smoker, because the information contained herein is not going to be readily available anywhere else, and without it,  the beginner just might well lose his/her way and give up on the wonderful world of pipe smoking.” He sings high praise regarding the helpful data that Schrier included in the book.

The chapters cover a broad range of topics. The first two reflect on the state of pipe smoking today. In them Schrier argues that the age of the pipe smoker is closed. The old pipemen of ages past are all but dead. We have entered a new time that requires the pipe man to adapt to get by. Smoking in public is quickly becoming a thing of the past with few places remaining where that is allowed. He really asks pipe smokers to count the cost of being a pipe man. It is a tradition that is almost gone according to his thinking.

The next section of chapters – 3-6 – delves into the life style of the pipeman and call the new pipe smoker to look at the challenge. He includes a chapter on the importance of reading to be a well rounded conversationalist – this includes a book list of pipe and tobacco books but also calls us to read more widely. The lifestyle also includes being a conscientious smoker and one who has a natural savoir-faire. This section is delightful to read and full of interesting and insightful topics that would be worth discussing with others.

After a brief chapter on not missing out on the delight of a cigar now and then the book turns to a discussion of choosing the right pipe and tobacco. There are some helpful insights here. Schrier’s take (like mine) is that a new pipeman should begin with an English like Dunhill 965 as it will minimize tongue bite and get rid of the tootie fruitie flavours that are sure to produce a bite in the new smoker. You may not agree with him but to be honest he does not particularly care about that. Just give a good reason for your disagreement. He turns to discuss aged tobacco and the ritual of keeping a pipe in good order. There is an interesting take on collecting pipes – I am not going to give it away but it is worth a read just to get your blood pressure up a bit if you are a collector!!

The next section of the book covers a variety of topics on travelling with your pipe and where to smoke it – pipe clubs, your own pipe den, etc. and gives a brief introduction to the questions about pipe smoking and health.

The last two chapters are set apart for the debunking of myths and the concept of mentoring others in the gentle art of the pipe.

The book is a great read. Easy to work through and digestible in small chunks due to short chapters. The language is colourful and at times irreverent. But it makes it fun to read. I found myself laughing at times and at other times reflecting on my own habits and practices. Marty Pulvers says it is a great book for the beginner, but I can say as an old timer with more years with a pipe under my belt than I care to admit it is enjoyable and educational. It is well worth the price of the book to have a conversation with Schrier between the covers of his book. You will laugh, agree, disagree, strongly take exception and at times wish he had said it more strongly. Highly recommended.

The Gentle Art of Smoking – Alfred H. Dunhill

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The Gentle Art of Smoking 

Alfred H. Dunhill

This book is quite different from Pipe Book by his father. Here Alfred H. Traces the history of smoking in all of its forms throughout history. He looks at it on the various continents and how it took form among the religious and the ordinary people. He looks at cigars, cigarettes, pipes and even snuff. Each is described from its inception to its ongoing development in the first chapter. In later chapters he develops each of the various smoking methods.

From the history of smoking a chapter is developed on the growing tobacco. There is some great material on the tobacco plant and the various layers of the plant from lugs, cutters to leaf and what each section is used for. He spends time explaining the cultivation of tobacco and the growing seasons in the various regions in which it is grown. Then he takes the reader through the process of harvesting, curing, grading, fermentation and marketing. The book then turns the preparation of tobacco from the harvest to transportation and the methodology used to create the various forms tobacco packaged. He does a great job going through the machinery for processing from the first to the last. The cigarette machines, that roll, pack and cut each cigarette and then package them in cartons or soft packs are described. Throughout the book sketches are used to depict the various sections of development.  He also looks at the way pipe tobacco and cigars are made.

The fourth chapter of the book picks up the history of pipes and to me this chapter is very reminiscent of is father’s book on pipes. He uses different but similar sketches to picture the pipes evolution but the text is very similar in my mind. There is nothing new or added in this section of the book that has not been covered by others.  From the history the author takes us to the making of the pipe. He addresses briar pipes first and of course gives a good picture of the process of making them from briar burl through finished product. In this section as in others there are also black and white plates that are really nicely done and lend illustration to the procedures that are being talked about. The section closes with a brief description of clay pipes and their manufacture and meerschaum and their development.

Chapter 6 looks at cigars and traces the rise and decline of cigar smoking throughout history. It also gives a good concise summary of the process of making, grading and packing cigars. Chapter 7 discusses the manufacture, history and use of snuff. There are some great plates in this section of antique snuff boxes, etc. Chapter 8 looks at the various methods of lighting tobacco products throughout history and gives some great historical development material on the discovery and manufacture of lighters. Again plates and sketches illustrate the variety of lighters used to bring fire to the weed.

The book closes with a section on the practice of smoking. The majority of the section deals with the choice, use and variety of pipes. It goes into the method to use in choosing shapes, stems and sizes. It also goes into a great description of the loading, smoking and after care of a pipe for the beginning smoker. Then the section turns to cigars. Here the choosing of a cigar is discussed with guidance on how to make that choice. Then directions are given for preparing and smoking the cigar you have chosen in order to get the most pleasure from the smoke. This chapter and the book closes with guidelines on the care and keeping of cigars.

Overall this is a great read; nothing new or profound but some very nice summaries of a variety of topics. The section on pipe smoking was by far one of the best sections in the book. It would make a great read for the new pipe smoker and a good review for those of us who have forgotten more than we remember about the great hobby that is ours.

The Pipe Smoker – John Paul Beaumier & Lewis Camp

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A Review – The Pipe Smoker
John Paul Beaumier & Lewis Camp

The sub title sums up the purpose of this book very well: “Being an entertaining and scientific treatise on pipes and tobaccos with wholly new revelations about the pipe smoker.” If you have you ever really thought about why you smoke a pipe or why some people smoke pipes and others just cannot be bothered, then this is a book you could have written given the time and thought… or at least one that you should read

The Pipe Smoker was written from a different slant according to the authors in the introduction. Their names on this book are pseudonyms for two northern California psychologist/authors. One is a scientific consultant to a leading American pipe manufacturer, the other is an expert on mind-body relationships and a long time pipe smoker.

Almost all other books written about pipes and tobacco focussed on that topic. This one has taken the tact of focussing on the pipe smoker. It is a study into what make a pipe smoker different from other humans. The argument is that once we have come to know some of the compelling reasons for this difference we will better understand why the infinite varieties of tobaccos and pipes have such special meaning to this special person.

With that purpose in mind the authors set out to look at us – the pipe smokers. The outline of the book illustrates this clearly. Each chapter in the five major sections is introduced by a pipe smoking quote from famous and anonymous pipe smokers that illustrate the content of the chapter. They add an interesting dimension to the book and to its overall direction – they give voices to the person of the pipe smoker. The five major sections are organized as follows:

Section 1:The personality of the pipe smoker – in which the authors look at the aspects of the collective and individual personality of the pipe smoker. They discuss masculinity, social image, extraversion vs. Introversion and what they say is the penultimate pipe smoker – the healthy introvert.

Section 2: What the body says – here the authors look at the pipe as a means of relaxation, sex and the pipe smoker, meditative mindset and pipe smoking. This is a fascinating section of the book and contains reflections that I have never read elsewhere.

Already you can see the different direction of this book takes. It was a hard book to put down without finishing the last pages.

Section 3: A sensual guide to the art of pipe smoking – Here the authors discuss the sensuality of the pipe and its effects on the smoker. They discuss the odour and taste of tobacco, the look and feel of the pipe, the caking, filling and lighting of the pipe, the exquisite pleasure of puffing and finally the care and feeding of the pipe. Here they capture for me in a way few have, the pleasure of the ritual of the pipe. Each chapter in this section captures what goes on in my senses and feelings as I savour a pipe. Well written.

Section 4: The Grand world of pipes – This section finally gets to the normal pipe book topics – it is the shortest section of the book. It covers what pipes are made of and the geometry of pipes – how they are made. Even this mundane section is written in a captivating manner.

Section 5: The book closes with a section on the religious and symbolic aspects of pipe smoking – but lest one get confused that somehow they are merely talking about sacred smoke the chapters in this section discuss the sensuous symbolism of pipe smoking the sacred and the profane in pipe smoking. It is a delightful ending to a wonderful treatise on the person who smokes a pipe.

I found that this book was a great read and thoroughly engaging. It is unique in pipe smoking literature. It treads some of the ground that lately Gary Schrier does in his Confessions of a Pipeman and does it as uniquely and interestingly as Schrier does. The book gives one much to think about – whether you agree or disagree with any one piece of their premise. Worth the read!!

The Pipe Smoker’s Tobacco Book – Robert Winans

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Blog by Steve Laug

Book Review

The Pipe Smoker’s Tobacco Book

Robert F. Winans

Winans’ book on tobacco is just that a book on tobacco. He says in his introduction that the focus of his book is to concentrate on the subject of tobacco as it relates to pipe smoking consumers. Winans says it this way in his introduction, “It is a paradox that of all the people concerned with tobacco, the consumer is probably the most poorly informed about the content of a tobacco blend and its quality. There are some practical reasons for this. Foremost is his preoccupation with the end result. As long as a pipe tobacco blend delivers a smoke which produces the desired taste sensation and pleasure, the details surround the growing process, chemical analysis, type of tobacco, flavouring process are secondary.”  Yet many of us are interested in the details of what it takes to produce a quality smoke.

If you are one of those who want to know those details, like I am, then this book is a gold mine of info that walks you through the process of tobacco production from the seed, the growing area and conditions to the processing and the marketing. Winans includes many charts and tables to help facilitate understanding tobacco. The tables and charts are worth the price of the book. These include maps and charts of regions where various types of tobacco are grown and how the climate, geography and soil conditions impact the chemical make up of the tobacco. There are tables of percentages of tobacco varieties produced and where within the US they are produced. There are rating scales and diagrams to help understand which part of the plant is used for what particular tobacco product. All are well drawn and composed to aid in understanding.

The book is divided into three main parts after the brief introduction that justifies the book. Each part picks up a piece of the picture of the tobacco product. Part one is about the kinds of tobacco. This section was a bit surprising to me as he argues that there are only three kinds of tobacco: flue-cured, Burley and Oriental. From these he works through the variations under each of those broad categories. For 57 pages he works through the makeup and composition of each of the kinds of tobacco. He looks in depth at the conditions they are grown under, the impact of that on the taste and the curing methods. This section of the book is very interesting and has many helpful charts, drawings, graphs and maps to help explain the processes and the chemical composition of each of the tobaccos. In it he also shows the impact of climate change on the sugar and nicotine content of tobacco. He compares a normal growing season, a wet season and a dry season in terms of the output of sugar and nicotine percentages in tobacco. Each of the varietals of tobacco are looked at in terms of their classifications – class 1: flue-cured, class 3(a): light air-cured burley, class 3 (b): dark air-cured, class 2: Dark fire-cured, class 3 (a) Light air-cured Maryland, class 7: Perique. He then turns to a discussion of Turkish tobacco and Cavendish. Part one closes with discussion on the importance of sugar in tobacco.

Part two of the book is approximately 8 pages in length and has reflections on tobacco and what makes a quality tobacco. This section focuses on what a pipe smoker wants from a tobacco. This includes such things as tobacco bite and the coolness of a smoke. He discusses the relationship of temperature and time at the point the smoke enters the mouth. In this section he talks of the relationship of puffing cadence to temperature. This section, though brief, is fascinating. The charts and graphs on temperature and cadence are helpful in explaining why things work the way they do in a smoke. The final part of this section seeks to lend some objectivity to the concept of what makes up a quality smoke. Part two is a great read full of helpful information delivered in short pithy explanations.

Part three of the book is short as well and is packed with tobacco statistics and bibliographic materials. He has statistics on the amount of tobacco grown and where it is grown globally. There are also statistics on the kinds of tobacco grown and what percentage they make up of the total global tobacco crop. These tables are dated in that they reflect the world in 1975 but they still give a helpful glimpse of things to those of us who are interested in such things. These graphs and charts are clear in their presentation of the state of tobacco production, the values of tobacco in percentages to type, and the geographic regions that produce the most tobacco by kind. The final chart in the book is a graph predicting tobacco use in terms of rise and decline.

The book is a great read. It is well written and well documented. It is a short book (80 pages of information) but it is packed with great information. The facts are very clearly presented and substantiated. There is little left to personal opinion or argument by the method which the author chooses to present the material. This is a concise handbook on tobacco that enables the pipe smoking reader to intelligently look at the “leaf” he/she is stuffing into their pipes to smoke. I highly recommend it. I purchased the book at http://www.pipes2smoke.com

Patching a bite through

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I thought I would write an article on this topic as I just finished repairing a bite through on an old London Made pipe with a vulcanite stem. It is fresh in my mind so it will be easy to write it down, plus I enjoy passing on my refurbishing processes to others to experiment with.

To begin the patching process you need to make sure the stem is clean of all oils, waxes and oxidation. You want the patch to bond well with the original stem. I have also found that any oxidation will show through the patch and leave a blemish on the stem that is cannot be removed as it is under the patch. With that in mind I removed the oxidation from the stem with repeated soaks in a tub of Oxyclean. I mix it 1 scoop to a quart of hot water. I put the lid on it and shake vigorously to mix the powder. Once it is well mixed the stem goes into the water for its first soak. I wash it off and sand or buff between soaks to remove any oxidation that is soften enough to remove it. Then it goes back into the jar for another soak. I repeat the process until the stem comes out clean.

I take it from the final wash and I sand the stem with multiple grits of sand paper to get the stem back to a matte black finish. I don’t want a sheen on the stem yet as I want a bit of roughness in order that the patch will adhere well. Once completed, I use a dental pick to clean up the area around the bite through and remove any remaining rubbish in the hole. I then used a small needle file to roughen the broken surface of the spot to prepare it for the patch.

I soak a pipe cleaner in olive oil (not dripping oily but enough to make it slick as you do not want it gurgling out the hole and messing up the part you have just cleaned. Believe me Super Glue will not stick to oily slick surfaces and it will never dry when mixed with oil.) The pipe cleaner is inserted into the button on the stem just past the bite through. This provides a block on the underside of the hole and also a non stick surface so that the glue used in the repair does not fill the airway and cause the pipe cleaner to bond to the inside of the stem.

I used clear Krazy Glue/Super Glue (you can get black Super Glue from wood working supply sites online) and did an initial fill on the hole. The idea is to get a good bond on the hole itself and not try to over fill. Once it was dry (very quickly) I sanded the surface to roughen the initial patch and then filled the hole and surrounding dent to a bit overfilled (a bubble if you can picture that). I set it aside over night and then the next morning sanded it smooth to match the surrounding surface. If the hole is large the idea is to build out toward the middle with repeated applications of the glue.

I have experimented with different drying times that are optimal for the sanding process and found that the one I stated above works the best for me. The first application is a quick dry and is sanded while the glue is not cured. The second application is hard when I sand it. I use multiple grits (400, 600) of wet dry sand paper and then microfiber sanding disks (1800, 2400, 4000) to blend the patch to the surrounding stem area and then gave the entirety a buff with red Tripoli and then white diamond. I finished the polishing with 4000 grit microfiber disk and it is virtually invisible and has formed a hard bond with the stem.

I am just an amateur refurbisher sharing how I do a patch. I am sure others here, particularly the pipe repair folks, have other methods and better ones. But this one works for me. I will try to do a photo essay on the next pipe stem I patch to show pictorially what I do.

Oh… for information sake – I have pipes that I have repaired in this manner that I have been smoking for 10 years that show no breakdown in the patch.

Look What I Found

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The lid came off the old tin with a whoosh of air. The bouquet of rich, earthy tobacco filled the small space under the stairs where my desk sits. I sat and inhaled that smell for the longest time… But I am getting ahead of myself.

That tin was a “treasure” I had found in an antique store by the railroad tracks in my home town on a yearly visit with family. I still remember visiting the shop and wandering through the three floors of detritus that has come to be called antique. Strange how the things that I grew up with and regularly threw away are now collectible and “valuable”. I have developed my own method of scoping out these old shops, sorting through the plethora of stuff, to find the pipes and tobacco items that catch my eye. As I enter these shops, I suppose I could ask the clerk if they had anything that might interest me, but that has always seemed too easy and it feels like it robs me of the thrill of the hunt. So when I come into a shop I scope out the sales floor and then begin the winding wander through the shop. I usually do a fairly quick walk through on the first pass just noting things that might possibly be worth spending a bit of time picking through. On the second pass I spend a bit more time at the likely spots.

On this particular visit to the railway shop I had passed through all three floors and saw a few chewed up pipes and old tins. On the second pass through I saw this old tin that I had missed on the first pass – a big tin actually – the old 1 pound metal tobacco tins of days past. It had the metal opener attached that allowed the pipe smoker to lever the lid off and then reseal it so the tobacco would not dry out. I picked it up fully expecting it to be a typical old empty. But it was not empty. I shook it carefully to listen to what was inside. I know you all will be saying I should check to see if it had been opened but I did not do that! I shook it. Over the years of hunting I have found tins full of herbs, spices, grass seeds, nails, screws, and any number of things that give it weight and can fool you, so I shook it! This time there was no loud rattle or telltale noise that would identify one of those inside. There was only the familiar sound of tobacco inside the can. Once I figured that out I began to get more excited.

I examined the can for rust. There was none. I shook it again to listen to see if it was dry sounding. It was not. Then I checked the seal on it and found that not only was it still sealed but that the tax stamp was unbroken. It was sealed and not even torn. The date on the tax stamp said 1954. The paint and picture on the tin was in great shape with no scratches or dents. It was like being transported back to the 50’s to a time when the can was new. I was pretty excited because the odds were that I was holding a tin of tobacco from at least 1954 and it was sealed and available to me. I carried it to the front of the store and asked the clerk what they were charging for the tin.

“$10 is all for that old tin,” she said as she looked up sleepily from the romance novel she had been reading.

“Consider it sold!” I said. And with that I took out my wallet and paid the $10 and the obligatory share that the governor of the state claims as his due on every item purchased in his state. I carried it out to the car and placed it in the back with the other things that I had picked up on my hunt. It would sit there until I returned to Canada and carried it to my basement study.

Now fast forward to the opening lines of this tale. I popped the tin open and prepared to smoke a bowl of the aged tobacco. It was a nice crimp cut and it packed really well. The aroma was pleasant in the can and the bowl. It was a bit dry from the years of sitting but still hydrated enough for me. I lit the pipe and sat back and enjoyed the first of many bowls that I would enjoy from that big pounder. The nutty taste and the sweetness was not that different from the new versions of this old blend but the depth and fullness far outstripped them. I just sat with the tin open and smoked my pipe full and let the memory of the find carry me a bit. That was a banner day and a great find. It is finds like this that keep me on the hunt and always stopping to see what “treasure” the little out of the way antique shop might reveal to the searching eye.

Oh, you want to know what the old tobacco was. Some of you may have already figured it out but I probably ought to let the rest of you in on it. It was a tin of 1954 Prince Albert and it is still with me!

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