Yearly Archives: 2024

Rev. 1:04 CST 5/5/2024 by Gary Hamilton, CPG When thinking of historic personalities that were also brothers of the briar, Mark Twain almost immediately comes to mind. Any student of the writings of Mark Twain, the pen name as used by Samuel Clemens, clearly understands that Twain was an incessant smoker. Probably the most astute observations of this fact come from Mark Twain directly. In a quote of his from 1891, he states, “I smoke a good deal. That is to say, all the time.” Twain further elaborated in 1905, “As an example to others, and not that I care for moderation myself, it has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep and never to refrain when awake”. Cigars seemed to be the mainstay of Mark Twain’s perpetual habit; and the pipe, a constant companion. For more of the pipeman’s perspective on Mark Twain, one of the better recent articles is Mark Twain: Unrepentant Tobaccophile by Chuck Stanion (Smokingpipes.com blog June 21,2019). I direct the reader there, as this story really isn’t about Mark Twain, it’s about a pipe. More to the point, this story is about the Peterson Mark Twain pipe. Well, actually it’s about the omission of a tenon extension on a Peterson Mark Twain pipe. A few months ago, Mark Irwin was lamenting about his Mark Twain pipe and that it just didn’t smoke as well as other System pipes. Mark Irwin, being the foremost historian about Kapp & Peterson, recognized that the addition of a tenon extension (or chimney, to those so inclined) would solve the problem. At least it was worth a try, and it’s been done before. Mark Irwin’s De Luxe grade 1984 Mark Twain. The grain on this stummel is simply spectacular. Ah, for the longing of days past and beautifully grained briar. The Peterson Mark Twain Pipe was introduced in 1981 as a Limited Edition of 400. It is based on shape number 14 from the 1906 catalog. Detail of the stem’s tenon. Distinctly missing is either a molded extension, or one from either bone or aluminum. Interestingly, the tenon is counterbored as if a threaded tenon extension was planned, but the lack of internal threading suggests otherwise. An oversight from the factory? A “System” anomaly? Where’s the tenon extension? A review of the Mark Twain series, from The Peterson Pipe, The Story Of Kapp & Peterson: Now, getting back to the De Luxe Mark Twain pipe of this story. For a Peterson pipe that has all the earmarks and credentials to be a System pipe, it is lacking in one of the key components that makes a System pipe a “System” pipe. The tenon extension is missing. Be it molded onto the stem’s tenon, or installed as a threaded fitment, the extension is a key design component that makes the System function as Charles Peterson had originally intended. For consideration though, let’s take this specific Mark Twain pipe to be an equivalent of the System Standard line. For all…