Last fall, Pete Geek and House Pipe Champion Paul Combs got a chance to visit the workshop of Silver Gray and her partner, the esteemed artisan Brad Pohlmann. While Paul wasn’t allowed to photograph the Top Secret Inner Recesses of Silver & Brad’s mad scientist workshop, he did bring away some photos of not quite so sensitive a nature.
Paul (left) and Brad (right)
If you’ve only begun reading the blog in the past year or so, Silver Gray is the artisan who recreated Charles Peterson’s Patent NAP button for the Pete Geeks. Previous posts contain some great photos and valuable information about the making of these extraordinary pipes, as well as their reception by a vetting group formed at the Vegas Pipe Show. If you’ve never taken a look at Charles Peterson’s only truly artisan-grade button, you owe it to yourself as a Pete Geek. What’s more–and I can’t emphasize this enough–Silver Gray has taken CP’s original concept and improved it. I don’t have one of these newer NAP buttoned Systems, but I’ve examined them up close and personal and can tell you she’s excelled and would have made Charles Peterson very, very proud.
Post #124: Rediscovering the NAP
Post #144: ’s NAP Replicas
Post #160: NAP Roundtable at the Vegas Pipe Show
Post #162: Engineering Thoughts on the NAP Button
Post # 241: Vetting Group Thoughts Two Years After the Reproduction
Post #337: Silver’s NAP House Pipe Stems
Silver with a DeLuxe NAP button, one of the few she’s made (and still available!)
I wrote Silver this past week to ask her if she had any NAP Peterson Systems available, and to my delight, she does. You can view them at her Gallery Page.
Silver writes, “I have curtailed fitting older, estate pipes with new NAP’s. Unless they have been extremely babied or smoked rarely – it is too tricky to fit a new stem in a mortise that has been abused.
I am having two of our industry’s leading tobacco blenders (Greg Pease and Jeremy Reeves) do a review of the NAP stem while testing new blends with both the P-Lip and NAP in addition to a pipe they normally test their blends with.”
She also said she and Brad will have a table at the Mule Town Pipe Show March 8-10th in Columbia, TN, where she’s hoping to bring about 15 of her pipes. You can contact her for more information on these through her website.
Addendum: Take A NAP
Ken Sigel, CPG, is currently companioning NAP-stemmed Petes and kindly forwarded me some photos:
Many thanks to Paul Combs, CPG
and to Ken Sigel, CPG
Update on the Pete Geek Cups & Caps
Everything’s on schedule for the Deneen Pete Geek Mugs and the Hat Man of Ireland Dubliner flat caps.
The mugs should be shipping to me in three weeks or so, while the Dubliner caps should go into product late next week and be ready to ship out to you in mid-March.
If you filled out the Google Request Form, you’ll receive a PayPal request when the mugs and hats are ready to ship.
You’ll also be updated here on the blog, reminding you to look in your spam folder if you didn’t receive a PayPal request.
And if I don’t hear from you, I’ll drop you a line!
So be of good cheer—we’re in this together and your mug and cap are on the way!
Chicago Pipe Show, Friday, April 12th, 3-4pm
![Read more about the article 281. “My Lad[ies] Nicotine”: Beth Kanaley, Silver Gray & Peterson Pipes](https://i0.wp.com/petersonpipenotes.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/banner-bright.jpg?fit=300%2C213&ssl=1)
Thanks, Mark, for this reminder about one of the other inventions of CP.
Amazing I so want one !!!
Very nice, indeed, but alas a little too expensive for me 🙁
Great read, I see Silver´s NAP stem geting more&more defined over the years.
I also love to own one or two in the future.
The stems are gorgeous! Glad to hear she is still making them.
Hmm, my thoughts were again “lost” and not posted, or maybe removed?
John do u mean because she took the pipes down? And put them back up at her gallery? Or…?
You do have to admire the craftsmanship in the work of recreating the NAP button, very impressive and interestingly “different”. Had the NAP button survived in the K&P lineup, along with the P-Lip button, I think I’d probably stick with the P-Lip.
Oughta try it first.
So very true!
So Mark, you asked Silver if she had any NAP pipes…does that mean you’re in line for one? Thanks for the Sunday afternoon eye candy.
FYI all CPG’s, (if it’s not ok to post this here Mark, I apologize and ask forgiveness), I have put a fine Peterson’s Kapruf 260 sandblast and a Shamrock Bent Dublin 268 on eBay – if anyone is interested
I would love to look, what is your ebay handle?
It’s beeman86
No I’m not at the moment. I have a beautiful old 11s from Paul Combs that I’d wanted her to do, but she doesn’t like doing the old pipes anymore.
Bought one of Silver’s system pipes about two years ago. Her innovative button improves the flavor profile of the pipe tobacco immensely. I normally smoke Virginias which, at time can be a little fussy and also occasionally lose flavor, never is the case with Silver’s improved button. Silver, if you read this comment I am eager to add another to my Pete collection.
I highly recommend Silver’s innovation. Bought one from her a couple of years ago and love it.
Well after reading the previous posts on the NAP system it was definitely on my wish list. Well it is no more, I have just ordered the bone featured stem that Silver is modelling above. Thanks to Mark for the quality information, as always, and to Silver for her craft work and keeping this piece of Peterson history alive.
Stuart! Congrats!!! That was MY favorite as well. I’m so glad you got it.
I have wondered what the NAP in the name meant. Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks Paul ??! Thanks Mark ?! Wonderful information to keep Pete Geeks Certifiable!
I want a mug. I missed that post.