Blog

Time’s Ticking–
LAST CHANCE FOR THE PPN4

This is the last call for the 2025 PPN Pipe of the Year, the 8B De Luxe Cobble.  You can read about its history in last week’s post, as well as the strong opinion surrounding it in the Comments section.  That being said, I’ll add that the Cobble finish has become my all-time favorite rustication technique, above what was my previous favorite, the Pebble Grain.

I’d also like to say–especially to those who may not know it–what a small company Kapp & Peterson is–their entire staff only numbers about a third of just the Smokingpipes.com branch of Laudisi.  And to the Pete Geeks who may not be aware of it, just how complicated the logistics of putting together a special project like the PPN pipe can be for our beloved company.  The PPN commemorative is something extra Peterson does, every year for the past four years.  It’s not part of their everyday work.  In making it for us, Glen, Jonathan, and everyone on the payroll has to work within the parameters of bowl and stem availability, which changes from month to month depending on the year’s yearly production plans. It also depends on what can actually be done.  It’s not possible, for example, to call up and say, “Um, could we get 200 of the early Patent shape 13 with that original 1891 stem button, bend, bone condenser and all in Natural or Terracotta smooths, please?” (I get emails that are pretty ask me this.) What is possible for us is Sykes and Glen helping me come up with a pipe I’m excited about based on current bowl availability, stems, stains, and finishing techniques, yet even then there’s all kinds of things that happen along the way to knock the project off track. This year, for example, they spent time doing R&D on a project that simply couldn’t be done.  So they went above and beyond to come up with something even better.

So for my part, I’m pleased to add what is only my fourth shape 8 and my first-ever 8B. I know from experience with my 20S Systems this is going to be a great smoking pipe–and I’ll be at the head of the line if System Spigots, Standards, Premiers, or DeLuxes are ever issued in the Cobble.

For those on the fence or just reading about it this morning, Gigi will submit the PPN order tomorrow (Monday) at 12 noon CDT. For more information or to order, click on the Google form:

GOOGLE ORDER FORM

On the Way–
THE TINTACKERS HAVE ARRIVED

The tintackers and shipping materials arrived this week and I began boxing them up Friday. They’re gorgeous and I think everyone who ordered one (or two or in some cases five) will be pleased. I want once again thank the two people responsible for this event: Sébastien Canévet CPG, for suggesting it and photographing his original in France for me to digitally restore the image; and to Sykes Wilford, for pioneering a way for PPN to license Kapp & Peteson’s the intellectual property. If you missed the original story of this remarkable artifact in the history of K&P, you can read about in Post #473.

I’m glad I ordered two, but now I’m thinking, “Hmm… couldn’t I use one in the garage? On the back porch?” Somehow I thought 18 inches x 9 was gonna be a lot larger than this! . . . I wonder if there’s room for one on the fridge?

Gigi will be sending out PayPay invoices today.  If you don’t hear from her by the end of the day tomorrow, first check your spam folder, then send me an email (petegeek1896@gmail.com). We always circle back to those who don’t respond to see if they got the invoice and are still interested.

We like to give everyone a day or two, but the bulk of these should be in the mail by mid-week.

If for whatever reason you missed out, I did order a few extras which I’ll be taking to the Texas Pipe Show on November 15th. If any remain (after decorating every room in my house), I’ll post their availability the week after the show.

As with all Pete Geek events, when you get your tacker, if want the official Merit Badge (or your CPG if you don’t have one), just drop a photo of the tacker wherever you’ve installed it to petegeek1896@gmail.com.

CLINT STACEY, CPG sent over pix of two amazing Petes last week, one meer and one early Patent.

Isn’t this just drop-dead gorgeous? It must feel great in hand.

This IFS-era nickel wind cap has to be one of the most elegant designs ever issued by K&P or anyone else.

This meer may in fact be a FrankenPete. James Walsh and I looked at it closely, but it was James who pointed out that the shank ornament is sterling and the wind cape–which dates from the early Irish Free State era–is nickel. We agreed that K&P wouldn’t mix metals like this.  We also felt like the vulcanite stem, while obviously old, is probably not original. I can’t think of any vintage Peterson meers with a vulcanite stem, can you? We’ve heard that film director Guillermo Del Toro may be the previous owner, having bought it to use as a property in his new film Frankenstein, with its emphasis on the beauty of the monster. That’s just a rumor, but. . .

CLINT had just unboxed this early Patent two days before today’s post:

This 14S Patent–the original Mark Twain shape and perhaps even vintage (although it might have been an 1894 Patent)–is from the first Patent era, 1890-93, with the original A shouldered stem and button.  I love the rugby-shaped shank stamp seen below (and notice K&P has come full circle, using it again!) with the patent number in the middle.  The Grade 3 in a circle is the equivalent of our Standard, hence the nickel mount.

Here’s almost what it would have looked like using composite elements from the 1896 catalog, which doesn’t show the 14S configuration:

You see that Clint’s 1890-1893 button has virtually no clenching shelf. For the 1894 Patent, a small shelf (seen above) was added and the tip ballooned just a bit. Notice also the seam running up the side of the stem, making it elliptical in shape, rather than round or the more oval shape of later Peterson vulcanite stems.  I suspect the strength of this original may be what makes possible the incredible stem bend, which if you look back at the illustrations of the 1896 catalog, is seen on many of those A-stemmed pipes.

The mortise is again gigantic compared to contemporary ones, making the walls of the shank quite thin and of course making that ferrule an absolute necessity.  The condenser should be molded into the stem, but it’s kind of hard to tell before Clint gives the pipe “a good fettle,” as he says.

Left to right: PPN 2023, 2022, 2025, 2024

CATCH & RELEASE

Peterson: Pipe of the Year 2024 Sandblasted P-Lip #36/1000. New in box, $160 including shipping, PayPal F&F. Email petegeek1896@gmail.com.

…brought to you by
WHENCAFOISDJENT