New Lines

Revised 03/14/2023 The Junior Rusticated line, already appearing at some internet vendors, will drop at SPC on Tuesday the 14th at 6pm EDT, with eight new shapes in the offering. Canted Apple “I’m a fan of lightweight classic shapes,” K&P’s Glen Whelan told me, “and having a series like this is really exciting for me. It’s a tip of the hat to what is probably a forgotten era of pipe manufacturing, when smaller, lightweight, classic pipes were en vogue.” Pear The chamber on the Pear, one of the largest bowls, is 19 wide by 32 mm deep, while most are around 17-17.5 wide by 32-34 mm deep. Most are about 140 mm long (5.5 in) and their weight comes in on average at 28 gr, or just at 1 ounce. The genuine fishtail button in glorious, easy-to-clench vulcanite makes the felt weight seem nothing at all. I asked Josh Burgess whether these might not be from vintage stummels found when the factory was moved out of Dun Laoghaire to Deansgrange. “No,” he said, “I’d have loved it if they were—they’re just bowls we’ve been wanting to use for a special project.” Ever suspicious, I had to ask him whether this had anything to do with the fact that so many people at Laudisi seem to prefer small pipes, including Sykes Wilford, Shane Ireland and Adam Davidson. “I think part of that,” said Josh, “is just the shared culture of pipes at Laudisi. We interact a lot, so we’re bound to rub off on each other. My other theory is that because we’re able to smoke at work, our pipe habits look a whole lot more like a bygone-era when pipes tended to be smaller. Pipes that are suited for working are just different in size than pipes suited for sitting down and reading, relaxing, or watching the tube.” Canted Billiard I thought about that. As an undergraduate I worked as a janitor & deliveryman for a year and a half at posh furniture store. When the weather was nice, my boss George, my associate Pete and myself would go out on the loading dock for a afternoon smoke break. George, who looked and talked like an older George Raft out of They Drive by Night, would smoke a an unfiltered Camel or two while Pete would talk about best brownie recipes to mix marijuana in or debate with George whether Busch or Budweiser was the best beer. For myself, I would smoke Troost or whatever I had in a very small-bowled clay. Had I seen a Peterson Junior at Ted’s, I might have acquired one just for the purpose. Many's the time, in fact, when I wish I'd had a small, serviceable pipe to sneak out at staff development breaks or lunch for a 10 minute smoke. Lovat The new Junior release includes ten shapes (or eight if you discount the canted/straight duplication on the billiard and apple), some with seriously retro vibes, like the Squat Rhodesian, Pear and Acorn.…