431. Matthew Webb’s Pilgrimage to the Peterson Factory
PSAs
No ship notice from Zippo yet, but they’re super-fast. I’ve send queries to K&P and SPC this week but no word from either, so we’ll still assume the pipes will be ready to order next week or possibly early the week after.
A Pilgrimage to the Peterson Factory
by Matthew Webb
My wife Denise and I spent the last year planning for an August cruise around Ireland. Our cruise ship had a small smoking area – occupied mostly by cigarette smokers with one or two cigar smokers. I was the only pipe smoker onboard and took the old leather pipe bag I purchased from Dan Pipe almost 30 years ago. It holds eight pipes and I took all Petersons, including last year’s PPN XL5BC and the PSOI ’03.
Since the cruise started in Dublin, we decided to fly into Dublin a few days early to explore the city before boarding ship. In deciding what we wanted to see in Dublin, I sent an email to Peterson to see if it was possible to tour the Kapp & Peterson facility in Deansgrange. Thanks to Sinéad Carroll, the Manufacturing Operations Manager, a tour was arranged for our second day in Dublin.
Landing in Dublin, we took a cab to our hotel and checked in. The hotel was about a mile from the Peterson shop on Nassau Street, so after relaxing for a bit we wandered up Grafton Street. The Peterson shop was near the intersection of Grafton and Nassau Streets. Stepping inside the shop, we were greeted by Darrell Hughes and Conor McAuley. I was surprised to see that while Peterson pipes were well represented in shop, there were few of the higher grade lines. Much of the inventory consisted of the non-System lines and Peterson seconds.
The 2024 Peterson Pipe of the Year was released that day and I was determined to purchase a POY from the shop to commemorate our Ireland adventure. The only pipes available at the shop were a few in the Ebony and a larger number of rusticated version. I elected to purchase an Ebony. After spending more than an hour in the shop, we said our farewells and walked back to our hotel.
Planning for the visit to the Kapp & Peterson facility, I had done an online search to see how we could get from our hotel to Deansgrange. The Dublin Bus line ran a scheduled route that we could catch a few blocks from the hotel that would drop us off across the street from the business park where Kapp & Peterson was located. The bus ride to Deansgrange was pleasant and we were dropped off with sufficient time before our scheduled arrival to have a hot drink at a small coffee shop.
A few minutes before our time to show up, we walked through the business park to the Kapp & Peterson facility. A knock on the door and we were greeted by a gentleman apparently on a break. The walls were adorned with a few old Peterson advertisements which were the only indication of what was manufactured in the factory. I made sure Jonathan Fields saw my Pete Geek flat cap when we went into the factory so he knew I was the real deal! LOL.
Surprise # 1 was we were the only people on the tour. Surprise # 2 was our tour guide – Jonathan Fields, the Production Manager – who warmly greeted us. Jonathan said we could take photographs during the tour but asked that no pictures be taken where they were working on the 2024 Halloween and 2024 Christmas pipes.
The tour started at racks containing rows and rows of briar blocks, with burlap bags of briar blocks on a pallet in front of the racks. For the day’s production, blocks were chosen by using a jig for each shape that the blocks could be placed on to verify sufficient briar was available for turning and shaping.
The briar blocks were then taken to the frazing machines, where the rough shape of the bowl was turned. Jonathan demonstrated how the frazing machines worked by turning a few bowls for the day’s production. Jonathan told us that all bowls are now turned in house.
From the frazing machines, the bowls were placed in bins and taken to the mezzanine where the bowls were graded and inspected by Willie Murray (“the connoisseur of briar”) for flaws. A bright light, a damp sponge in a bowl and the keen eye of a craftsman were the only tools he used. The bowl was slightly moistened to help identify grain patterns and detect flaws. Flaws were identified with by circling with a pencil. Willie then placed the bowls in bins according to grade.
Towards the back of the mezzanine was a room that contained two sandblasting cabinets. We watched Jonathan demonstrate the sandblasting technique on a bowl. Jonathan allowed me to try my hand at sandblasting. While I’ve had years of experience with both cabinet and open air sandblasting, sandblasting a bowl proved tricky. The nozzle is stationary and the operator needs to keep the bowl in constant motion to obtain the proper results. Also on the mezzanine was Giacomo Penzo’s separate little shop, which we did not enter.
Denise took a widescreen picture from the mezzanine that’s well worth you time studying. As you can see, there’s a lot going on down below. On the left side, you can see the briar blocks on the shelves and the bags of blocks in front of the shelves. A little to the right of bottom center is the station where pits and flaws are filled. Under the umbrella is Wojciech rusticating bowls and to his left is Giacomo. I did not want to bother Giacomo as he seemed to be rapt in what he was doing. I asked Jonathan to let Giacomo know that I believe Charles Peterson would be proud to see his name on the 2024 POY. On the far wall the man in the light blue shirt is at the stamping station in front of the case where the various stamps are stored. Left of him are the machines that insert the aluminum P in stems. In front of the two white filters towards the center of the picture are some of the plastic jigs used to measure briar blocks on the wooden table. Also note all the finished, boxed Petersons on the racks to the rear!
Taking the stairs down from the mezzanine, we stopped at a small station where putty was applied to fill in pits and other small flaws. Further down the aisle was where a machine was set up for drilling the mortises in the bowls. Coming to the end of the aisle and walking down another aisle, we came to several stations where the sanding of the bowls was done. Talented hands kept the bowls in almost constant motion during the sanding process.
At this station we watched as the mortises are being drilled were being drilled in the stummels according to their destined role as 9mm, System or Classic Range shapes..
After the sanding, bowls were mostly arranged in flat trays of one shape with a production sheet accompanying the tray, listing all the parts for the creation of the pipe, including stain color, stem choice and any metalwork to be used.
Across an open area, we came to a work station manned by Wojciech Blaszczak, an extremely friendly person. Wojciech was rusticating pipes, taking a smooth bowl and creating a craggy masterpiece with what appeared to be casual movements of the hands. Wojciech showed me the drill bits that he had created to remove briar, leaving the bowl with the deep rustication that Peterson is now known for.
Continuing the tour, we arrived at the work area were the bowls were stained. The stain was applied then flamed with a device similar to a Bunsen burner to set the stain. The stained bowls were placed on peg boards for final drying. Bowls now received stems. The bowls and stems were checked for proper fit and any sanding done to match the diameter of the steam to the bowl. With all the handwork that went into the day’s production it was a little surprising to hear that very little final fitting was required.
Bowls and stems receiving metalwork were taken to a separate station where Jason Hinch, K&P’s silversmith, used handmade mandrels to take the silver band blank and create the required mount. We also saw a few of the Dracula bands for the 2024 Halloween pipes, awaiting fitting on the pipes.
If the pipes needed bent stems, the tray was taken to a station and inserted stem first into a vertical board that had a heat source behind the board to soften the stems. A heavy glove protected the hand when the pipe was removed and the stem bent. The bending was all done by eye.
One of the last stations Jonathan took us to was where the pipes are stamped. Jonathan also showed us how the aluminum P is added to the stem if needed. Final finishing and inspection stations were passed by as we were already over two hours into the tour and Jonathan needed to return to his duties.
The tour came to an end too early for me, although it had been almost three hours since we came through the door. Having the opportunity to take the tour allowed us to see all the handwork that went in to the creation of a Peterson pipe. I had a good idea of the amount of handwork required, as most weekends find me out in my shop (garage) making large piles of sawdust with my wood lathe. Even so, watching the many steps required to create a Peterson pipe confirmed that I was meeting craftspeople, humble when praised but proud of the pipes being created daily.
The people of Peterson are a truly humble group but very proud of their participation in the history of Kapp & Peterson. Denise mentioned to me that everyone we met was a little “aw shucks” when we were asking questions or commenting on their work, but they were genuinely taken by the fact that someone would come all the way from California to see them.
Yes, you can buy Cabbies LOOSE in BULK at Miss Morans. Ye gods.
I was also able to stop by Miss Moran’s in Belfast. From their online presence, I was expecting a large shop. Miss Moran’s turns out to be a very small shop with a large area behind for product storage. I did pick up a few tins of Samuel Gawith Cabbie’s Mixture, which I cannot locate stateside. Always in the past I considered myself a Balkan smoker, but the VaPers are starting to take over!
MEN IN HATS
There are still a few PETE GEEK 39THIRTYs Tricolors left! There’s one S/M, two M/L, and two L/XL. Contact me at petegeek1896@gmail.com to get yours today.
Did you know Annie Peterson (Charles’s second wife) was deeply involved in the Easter Risingand played an important role in subsequent political events, even providing a secret office for Éamon de Valera at one time?
Rev. Chris “Bulldog” Streeper CPG in the Irish Tricolor.
Vince Hayes CPG’s Irish Trilogy & Pete Geek Cuffe Lane Tobacco Mat.
Martin Kollman with the Irish Trilogy and PUB System.
Matt Gase CPG sporting the Ebony and a 2003 P&T Peterson Pipe of the Year
“Abba” Mark Hunt CPG
Ryan Galdamez CPG
Ken Sigel CPG
AUSTIN QUINLAN PIPES TOMORROW AT SPC!
I just got an email from K&P’s own Austin Quinlan and I’d asked him if there were any new AQ pipes coming up in the near future. His reply: three of the ones above will drop at SPC. Probably tomorrow, he said, but if not, then Tuesday!