Welcome!

Welcome to my world of pipes. On these pages you will see some of what goes on in my workshop. A bit of work-in-progress, mess-ups (they do happen!) and also some other pipe-related posts.
I love talking about and discussing pipes, so feel free to contact me at charl.chillfactor@gmail.com.
Should you wish to have a look at my pipes, please drop in at my website (http://goussardpipes.com/).




February 24, 2014

A coming of age

In my first year at varsity, my room mate smoked. I did not. In fact, I hated the smell of smoke. There was a constant moaning and groaning from my side regarding his smoking in the room.
One afternoon, we were chatting along, when I told him that I will never smoke cigarettes (ha!), because it stinks. The only smoking I might do, I declared, might be a pipe, because it least that smells nice!
So off my enterprising friend Andreas went and he got himself a pipe, thinking that he will then be able to smoke in the room without any complaints. It wasn't long before I tried a couple of puffs and the infatuation started!
My dear friend came visiting over the weekend and much too my surprise, he pulled The Pipe out! The very first one that he bought and we both smoked.
It is a no name basket pipe, of course stamped "real briar" (and that only) with crackled and pitted varnish finish. The bowl looks like crap, the tenon have paper turned around it to keep it in the mortise and the stem has been superglued where it broke in two.
Does it have any monetary value? No way! But that little crappy pipe is worth much more to me than my whole collection, I'll give 10 Goussard Pipes for that pipe to keep ownership of either me or my friend.
And the best of all?
It was exactly 21 years ago we met and started smoking that pipe together, we're still doing it and we probably will be doing it still in another 21 years time!

February 10, 2014

First of the Lithuanian Specials

Here are the first two of the lot of  pipes that I started while visiting the in-laws in Lithuania.

The bottom one is in the Scoop fashion, with the top one a chubby apple. On the apple I tried a new contrast staining technique, which I'm so far quite impressed with. The grain of course also helped!
They just need to be waxed and polished and then they'll be ready for school!