Pipe Smoking Tobacco

At the little town of Borup, just a few miles from Copenhagen (Kobenhavn) the world's most efficient, modern and clean pipe factory stays busy producing about 300,000 pipes per year--with approximately 80 to 100 processes to finish each individual pipe--one by one, with quality controls and inspections including at each stage. Stanwell produces some of the best factory made pipes in the world--for a few reasons: Their pipes are crafted with style, beauty and technical innovations. Quite an accomplishment!
Some of the qualities I like about the Stanwell pipes are the fact that some of their shapes were commissioned from Mr. Sixten Ivarrsson, Mr. Tom Eltang and Mr. Jess Chonowitsch. Their works speak for themselves, as some of the world's finest. The technical innovations of Stanwell insure proper seasoning of the briar wood, a perfect fit of mouthpiece and shank of the pipe, and the use of a Delrin plastic tenon that can be replaced without being fitted--the connectors come in two standard sizes--that only the outside of the mouthpiece has to be fitted with minor work. The Delrin tenon is also engineered to be slightly flexible-not brittle, and makes it easier for removal of the stem for cleaning, without breakage. In 1942, Mr. Paul Nielsen started Stanwell pipes--out of neccessity for all pipe smokers in Denmark--because during WWII, the normal supply of fine briar pipe was cut off from England-the premier pipemakers of the world in those days. Stanwell even made functional pipes of beechwood, because he could not get briar during the war. Now, in modern times, pipesmokers all over the world benefit from Stanwell pipes because they are affordable, uniform, beautifully styled, and most of all they smoke great. Every Stanwell pipe that I have owned and smoked was and is an enjoyment, and a super value for every pipesmoker. If you happen upon an assortment of Stanwell pipes, and see or know the shape you like the most--what's fun is finding the uniform shape you like and suddenly discovering one with and exceptional, beautiful grained wood!
Stanwell pipes are on sale right now at www.OutwestTobacco.com
Here is an example of one of mine--it's a shape number 62 with a straight grain around the entire bowl, in the Stanwell Legend finish. When shopping for it, I looked through approximately 100 pipes before I found it! That was fun! What a VALUE!
Try a Stanwell pipe and let me know what your thoughts are! Best Wishes, Eric

Good airflow is the secret to a great smoking pipe! Too many times I have seen some beautiful pipes (artistically beautiful), and discovered that I could not get hardly any airflow through it--to smoke the pipe. Rather than toss away a potentially great pipe--that someone took some time and trouble to make--I learned some things: namely, following some great advice given by a man by the name of Mr. Rick Newcombe, in his book "IN SEARCH OF PIPE DREAMS".
Here's how to do it:
First, examine your pipe to make sure it is clean on the inside. This is the most common problem of reduced airflow--a dirty pipe. Take the necessary step to clean it.
Next, determine if there are any obstructions in the airway from bowl to the lip of the bit. If you have a filter--throw that away. If the pipe still draws hard (and it shouldn't) determine if the problem is with the mouthpiece or the shank of the pipe. Most likely it is both.
Now for the fun part!
Obtain some wood drill bits (size 11/64",3/16",9/64",1/8",5/64") and a Variable speed 3/8 drive electric drill.
Begin by slowly redrilling the shank of the pipe until the bit just enters the bottom of the inside of the bowl. Stop. Don't do anything else to the wooden shank of the pipe. Now--for the mouthpiece. Take a sharp pocketknife, and chamfer the hole on the inside of the tenon peg. Remember--always drill slowly--and pull out waste material often, when drilling hard rubber, vulcanite or lucite plastic. Go slow--because the plastic will melt of you have too much friction. Picture in your mind the length of the mouthpiece, and use the 9/64" bit one third of the length, then the 1/8" bit another third and lastly the 5/64" through the lip. Run a fluffy pipe cleaner through the whole pipe to make sure all the trimmings are gone. Now smoke your pipe and enjoy how easy it is to puff. Caution: because the pipe now is way easier to draw--don't smoke to fast, because you don't have to smoke fast anymore--the pipe will stay lit, longer. It worked for me!
Best Wishes and happy smoking! Eric Whitaker