These came off of the *Bay late last week. Top to bottom: Charatan's Make Perfection 481oc; an unknown billiard and an unknown bulldog (purchased together):

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The Charatan was cleaned and stored away about 20yrs ago. It will receive a proper cleaning and polish. The other two I had purchased to clean, ream, and give a good polish to, with hopes that they will have a better look thereafter to sell at a later date (maybe). I'll post some "after" pix when I've completed these tasks...
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Nice looking pipes. Enjoy the restore. Sure they will be like new when your done. Can't wait to see the end results..

James
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Yeah, nice pick-up!:-)
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Really like that bulldog Mark! Can't wait to see the after pics, and kinda hope you do decide to sell it!
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It's a sickness, really. I just can't stop buying pipes and stuff! :-) Next to arrive at my door will be this sweet little prince from Capri. They're pretty nice for a maker of basket pipes.
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I have today and tomorrow off so I'm gonna spend some time breaking in a couple of my other new ones with some Ashton Gold Rush. I've never smoked a straight Virginia before, but I'm looking forward to it.
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We've known of your sickness for quite some time now Darren:-) Nice looking pipe:-)
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Thanks Mark! I find myself gravitating toward the "prince" shape. The small bowl size just suites me and it's easy to smoke it down to ash. Next on my list is a spigot or some kind of Army mount. Funny they're not called Navy mounts: it seems that Sailors can smoke and fight at the same time. :-)

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Nice pipe, Darren! Yours too, Mark. :-)

I've got a commissioned pipe on order and that will be my last pipe for a while, hopefully.
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Thanks Brian!

Oh, you must be psyched! What'sit gonna look like?
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I am having an upcoming pipe artist here in Phoenix named Jerry Crawford make me a straight billiard with high contrast stain and a saddle stem. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes out. I also plan to buy a Tom Eltang pipe sometime next year, but that's a ways off.

You can find some of Jerry's work at his website http://crawfordpipes.com.
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Can't wait to see your New pipe when you get it. I am sure it will be a awesome looking pipe. There are so many great pipe carvers out there. Wish i would have stayed in wood shop as a kid but no. I had them move me to Small Motors. Now I see where things could have been different LOL.

James
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That is a very nice looking pipe for sure. I like the way the stem is made for it. I haven't seen one like that before. Congrats. The Sickness don't go away, You can put it in check for a little while. But with my little collection there are always more pipes I could buy.. and will. I like collecting them. I think they are Art. Best part is they can be smoked.

Awesome Pipe for sure
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It's never too late to start, James :-) Take a wood shop class?
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That's the word on the street Darren:-)

Thanks Brian. BTW, www.crawfordpipes.com has some very nice looking pipes on his web page:-)
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I'm excited to see how it comes out, Mark.

Is there a way for you to learn the origin of those 2 pipes? I like the bulldogs. It's a good size.
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Its gonna be like pulling teeth Brian. The bulldog does not have any markings or stamps. The billiard has the capitol letter "B" stamped on one side of the stem, up near the tenon. Its a capitol "B" and not "b" and is simply a stamped letter, all black impression (i.e., there is no white within the stamped line).

I've looked-up a few different references, but nothing really hits the nail on the head, and it would only be speculation at this point.

I'll shoot a micro photo of the stem and post it here tomorrow for your review...
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It is called PAD (Pipe Acquisition Disorder). Scratching the itch caused by it can also cause one to fall into an equally disabling TAD (Tobacco Acquisition Disorder).

Be careful.

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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Thanks Mark, I can almost hear my bank account draining. How are his prices?
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Thanks Rev!
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Crawford quoted me $375-$450 and required a $50 deposit for the billiard. I'm not sure why the $75 range? Perhaps it's hard to tell what the quality of the grain will be until you start cutting into the wood? I also think the high contrast stain I requested adds a bit more labor. He said the sandblasted ones are closer to $300 - $350.

It's actually pretty spendy for a newer pipe maker. It seems as though there are plenty of hand-made offerings in the sub $300 range. However, I specifically went to Crawford simply because he lives in my city and I want to support him. I also like the idea of having something hand-made specifically for me. It could be a family heirloom if I have kids some day. I don't plan on buying many more pipes this expensive, but who knows, if it smokes great maybe I'll send him more of my business.

Once I receive it I'll be sure to post some pics.
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