From Nightowl Pipeworks in Nashville, TN
In attendance:
Club members: Randy, John, Fred, Tim, Ted, Craig, Mark, Barry and David
Guests: Al, Ronni B.
Notes:
As many of us know, Ronni B. does pipe repairs, but not just any pipe repairs. He does high end, high quality pipe repairs using his "blue print" method. His motto: "Your pipe will smoke better than, or at least as good as, it smoked when it was new." Quality, hand-cut stems and improvements to the engineering are all a part of Ron's work on your pipe. His high standards don't come cheap, nor quick. But, then, quality demands such effort.
Ron does repair work for individuals through personal contact/referral, pipe shows, etc. He also does repairs for Uptown's in Nashville, and SmokingPipes.com. He has studied pipe making and repairs under Jody Davis, pipe maker extraordinaire.
The quality Ron refers to is not just a refurbishing of the appearance of the pipe, but the smoking properties of the pipe itself. Ron's a pipe smoker. He knows what pipe smokers desire from a pipe and his repairs reflect that. And his standards are high. Stems are hand-cut. Depending on the nature of the pipe a lot of work - 4 to 6 hours in many cases - goes into cutting a stem and making it fit the pipe, fit your mouth, and to smoke better than ever. That last 1/2 inch of the stem, the part that connects pipe to smoker, demands the attention of the pipe repairer - it has to be well engineered. The resulting air flow, from bowl to stem, will be consistent.
The biggest issue with most pipes, according to Ron, is the gap between the mortise and the tenon. When he does a repair there will be no turbulence in this area to cause condensation which causes a hot smoke. If the gap is 1/16 of an inch or less, then he will chamfer the hole in the tenon. Otherwise, he'll reconstruct the area using delryn sleeves to eliminate the gap. The goal: a consisten flow from bowl to button.
Look for an article on Ron in the Winter issue of "Pipes & Tobacco."
Following our discussion at Knoxville Cigar Company, the group retired to Barley's Tavern for a fine meal.
Respectfully Submitted by: John R, secretary/treasurer Knoxville Area Pipe Smokers.
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Left to right: Craig, Doc, Tim (back to camera)
and David |
David |
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Ronni B with Jared in the background |
Ronni B with Barry |
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Ronni B |
Ronni B |
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Ted listening intently |
Doc and Tim checking out some pipes |
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Craig: "Which tobacco to try?" |
Doc checking out a club member's newest
acquisition |
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Mark from Knox Cigar |
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