My first Pipe Rack

Welcome back!

Spring is in full swing but we are still stuck inside. In my melancholy, two weekends ago, I started thinking about the time I purchased my first tobacco pipe. I decided to give all my pipes a cleaning to reward them for the years they served me faithfully.

I fondly remembered walking into the Walper Tobacco Shop in Kitchener, Ontario and looking at their inspiring collection. Unfortunately most their pipes were out of my price range. As a brand new entrepreneur at age 22, I knew where my priorities were so I informed the gentleman at the counter that I had about $50 to spend but I did want a pipe that would last me a good while. I expected him to turn me away or try to sell me something from a cheap basket at the end of the counter. Instead he said he had the exact pipe for me. 

Of course, I was skeptical. How can a man that has never even talked to me have something perfect for me? He opened the window with expensive pipes and lifted one off its stand. He showed it to me, let me hold it in my hands and admire it. The salesman explained that it was a Canadian made pipe, a Brigham 147 in a Dublin shape, and on the lower price range from that company. Picking up a pipe cleaner from behind the counter, it was explained to me that for a pipe to smoke properly the pipe cleaner must pass through the stem and show up in the bowl without too much hassle. This makes sure the holes were aligned between the stem and the briar bowl. He showed me the imperfections in the bowl and told me how to build up cake inside it using honey to make sure it doesn't crack.

I ended up purchasing that Brigham 147 and it has served me faithfully for ten years now. Still smokes like the first day and I still love it like that first day. What could I do to "reward" it, in a sense? I picked up a scrap skid from work and set myself to build my first pipe rack, inspired by the internet of course. In the first picture, on the top rack, the second pipe from the left is my Brigham 147.

Normally these skids get burned at work. I only used three boards for the pipe rack leaving me plenty to build a few other projects. While I am no master woodworker, I am proud of the fact that I was able to put this condemned material to use for a purpose dear to me.

Thanks for visiting. Feel free to leave comments.

Dan

PS> The Walper Tobacco Shop is the "Oldest Tobacco Shop in Canada". I encourage you to visit and marvel at their "manly" items. You can also visit them online at www.walpertobacco.com

Rocking chair restoration

Hello and Welcome to my Blog!

Today I'd like talk about the restoration of an old rocking chair that I found at the side of the road. But before I get into that too deeply, I want to share a few thoughts. Skip over the italics if you just want to see the chair.

While you may share in my way of thinking, or you may not, I believe the world has reached the definition of unsustainable. Everything nowadays is disposable: paper, furniture, vehicles, marriages, children and promises. We treat everything like it can be replaced any minute with something "new and improved" that serves us. Don't like your car? Finance a new one. Don't like your marriage? There's a drive-through for that somewhere.

But how did we get to be this way? Well.. that story is long and convoluted. Simply put: consumerism. We are driven to buy. It's all we do. Our society is built around shopping centers, stores, gift shops and cheap collectibles. We're told that no matter what our credit: bad, good, non-existent or imported from Mars; they will find a way to finance it for us. 

Do we ever consider where our old things go? At which point will we run out of trees, crude, iron, gold and platinum. At which point will we not afford new things due to a severe shortage of resources? And really - when we think about it - was buying something really worth it? If you have never dealt with buyer's remorse you are either incredibly wise or a sociopath.

Now, I'm not going to turn all hipster-vegan but I do wish to challenge you into trying to salvage some of our past. You might find it as rewarding as I do. Consider objects in a new light. Consider everything either an antique or raw material. How can you use it? What can you make out of it? How can you love it in a new light? How can you change it, or yourself, if you don't like it?

And this is where my story begins: Around 2010, driving home from work I found an old gliding rocking chair with a gliding foot rest. It was missing a cushion, the lacquer was peeling and it was quite old. I loaded it in my old pickup anyway.  Figured one day I'd do something with it. Well, I finally did.

Unfortunately I don't have any "before" pictures. I didn't think I'd ever need them. Three evenings of sanding, three evenings of painting and a day of sewing paid off. The caterpillar has turned into a butterfly. Costs were minimal compared with a new chair. It does sound tedious - but what do you really do after work? Watch TV and absorb the commercials that encourage you to spend? Why not try your hand at something new such as restoration, recycling or simply reading?

Here are the results of my evenings? What can you show for yours? What better way to learn a hands-on skill.

Thanks for coming by!

Dan.

PS> The material used for the cushions is from that Swedish store that sells a lot of furniture that needs to be assembled.