Item Description
My first pipe was a Peterson system 314. I knew nothing about pipe smoking other than I wanted to give it a try. So I went to my local tobacconist, they primarily dealt with cigars but they had maybe a dozen bulk tobaccos, an approximately equal number of nice pipes in a glass case, and a smattering of tins. I spent some time handling the pipes and the 314 felt the best in my hand so that is what I got. I picked out some tobacco that smelled pretty and hit the road. I did ask for some advise on smoking from the gentleman behind the counter, who sadly knew very little about pipes, and to his credit didn't act like he did. The best he could do was tell me tobacco goes in the wooden end and smoke came out the other. There wasn't anybody I knew who was close at hand who smoked a pipe to ask so I went at it.
When I extol the virtues of tolerance and forgiveness present in this pipe it is from my experience of attacking this poor thing with a stupefying amount of ignorance and brute force. Every act of disorganized nincompoopery a man can commit on an unsuspecting piece of briar I have done to this pipe. I had no idea it might not be a good idea to break down a pipe hot, I did it all the time, during every smoke. Let a pipe rest? What for, was it tired? If I was up so should be my pipe. I had no clue that a cake might be beneficial, just looked like crud to me so I dutifully cleaned out the bowl after every smoke to get all that smut outta my pipe, packed it with as much tobac as I could force into it and blazed away like a man on fire. I have done many other negligent things as well, far too many to list here. Needless to say my experience was poor. Eventually I was able to get some good advise from an old duff smoking Borkum Riff in cob at a local bar. From there I found communities of pipe-smokers on the interwebs and found tobaccos that really suited me, methods of packing and maintaining my pipe, and found my own little corner of happiness in tobacciana. I have several Petes now and that first one is still in the rotation, smoking beautifully. It never cracked, burnt out, or failed to perform well in everything I've asked of it.
The Peterson system works through the use of a well in the shank that allows the normal moisture, that is a byproduct of combustion, to condense and collect well bellow the air hole. This cools the smoke and prevents tongue bite it also helps keep the pipe from gurgling. The P-lip bit directs smoke to the roof of the mouth further preventing tongue bite. The sturdiness of the design is expressed through the use of a military bit and nickle olive on the shank. The military bit differs from a standard tenon in that it has a smooth taper that serves to wedge into the shank to ensure a tight fit. They are intended to be able to be broken down hot as service men don't always have the luxury of letting their pipes cool for an hour or two before breaking down. The nickle banding reinforces the shank and prevents splitting that can occur with that type of bit. I did give it a slight ding on fit and finish as the standard system can sometimes have minor fills, and the packaging is nothing special but not poor or inadequate either. It is in my opinion a very well designed pipe that has withstood the test of time and idiocy
When I extol the virtues of tolerance and forgiveness present in this pipe it is from my experience of attacking this poor thing with a stupefying amount of ignorance and brute force. Every act of disorganized nincompoopery a man can commit on an unsuspecting piece of briar I have done to this pipe. I had no idea it might not be a good idea to break down a pipe hot, I did it all the time, during every smoke. Let a pipe rest? What for, was it tired? If I was up so should be my pipe. I had no clue that a cake might be beneficial, just looked like crud to me so I dutifully cleaned out the bowl after every smoke to get all that smut outta my pipe, packed it with as much tobac as I could force into it and blazed away like a man on fire. I have done many other negligent things as well, far too many to list here. Needless to say my experience was poor. Eventually I was able to get some good advise from an old duff smoking Borkum Riff in cob at a local bar. From there I found communities of pipe-smokers on the interwebs and found tobaccos that really suited me, methods of packing and maintaining my pipe, and found my own little corner of happiness in tobacciana. I have several Petes now and that first one is still in the rotation, smoking beautifully. It never cracked, burnt out, or failed to perform well in everything I've asked of it.
The Peterson system works through the use of a well in the shank that allows the normal moisture, that is a byproduct of combustion, to condense and collect well bellow the air hole. This cools the smoke and prevents tongue bite it also helps keep the pipe from gurgling. The P-lip bit directs smoke to the roof of the mouth further preventing tongue bite. The sturdiness of the design is expressed through the use of a military bit and nickle olive on the shank. The military bit differs from a standard tenon in that it has a smooth taper that serves to wedge into the shank to ensure a tight fit. They are intended to be able to be broken down hot as service men don't always have the luxury of letting their pipes cool for an hour or two before breaking down. The nickle banding reinforces the shank and prevents splitting that can occur with that type of bit. I did give it a slight ding on fit and finish as the standard system can sometimes have minor fills, and the packaging is nothing special but not poor or inadequate either. It is in my opinion a very well designed pipe that has withstood the test of time and idiocy
