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The Codger Cabin

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
By the way, I'm back home at last, and enjoyed some Half & Half in my Peterson 307. Something about the use of a wooden match vs. a lighter, too, really made the smoke work for me.

It should bring a smile to let you know I smoked H&H all day Friday and Saturday as a change of pace. Mrs. Columbo also noticed the change.

If you ever win $95 and don’t know what to do with it, invest in a Pipemaster. You won’t regret it. Until then, it’s hard to beat a good match. Match lighting pipes outdoors is an acquired art, so having that Zippo is still a good buy for those moments.
 
It should bring a smile to let you know I smoked H&H all day Friday and Saturday as a change of pace. Mrs. Columbo also noticed the change.

If you ever win $95 and don’t know what to do with it, invest in a Pipemaster. You won’t regret it. Until then, it’s hard to beat a good match. Match lighting pipes outdoors is an acquired art, so having that Zippo is still a good buy for those moments.
If I'd thought to bring a pipe and smoking gear with me on the trip, Half & Half would probably have been part of it.

As for the Zippo vs. matches, the little "gazebo" as the hotel called it was exposed to light breezes nearly all day, and I could not keep a match lit. I resorted to stepping to the back of the building in an attempt to find still air, but there was still too much air movement. The Zippo performed very well. I have lighter fluid, but I'll need to pick up some flints and a wick eventually so it will be ready when needed.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
If I'd thought to bring a pipe and smoking gear with me on the trip, Half & Half would probably have been part of it.

As for the Zippo vs. matches, the little "gazebo" as the hotel called it was exposed to light breezes nearly all day, and I could not keep a match lit. I resorted to stepping to the back of the building in an attempt to find still air, but there was still too much air movement. The Zippo performed very well. I have lighter fluid, but I'll need to pick up some flints and a wick eventually so it will be ready when needed.

I used a Zippo for many years. They are bulletproof, and work at all temps, unlike a butane which can get balky below 30F. As long as you don’t let the fluid get too low, the Zippo wicks will go a very very long time before you ever need a replacement. Just tug a little extra out with a pair of needle nose pliers if it ever burns down a little. The top cap on the pipe insert will snap off to allow that. As far as flints, it will eat them. A tip is to stash a spare under the felt cap in the fuel compartment in case you need one on the go. The genuine flints are pretty hard and best match the coarse flint wheel on them. A Zippo will quickly eat up a softer flint matched to other brands (e.g. Coronas).

Fuel is what Zippos use most of all. Even if you don’t ignite it, it will empty itself via evaporation in a couple of weeks, necessitating refill. On the pipe models, or a standard one used on a pipe, don’t fill it over halfway, or you will taste more fluid when you light up. The current black label Zippo formula is relatively tasteless if you give it a couple seconds to stabilize after ignition.

If you want to avoid frequent refills on a seldom-used Zippo, there are a variety of little tricks. There are insert gaskets, and some will wrap them in saran wrap, or stretch a wide rubber band over the case seam to provide a better seal. But even if you use one regularly, plan to refill it every week or so.

I only retired my old Zippo when I finally got a Pipemaster a number of years ago. The latter is in my opinion the best pipe lighter design on the market.
 
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Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


41-3-24.2.jpg
 
I can't tell you how many customizations of the AMT 1/25 scale kit of the 1940 Ford I built as a kid. AMT offered both the 2-door coupe and the 2-door sedan as different kits, and, I recall, they included grille and taillight parts so you could build your car as a 1939, too. From everything I've read since, the 1940 was thought of as the pinnacle of pre-war Fords -- the best overall model the company put out until the new engineering of the 1949.

The 1941 Ford would have been in showrooms in the fall of '40, so this March ad would have been touting the model that had been out since the previous September.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


41-3-31.jpg
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


41-3-31.2.jpg
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


41-3-31.4.jpg
 
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


View attachment 1328498

We had one of those Model J-602 radios on the kitchen counter when I was growing up. It was ancient even then but it was a good radio. I guess it was relegated to the attic or the Goodwill after FM became dominant.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
We had one of those Model J-602 radios on the kitchen counter when I was growing up. It was ancient even then but it was a good radio. I guess it was relegated to the attic or the Goodwill after FM became dominant.

I can’t speak to the J-602 (it may be one, too), but the L-500 was an earlier “All American Five”. Once the design backbone of the American consumer radio industry. Vacuum tube and antique electronic hobbyists (of which I am one) will understand.
 
This morning, I mixed a little of my old Tinder Box mystery maple-chocolate blend (aged a lot of years, that stuff) with Carter Hall. It made for a good morning smoke all around without any tongue bite or throat dryness. CH is not my favorite of the codgers I've tried, but it makes a good mix.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
This morning, I mixed a little of my old Tinder Box mystery maple-chocolate blend (aged a lot of years, that stuff) with Carter Hall. It made for a good morning smoke all around without any tongue bite or throat dryness. CH is not my favorite of the codgers I've tried, but it makes a good mix.

Complaints of ashiness or ‘cigarette’ behavior with the old Middleton twins are not uncommon, especially near the bottom of the bowl. Yours is one very good solution. Another is to bed the bowl with a something such as Granger or SWR before a fill, or to palm blend a 1-3 mix with the CH and smoke that. Another option is a filtered pipe, which also helps catch such late nasties when they arise.

My experience is that the more seasoned the pipe, the less of an issue this becomes.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


41-4-14.2.jpg
 
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