Today s work consists of a very special pipe for a very good friend, Mel Feldman; who is closing the Smoker, his shop in Albany, NY. His son ,well know internet entrepenuer, Mike, asked me to make him his favorite shape, a straight billiard, as a retirement present. I modeled the pipe after a Dunhill LB that I had in the shop for repair, made it slightly larger and canted the bowl a hair foward.
It just so happened my good friend Paul Bonaquisti was visiting before his appearence at the Newark pipe show and he agreed to lend his expertise to the project in the form of a hand cut cumberland bit. So we spent last Friday happily engaged.
I first met Mel in 1980. At the time I was new in the pipe business and making initial road trips to find retailers to carry my pipes. Mel stepped up to the plate and bought quite a few and supported and encouraged me tremendously in those early tough years! To say the man is a walking fount of knowledge would be an understatement. I ve always enjoyed visiting him and gleaning bits of his immense store of pipe lore. I could go on and on, but I m sure any of you who have met Mel at pipe shows or have been to his shop know what I mean. Hopefully he will continue in the pipe world in some fashion.
Here s the pipe we made for him :
and some words from Paul
"I met Mel many, many years ago ( I forget how long) while trying improve my quest for high quality tobacco and pipes. My friend actually found the shop, after he had been walking past it for years! My first visit to this wonderful shop, and it's unique owner, transformed me... I thought I knew alot about pipes and tobacco, and soon realized I had much more to learn. Mel was to me, like Yoda was to Luke Skywalker... the Master of the pipe... He put me on the path to collecting wisdom, and proved how the right tobacco in a quality pipe was *supposed* to taste!.
Mel and I became close friends over the years, sharing many pipefuls, many dinners, and many adventures together (like getting our car stolen in Newark). When I first began making pipes, he was an endles source of encouragement... and lent his tongue to some of my first pipe making efforts! We been through alot together, shared alot of fun, and even some sad times... It's a shame the shop will close, as it is one of a kind. Of course, I'll miss my Saturday visits to the shop, but I'll still look forward to seeing Mel, as I know we'll still get together... to talk about something we never get sick of discussing... pipes and tobacco of course!"
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