About Me
Where to start? Well, I have a background as a machinist and tool maker, along with some wood working skills I have developed over the years. I have always worked with close tolerances and measurements. I live in Michigan about an hour drive north of Detroit. I have to update this,I used to drive a semi truck fulltime for a living but as of March of 2005, I quit my job as a semi truck driver and am now making pipes fulltime. I attend 3-5 shows yearly now that I am making pipes fulltime, and may add more shows as the time allows me to attend.
I have smoked a pipe since the spring/summer of 2001. I started to make pipes as a hobby, in June of 2001. A friend of mine told me I should try to make a pipe, so I got a kit from Mark Tinsky, and tried it. I liked it alot, but didn't make another pipe for about a few months. Then I went on vacation up to the upper peninsula of Michigan and met up with Lee Von Erck. I had gotten about 10 blocks of briar from him, and had him drill out 2 of them for me while I was up there.
The same friend, Scott Bundy,(who by the way has taken alot of my pictures of pipes for this site) wanted me to make him a pipe. So I took the briar I had gotten from Lee and made him a pipe. He liked it and encouraged me to make more.
Yes, I know, I'm going bald!!
In the mean time I was going into the IRC #pipes chat room and got alot of information from the guys that frequent the chat room on how to make a pipe. Alot of that information came from Dale Adkins and Robert Vacher. They taught me lots of tricks on how to make pipes.
I also did alot of research on the net and read every bit of information that I could get my hands on about making pipes.
Kind of reminds me of the guy on the TV show Home Improvement, you know, the guy next door to Tim Taylor? Wilson
I made a few more pipes in September of 2001. And entered my 4th, 5th, and 6th pipes I had ever made in to the Pipes and Tobacco magazine sponsored pipe carving contest.
I placed second in the amateur carving contest, and that gave me lots of encouragement. I also got tons of information and knowledge at the Richmond pipe show, where the contest was held, from the many pipe makers at the show. Mike Lindner told me at that show that he would teach me to make hand cut stems. So I came home from the show and we got together and he showed me how to make hand cut stems.
I came home and have made pipes on a part time basis, until Marchof 2005 when I went fulltme at just making high grade pipes.
I will probably produce about 100-150 pipes a year. All high grade pipes.
I use only the best plateau briar from Italy and Morocco . I also use the very best Ebonite and Cumberland rod stock that can be had, to hand cut all my stems. My pipes are drilled to 4mm in the draft hole in the shank, and are tapered in the stem to the button. Some draft holes are drilled larger, when the bowl is larger then 3/4" diameter. This makes for a very dry and cool smoke. The stem draft hole is also polished inside to make for a smooth surface so cleaning it, is extremely easy.
My Stamp and grading system has changed since last year. I will keep it clarified here in this section of my web site. This was my first years stamping and grading system: All pipes are graded as follows 00, 01, 02 ,03, 04 with 00 being the highest grade. Rusticated pipes are graded R1 for rusticated with some smooth, be it smooth top, sides or both, and an R2 is completely rusticated .Some pipes will have an XL on them this means it is an extra large pipe, aso I have added an XXL stamp for pipes that are just, well, huge! My earlier pipes are not date stamped but the pipes from 03/02 and here on out will be date stamped. My nomeclature reads as follows on my pipes: BAR (being my initials) then 00, 01, etc being the grade. Then I date stamp them with the last two digits of the year the pipe was made, as in 01 for 2001 and 02 for made in 2002 etc.
Now in October of 2002 I changed my stamping system, I will always make changes to my stamp in October of the year the changes are made. The reason behind this is, October was the month I started to make pipes, and for ease of the collector I feel it will be best if changes are made only in this month to any, and all nomenclature. Now on to the stamping that I have.
Starting October of 2002. The identification stamp has changed, I now stamp my pipes with: RUTHENBERG in and arc, over USA which is in a straight line, then under that is HANDMADE , also in a straight line. I also still use the date stamp which is two numbers either next to, or under, my Identification stamp, as in 03=2003, 04=2004 etc. I also will still stamp extra large pieces with XL, or XXL when the pipe is larger than what I normally make. I no longer grade my pipes like I did my first year. I will, when it is needed, get a stamp for a super nice piece, that I feel is heads above the best of the best, as in for the super high grade if you will.
I have now added a super high grade stamp to my stampings on the pipes I make. Remember this is ONLY for the super high grades that show, exceptional graining, superior grain placement, and super clean pieces of briar. The stamp is in the form of a pair of calipers. The calipers I'm refering to are in this picture: http://www.briarart.com/calipers.htm ,and will be stamped in the pipes nomenclature.
I have now on 7-2006 expanded the *Caliper* grade stamp to my line of sandblasted pipes. The stamp will only be used on pipes that show exceptional ring grain patterns in the blast, with the rings being uniform in depth and in spacing on the pipe. The blast on the pipe may or may not be extremely deep, but be uniform, and even are the key words. The grain will be as the smooth pipes, as in the birdseye is centered on the pipe, clean piece of briar, straight grain and ring grain are perfectly centered, etc.
I have now started (12-2006) to have pipe boxes for the pipes that I make. They wont be your everyday normal pipe boxes, they will be useable for other things after the pipe is taken out. Most pipe boxes are set upon a shelf and forgotten about until the pipe is either sold or traded away. The boxes I have will be used for other purposes as they are decorative and useful for other things. The boxes will be different also, I will be using an assortment of about 5-10 different boxes and that may change later on. You can view a sample picture of the types of boxes I am going to be using in the link here http://www.briarart.com/pipeboxes.htm As you can see there is an assortment. I will send them randomly to people who purchase new pipes from me. You wont be able to chose which box you want as the availability of certain styles is limited, and the boxes in the pictures are examples.
If for any reason you are not happy with your pipe purchased here, please return the pipe unsmoked, within 10 days, and I will give you a complete refund, minus shipping costs. I warranty my pipes for 1 year against burnout at my discretion. Of course, if you use a torch lighter to light your pipe, or anything other than matches , or a regular flame lighter, this will void the warranty.