Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

[robwall1861]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

A few tips that have worked for me:
1) you can't beat a clay bowl with a Reed stem for a common soldier. I picked up an original about 6 years ago for 15 bucks. I cut the reed from a creek in Virginia. If your modern briar is a short term shortcut, try taking some fine steel wool to the stem. It will take away some of the shine. It's not going to look exactly like vulcanite, but it won't catch the eye.

2) Instead of a poke sack, try a small tin. If you don't have one, take a 8" by 12" piece of rubber cloth. Sew one 8" end up about 2". Put your tobacco in there then roll it up and tie it. You can make this fancy or quick, but by rolling it you're getting rid of the air, which dries out tobacco and ruins it. I've kept tobacco moist for a month doing this.

3) For a pipe tool, take a period nail. Next time you see a blacksmith, heat the point red and pound it flat for a scraper. The head works great as a tamp. OR, just use the nail as is and it will probably work.

Andrew,

For your tin suggestion...I have an old cap tin I can use? What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance,

[Mark Choate]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Robert and all,

As for a tin, Beth Crabb of Ezra Barnhouse (an approved vendor) has some excellent tobacco tins which are just the right size. You can get it in the plain or the jappaned finish (which is what I have). Perfect and affordable.

http://www.ezrabarnhousegoods.com/

thx,
Mark

[pipthelimey]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Andrew,

For your tin suggestion...I have an old cap tin I can use? What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance,

Not being a chemistry nut, I'm unsure of what chemicals they put in percussion caps which will probably make your teeth fall out and give you cancer of the something. Also, many of the cap tin designs out there aren't even a correct design. The tin I have is from a small vendor. It's japanned and is closer in size to a modern can of dip. It's easy to open but it stays shut when I want it to.

Now, off to see how it works at Sean Cooper's Valley Forge event this weekend!

[robwall1861]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Andrew,

Let me clarify, the small tin I have looks like a cap tin but it was actually a tin that came with another and bigger tin (diameter wise) when I got a fire starting kit from Jastown and Son a few years ago (I was able to fit everything in the bigger tin and keep it in my knapsack). Mark, would you be able to post a picture of your tobacco tin as I couldn't find it on their Ezra's website (I saw it listed, but with all the other tin stuff there it was hard to see what it looked like).

Thanks in advance,

[Mark Choate]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Mark, would you be able to post a picture of your tobacco tin as I couldn't find it on their Ezra's website (I saw it listed, but with all the other tin stuff there it was hard to see what it looked like).

Thanks in advance,

Yes, Robert, I will take a photo when I get home tonight and will post.

Mark

[Mark Choate]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Ok, Robert, here are the pics.

On the left you see the jappaned surface as it is closed. Next, is with tin opened and some pressed flake tobacco that I have become fond of using of late. Approx 4 inches across the long diameter.

Hope this helps,
Mark

[crabby]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Gentlemen,
I do apologize that there was no photo of the tobacco tin on my website. This
has been corrected.
Mark, thank you so much for stepping in and helping me out!

PS Your commission check is in the mail.... (just kidding guys)

[robwall1861]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

Mark,

Thanks for the pictures...looks great. Beth, saw the email you sent me and sent a replay.

Thanks again,

[Mark Susnis]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco




"Soldier Life": Time Life Voices from the Civil War page 74. Sergeant Daniel Eldredge of the 3rd New Hampshire Infantry describes how Yankee ingenuity made up for the shortage of pipes and matches in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
"The sweet briar wood grows in abundance on Hilton Head and was soon discovered by the Yankee soldier. Pipes of curious devices carved well and ill, soon flooded the market and nearly every man whether smoker or anti-tobacconist had a sweet briar pipe cut and carved by his own hand. For the benefit of the uninformed I will state that the sweet briar is a root and a clambering vine. The root is the part from which the pipes are made. It grows in no regular shape, being composed of a series of bunches of all sizes, from a walnut to six inches in diameter, of all shapes imaginable so that one can find something from which to make any model he chooses. In its green state it is white but as it grows old and partly dead it is hard and of the color of reddish brick. "
Now that would be really cool to acquire some Hilton Head Island sweet briar root!
Here's a pic of my pipes and match safe. The briar pipe with hard rubber stem was crafted by Peter Evans of Key Biscayne, Florida and is modeled after the pipe that Sam Elliot smoked in the film Gettysburg in his portrayal of John Buford. I picked this one up about 14 years ago from Mr. Evans. The smaller wooden pipe is an original I acquired at the Nashville Civil War Show and the match safe was an Etsy.com acquisition.

v/r
Mark Susnis

[robwall1861]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

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"Soldier Life": Time Life Voices from the Civil War page 74. Sergeant Daniel Eldredge of the 3rd New Hampshire Infantry describes how Yankee ingenuity made up for the shortage of pipes and matches in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
"The sweet briar wood grows in abundance on Hilton Head and was soon discovered by the Yankee soldier. Pipes of curious devices carved well and ill, soon flooded the market and nearly every man whether smoker or anti-tobacconist had a sweet briar pipe cut and carved by his own hand. For the benefit of the uninformed I will state that the sweet briar is a root and a clambering vine. The root is the part from which the pipes are made. It grows in no regular shape, being composed of a series of bunches of all sizes, from a walnut to six inches in diameter, of all shapes imaginable so that one can find something from which to make any model he chooses. In its green state it is white but as it grows old and partly dead it is hard and of the color of reddish brick. "
Now that would be really cool to acquire some Hilton Head Island sweet briar root!
Here's a pic of my pipes and match safe. The briar pipe with hard rubber stem was crafted by Peter Evans of Key Biscayne, Florida and is modeled after the pipe that Sam Elliot smoked in the film Gettysburg in his portrayal of John Buford. I picked this one up about 14 years ago from Mr. Evans. The smaller wooden pipe is an original I acquired at the Nashville Civil War Show and the match safe was an Etsy.com acquisition.

v/r
Mark Susnis

Mark,

Excellant quote/picture...I live in NC (moved here in '07 from CT) and my parent's moved to Beaufort, SC back in '05 (1/2 hour from Hilton Head) so that was a good read of Union Soldiers in SC. On a side note, Ken Latham also makes a nice reproduction of the Buford Pipe from G'burg too (hoping to order one in the near future as I already have a custome full bent pipe from him).

Take care,

[Ironmonger_Sailor]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

To "bump" an old thread, can I get updated info? No Latham website anymore.

Thanks in advance.

[BP1858]

Re: Pipes and Pipe Tobacco

I use a reed stem/clay pipe. Great for windy days. I confess to using Boswell Northwoods tobacco, No substitute for it in my opinion, the best.