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100 Year Old Briar?: Difference between revisions
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Later in his letter (p. 41), Rich discusses Rick Hacker’s latest book, Pipesmoking-A 21st Century Guide. Rich writes, "Rick stated that in the early days, briar 250 years old was sometimes used, then 100 years, then 50 to 75 years, down to 25 years, and now on low-end pipes, 15 years." | Later in his letter (p. 41), Rich discusses Rick Hacker’s latest book, Pipesmoking-A 21st Century Guide. Rich writes, "Rick stated that in the early days, briar 250 years old was sometimes used, then 100 years, then 50 to 75 years, down to 25 years, and now on low-end pipes, 15 years." | ||
Then in the mail came the First Semester 2001 edition of Pipe magazine (the English edition) from The Netherlands, containing a column by famed pipe maker Rainer Barbi. Part of Barbi’s column (pp. 31-32) is called "The hundred-year-old myth." I’ll quote it in full. | Then in the mail came the First Semester 2001 edition of Pipe magazine (the English edition) from The Netherlands, containing a column by famed pipe maker [[Rainer Barbi]]. Part of Barbi’s column (pp. 31-32) is called "The hundred-year-old myth." I’ll quote it in full. | ||
"One of the classic stories almost impossible to eradicate is the tale of the 100 year-old briar. It has been copied by many self-appointed experts, none of whom have done any serious research. It’s a fairy tale indeed, a story which makes every expert’s hair curl. All wood is a product of nature and nature does not get better with age. Rather, it deteriorates as it gets older. We only need to look at the trunks of old oak trees, cracked by lightning over the years or decayed from within. Even the famous olive tree splits its trunk at a relatively young age, and is forced to submit to the influences of nature. | "One of the classic stories almost impossible to eradicate is the tale of the 100 year-old briar. It has been copied by many self-appointed experts, none of whom have done any serious research. It’s a fairy tale indeed, a story which makes every expert’s hair curl. All wood is a product of nature and nature does not get better with age. Rather, it deteriorates as it gets older. We only need to look at the trunks of old oak trees, cracked by lightning over the years or decayed from within. Even the famous olive tree splits its trunk at a relatively young age, and is forced to submit to the influences of nature. | ||