Lindner

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Michael's website

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From Michael's website

Bent Dublin by Michael Lindner, courtesy, Smokers Haven, 65th Anniversary set

My name is Michael Lindner. I was born and raised near Detroit, Michigan, where I still reside (although at the moment I am splitting time between Los Angeles and Michigan). Currently, I am 36 years old and have been making pipes since 2000. I am pretty much self-taught when it comes to pipemaking, although there have been some notable makers who were kind enough to supply information and encouragement when I first started (namely, Jimmy Cooke, who taught me some basics about setting up machinery; John Eells, who encouraged me early on to “do things right”; Trever Talbert, who gave me insight on equipment and tooling; and Paul Bonaquisti, who has given me advice on anything from bowl coatings to choosing the right lathe.) I have a background in fine art, commercial art, and design, as well as business administration.

Yeah, But, How'd Ya Start Makin' Pipes?

The route to pipemaking was a long winding one, and frankly I wasn’t even thinking about making pipes when I bought my lathe and set up my shop. It just kind of happened. I was already in “the business”, having founded The Piperack in 1997, and by the time 2000 rolled around, the plan was to incorporate full repairs and restorations into the business – hence the lathe. On a whim, I picked up some briar from Mark Tinsky, looked at the side of one of the blocks… and saw a pipe inside. It just kind of happened that way. Pipemaking came very intuitively to me – it almost felt like it was something I always knew how to do, but just needed to do it once to remember how.

Communing With Nature

The connection between smoking and spirituality has already been well-documented; one need only look at the native Americans to see strong examples of this (although this is only one of many). However, as a pipemaker I have become acutely aware of a strong connection to spirituality in making pipes. When I am working on my pipes, when I’m “in the zone”, it’s very similar to the peace one feels when meditating – my mind becomes still, my focus becomes singular, and I “let go” of all external influences. It is a time of rejuvination and introspection. Pipemaking becomes an opportunity to connect with nature – I connect with the briar and the earth it came from, I connect with the mastadon that died 25,000 years ago and gave up its ivory, I connect with the tree that was felled for the Box Elder used for the inlay. This is why I use “natural” materials such as vulcanite and avoid artificial materials when at all possible. Even the styling of many pieces is influenced by nature – the Blowfish being one example, or pipes from my "Flower" series like the Ladyslipper or the Calla.

It’s this connection to the materials that allows the pipemaker to give something of himself to the pipe he makes. Making pipes allows the pipemaker to “infuse” a bit of himself into each piece. Having been a collector long before being a maker, I wondered why there’s just something about, say, a Jess Chonowitsch, or a Tinsky. Why, all other factors being equal, we just prefer to smoke a pipe made by a certain man? Is it the wood? Any good maker ages their wood properly, and utilises wood from a reliable source. Is it the engineering? A look at any number of brands – from mid-line to high-end – will show that engineering can be all over the map from mediocre to perfect. So why do we as collectors prefer pipes from Ulf instead of Per, or Teddy instead of Lars? Because each pipemaker brings something beyond styling, beyond engineering, beyond materials, to the pipes they make. They bring a little bit of themselves.

Useless Information I'm Sure You're Dying To Know

This will ramble a bit, but it’s all important in the big scheme of things. I make about 125 pipes a year. My briar source is Mimmo – a fantastic friend and also the same source for Teddy Knudsen and many other great makers. I age my wood for about three years, and I allow it to experience the seasons – it allows the wood to learn to take in and give up moisture naturally. My rod stock is from Germany – I never use stem blanks. I do all my own sandblasting. My ivory is mastadon from Canada – it’s been dead long enough. All my pipes will pass a pipe cleaner without ramping the airway – ramping messes up the airflow (in my opinion.) I don’t take myself as seriously as you may think – it’s all about having fun. My favourite music to listen to when working is Electronica (Paul Oakenfold is a favourite) or Jazz (the real deal, Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley, Sonny Rollins... none of that Kenny G crap). I like red wine… a lot. Life shouldn’t be lived without involving dogs in some capacity (eating them doesn’t count). When I want to get away, nothing compares to Traverse City in October. We all need some way to express our creativity to truly be whole.

Contact information:

E-mail:mailto:michael@lindnerpipes.com
Toll-free: 888) 592-9100. 
Lindner Pipes
2189 Avon Industrial Dr.
Rochester Hills, MI 48309