Pipe Accessories

Note: This is huge topic we are barley scratching the surface of in this article. Ben Rapaport does an excellent job of outlining more aspects from a collector's standpoint in his article Collectible Pipe-related Ephemera: Here Today, Not Necessarily Gone Tomorrow! (PDF).

Ashtrays

Castello

A nice to have but not really a need to have, great for indoor smoking so you don't bosh your spent tobacco onto your brand new sofa but not entirely required as anything will do the trick.

Pipe ashtrays come with a cork ball. This half of a sphere is very useful since it allows to empty out the ashes after smoking without damaging the pipe. Some ashtrays even have a spot (or several) where you can put down your pipe. Made of wood, glass or ceramic, every smoker will find one to their liking. Some ashtrays have a built-in drawer where you can store your accessories (pipe tampers, lighters or filters) so that they are always within reach.

Bags and Pouches

Artisans

• Schwoebs-Pfeifentaschen
• Smokin' Holsters
• Whitewood Leather
• blague à tabac pour fumeur de pipe (French pipe tobacco pouch )

The following pipe briefcase was a birthday gift years ago. Purchased from an unknown source:

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Lighters

Kitchen Matches in cast iron holder

[[File:2002zippo_brass.gif|thumb|2002 A.S.P. Logo Zippo, courtesy A.S.P

1947 Nimrod Advertisement

For many pipe smokers, a quality pipe specific lighter is an integral part of their pipe smoking experience. Others prefer wooden matches, citing that even the best lighters will taint the experience with fumes from the spent fuel. In matches, a wooden kitchen match works best, and to be sure a wooden match is not only affordable it is relatively safe for your pipe. Even matches can impart fumes, but those can me minimized or eliminated if one is careful to let the sulfur burn off completely before apply flame to tobacco. All experienced pipemen agree that using a torch lighter, such as intended for cigars, can quickly ruin a pipe. They are to be completely avoided by anyone who cares about their pipes. Choosing a good lighter, one designed for pipes and that matches your budget and sense of aesthetic, and then learning to use it carefully is a viable option for those that find matches are not for them.

Fluid Lighters

Zippo makes an affordable pipe specific lighter in several styles. It has a special windscreen (pipe insert) with a hole that allows the flame to be drawn into the pipe bowl. Many pipemen swear by them and have learned to use them to minimize the impact of the fumes from the spent fuel. Others find that the naphtha lighter fuel imparts fumes regardless of how they're used. Proponents minimize the fumes by allowing them to burn off after first lighting the lighter and before drawing the flame into the tobacco, much like letting the sulpher burn off a match.

The three other major US non-butane lighter were the Nimrod Pipe Lighter, the Nimrod Commander, and the Beattie Jet Lighter.

Two Nimrod models were eventually manufactured. The Pipe Lighter model was unique in that it looked like a nut and bolt, and was lit by holding a thumb on the spark wheel, and pulling apart the lighter. A second model was the Commander (or Admiral), which resembled the current Zippo pipe lighter.

Butane Lighters

Many thanks to our friends at Kiribi, for their generous underwriting support

The IM Corona Old Boy is perhaps one of the most popular and successful butane pipe lighter. It comes in several attractive case designs. It is extremely dependable and aesthetically pleasing. It uses an older flint and wheel type ignition system. IM Corona makes several other pipe lighters as well. [1]

There are several Old Boy copies to choose from as well, of varying levels of price, and success. Among these are the Jifeng copy of the Corona Old Boy Pewter Finish with Pipe Shapes, the Yibao with Chrome Lines, and the Yibao Leather Wrapped. The Savinelli IM Corona Old Boys are made in Japan, while these copies are manufactured in China by the same company; Wenzou Yibao [2], who also manufacture other well known named brand lighters, such as Colibri. One Old Boy copy is actually not a copy at all, but more Old Boy inspired. It is made by Kiribi in Japan, and distributed by Laudisi.

Dunhill makes excellent pipe lighters.

Colibri makes excellent pipe lighters, including the now discontinued "Clip" lighters made to clip in the shirt pocket like a pen.

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  IM Corona Old Boy in Smooth Briar.

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  An Old Boy inspired Kiribi Kabuto, courtesy, Laudisi Distribution Group

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  Colibri "Clip" pipe lighter, now discontinued

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  IMCO Pipe Lighter

Xikar offers a couple "soft flame" butane pipe lighters suitable for pipe use. This includes the Resource [3] and the Pipeline [4] (an an Old-Boy knock off).

An inexpensive but still refillable butane lighter is the IMCO. Not an elegant lighter, by any means, but a step up from a bic or generic cigarette type lighter and more importantly, one that is designed for use with pipes with an inclined flame.

Pipe Racks, rests, and stands

Photo courtesy of Langston302

Photo courtesy of Langston302

Pipe racks and stands come in many configurations, ranging from simple briar singles to more intricate ashtray models. Here are some examples.

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Pipe racks and stands can attain functional art as well. Here are some contemporary examples that aspire to that very successfully:

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  Courtesy, Two Cousins Pipe Racks

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  Courtesy, Two Cousins Pipe Racks

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  Courtesy, Neil Yarm Pipe Stands

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  Courtesy, Neil Yarm Pipe Stands

Depression era glass Pipe furniture. Often seen as either rests or combination rest/ashtray.

• Courtesy, Fletcher Hiner
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  Houze Glass, Forbes Tray 1928

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  Houze Glass, Forbes Tray 1928

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  Uranium Glass Forbes tray fluorescing

Pipe Retort

An easy way to clean estate pipes involving the use of boiling alcohol delivered via a glass tube attached to the stem with surgical tubing. It does not appear to be a particularly safe thing to do, so caution is warranted. The following YouTube video demonstrates the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-blwz7wKE&feature=related

Tampers

A Classic Czech Pipe Tool, works great and affordable

Pipe tampers are essential. Used for tamping tobacco. Like anything pipe related they range from cheap and functional to works of art.

Photos of several tools courtesy Pete Reiff, Shenandoah Valley Specialty Products

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  Generic Stamped Combination Tool

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  Generic Pipe Nail

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  Kershaw Combination Pipe Tool

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  Generic Plastic Tamp w/internal Pick

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  Generic Plastic Tamp w/scraper handle

Tamper Artisans

Opel Guy Tampers, courtesy Mark Williams

• RCCellarWorks - Exotic woods, hardwoods, inlayed brass and other metals. Rob Carmel, Des Moines, Iowa
• Hammerpilot - different materials
• Ming-Kahuna - different acrylics / others made by Art Ruppelt (retired)
• Ozark Mountain Briars - domestic and exotic woods
• Penguin Briar - briar tipped deer antler
• Pete Reiff
• Pinocchio Pipe - Hand made pipe tamper
• Sandpiper - exotic hardwoods w. silver bases
• The Ram's Horn - pewter casted tampers
• ZapZap Tampers - artisan ivory, bone, hardwoods
• Jack The Piper
• Giulliano Spitaletti

Tobacco Humidor

Tobacco jars allow you to store your tobacco in optimal conditions, to prevent it from drying out. To that end, they all come with a humidifier that, once soaked with water, will release the optimal level of humidity for several days. Taking care of your tobacco is a way to ensure that you'll be able to fully enjoy all its flavors and subtleties. Here you'll find tobacco jars made of wood or ceramic, with different capacities, from small to large...

• See Ben Rapaport's excellent article: Ye Olde Tobacco Box, Jar and Tin. Bygone Pipe Smoker's Accouterments for a historical perspective.

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Curiosities

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  (1) Briar Pipe Dryer

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  (2) Beer mug

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  (3) Avon Bottle

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  (4) Pin

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  (5) Magnets en forme de Pipes de Saint-Claude © La Pipe Rit - www.pipe.fr

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  (6) Tire-Bouchon en forme de Pipe de Saint-Claude © La Pipe Rit - www.pipe.fr

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  (7) Mug décoré avec Pipe de Saint-Claude © La Pipe Rit - www.pipe.fr

1. Electric Briar Pipe Dryer by Blue Mountain Pottery, USA.
2. German beer mug "Pfeifenclub Michelau" (Upper Franconia). In former centuries smoking in private houses was widely forbidden by fire police regulations. This was the origin of many a pipe or smoker's club. More recently many good housewife forbade her husband to smoke at home for the sake of the curtains. Humorously indicated on the mug by a bird escaping from it's cage.
3. Avon after-shave lotion, Germany ca. 1980.
4. Pin "Danish fancy"; origin unknown.
5. 3 fridge magnets "Pipes from St Claude" (1 set of 3 magnets)
6. Made in France, this corkscrew stamped "Saint-Claude" is made from a briar pipe. Like on every corkscrew, it has been equipped with a worm to remove the cork of the bottle. Opening a bottle of wine? A piece of cake!
7. If you love Saint-Claude, the international capital city of pipe making, or if you know someone who smokes the pipe, this beautiful "Saint-Claude" mug is perfect! The latter will indeed allow to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.