Steinhart

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(Story told by Mark Tinsky)

Jack H. Weinberger's brand JHW Pipes developed well, and so Weinberger also hired his nephew Vic Steinhart who lived in the adjoining house. Vic, obviously highly talented, created excellent freehands after a remarkable short while.

He also brought along a number of friends and thus the workshop became a meeting place of further Highschool boys, among them a certain Mitch Kaufman, who was an excellent basket ball player - the star of Caldwell High in 1971. Kaufman didn't care about pipemaking particularly and less about working generally. He just used to hang around, but he attentively watched Steinhart's efforts and achievements.

Kaufman succeeded to persuade Steinhart to start a pipe workshop on their own after graduation from Highschool. He even managed to estrange Weinberger's polisher. The young entrepreneurs called their company SK Pipes and resided in a rented house in the neighbourhood of JHW's. Mark Tinsky really doubts that Kaufman put his hands on one single pipe! Now, this strange venture didn't last for a very long time.

After this overwhelming success Steinhart started his own brand Briar Originals (BOI). But in spite of successful appearances at the RTDA shows BOI remained an episode lasting a few years. About 400 - 500 pipes turned out. Steinhart married at an early age, quit pipemaking and assumed a safer job in a timber store.

Curt Rollar and Mark Tinsky finished the last BOI pipes and with the money raised from selling them they paid for Steinhart`s inventory. This was the start of The American Pipe Company.