| July 4, 2008, 3:23 pm |
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Monday March 14, 2008 You know, I often quip that "I'm too busy doing things to write about them" when someone points out that this page hasn't been updated in a while. Logically, I see the problem - if the site stays static for a long while, people will think of it as "stale". If nothing new gets posted, I must not be around doing the pipe thing. However, knowing this often isn't enough impetus to get me to actually write something once in a while. Today I found myself with some time, and decided to update the site with a few things - and apparently write the first news posting in almost exactly two years! Over in the Cityman section you'll find five new pipes, two of which are already sold. The two rhodesians were made for two different customers right around the same time. It's funny how the world works out sometimes. There's also a Lovat that happens to be the first true lovat I've made, as well as a Bulldog with a very interesting grain. The last new pipe is an Acorn and knife set. I've been dabbling in knife making for a couple years now, and have recently reached a point where I'm comfortable selling my knives to the general public. The knife paired with the acorn is the first such knife I'm offering, so I decided to offer it as a set in order to break the ice a little. In other news, I'm considering implementing an RSS feed for this news page, and setting up a "blog" page. Anyone that knows me can tell you how much I detest the word "blog", but it appears it's here to stay. That said, he who doesn't adapt is left behind, so I'll put that 4 year old Blogger account to use, and start posting something on a regular basis. Friday March 24, 2006 I've had quite a few folks ask me to set up a mailing list so that they can be alerted when I update the site with new pipes. For a while there I was just creating an email and sending it to a bunch of people. That had it's drawbacks - like forgetting to add someone to the email, and then having them miss out on a pipe they really wanted. So, to fix that, I setup Mailman on this server so that I could have a real mailing list, and people can update their accounts if they change email addresses and stuff. Join the list by clicking here. As a member of the list, you'll get advanced notice of new pipes - typically a few days before they're placed on the website. Monday November 28, 2005 Again, another long break in posts. I'm hoping to make time to post more, as well as update the galleries with current work, in the coming weeks. The notable news is that I'm changing my phone number to a Rhode Island exchange. I'm dumping the number I got while living in Ohio, and getting a new phone as well. Because of that, I've been rather lax about checking voice mail on the old phone lately - or even charging the batteries. If you left me a voice mail recently, the best way to contact me is to email me or use my contact form. I'll update my contact info once I have the new number, probably some time this week. Tuesday September 6, 2005 I guess it's been a while since I posted a news item, eh? Lots of cool stuff is happening so this will be a lengthy post, as news blurbs go. The biggest news is the auction I'm running for relief for hurricane Katrina victims. You can view the page detailing the auction by clicking here . I've developed a style of snadblasting that I'm very happy with. I recieved a great deal of suggestions and help from other pipe makers in coming up with the look that I wanted, and I am endebted to them for that help. My hat is off to Trever Talbert, Todd Johnson, and Jack Howell - many thanks. In the spirit of other pipe makers, I'm introducing a holiday pipe this year to coincide with Octoberfest. It will be based on a shape that I created for myself in order to test sandblasting when I first started out playing with that finish. I call it "The Tankard" and it's a poker-ish shape with a slightly curved stem, and a flat bottom so that it sits securely. In keeping with the first of it's kind, it will be available in sandblast only - the better to take with you to the biergarten and not worry about spoiling the finish. Future years may see other finishes, but that depends on demand. A Christmas pipe? Maybe. I'll have to see how busy life gets around the holidays and how many other orders I have to fill. I'm seriously considering it though, and an apple shape is topping my list of possibilities. If you have a shape that you'd like to see, let me know. Lastly, I've got a confirmed table at the 2006 Chicago pipe show. This is very exciting for me, as I've never been to a show that large. It's also right around the anniversary of my marriage to my lovely wife Karin, and marking 10 years of wedded bliss. Needless to say, we intend to make quite an event of the weekend. Wednesday June 29, 2005 I've been playing a lot with sandblasting, and am getting some results that I'm very happy with. In the coming months, expect to see sandblasted pipes added to the Cityman line. The plan is to offer both partially and fully sandblasted finishes in the Cityman line, and add any partially rusticated pipes to the Countryman line, increaing the numbers of pipes available there. I'm trying to keep the Nobleman line as a strictly smooth finish, so I don't think I'll be adding any sandblasts there. That may change, however, if I get particularly good at blasting.... Sunday June 19, 2005 The biggest news right now is the redesign of this website. I got tired of the ho-hum colors, the restriction of using a CMS that doesn't do what I want it to, and the hassle that I have to endure in order to update anything. So, I re-wrote the entire site myself, created templates and everything else I needed, and now I *finally* have a site that does *exactly* what *I* want it to do. |