Perry White Panel Freehand Straight Grain and the FIRST RPS ever made
The grading and pricing chart has been revised and grading has been simplified. A new upgrade has been added and there will now be Magnum size Perry White Pipes. SEE more information BELOW. A grade is smooth and B grade has blast or rustication.
Perry White Egg in Saucer
Pipemaker's Mission Statement I am a devoted lover of the pipe. Yes, I admit it. I am lost forever in the swirls of fragrant and taste tempting smoke; the feel of a warm bowl in hand; the bowl smooth to the touch or rugged to the senses; grain which never ceases to catch the eye or rustication or sandblast intricately forced on the palette of briar which was drawn by the inspiration of Nature to the briar's growth. As I go through the actual making of the pipe, once the shape has taken form in my mind as directed by the briar, and I have "relaxed" in the process of bringing that unique shape from the briar, I think about "who will the owner be?" I wonder if the owner will spend as much time as I pondering his pipe? Will his eye be as pleased as mine, when he sits to enjoy this pipe? It is the thought of the pipe's owner, looking at and forming a "relationship" with that pipe, which will last for years, or perhaps a life time or several life times, that supervises my care in it's making and in the finishing of the pipe. After all, it is thought and relaxation, touch, feel, smell, the look all the senses, which are so important to our enjoyment - are they not? With these things in mind, I go forward in an enjoyment which most often totally consumes me. Pipemaking is a passion for me. Hell, pipes are a passion for me. From the beginning of this addiction I made a commitment to continue the Ethics and Integrity I have personally experienced in relationships with pipesmokers the World over, and incorporate it into my pipe making trade. Every pipe which comes from my shop is Made By Hand. Each is a unique piece; no two are alike. When you purchase a hand made-pipe, some have said, you own a piece of art. Personally, I believe this and always have and that would make a pipemaker the "artisan". I believe each piece of briar holds a pipe which can be appreciated by a pipe smoker. It is the job of the Artisan to find it in the briar. I believe It is "the briar and not the brand" that makes the smoke. It is the person who cures the briar and who smokes the pipe and cleans and cares for it who can effect it, good or bad. All briar eventually smokes like... briar. I endeavor to find the most visually complimentary pipe possible in each piece of briar I work and craft. I strive to make a well engineered, properly formed smoking pipe. I wish for the new owner of each pipe I make, to enjoy it and savor it's pleasure for many years and even pass it to their next generation. It is my commitment from the beginning, to provide a pipe smoker/collector with a high quality pipe at a price which is reasonable and attainable for most everyone. To provide the Highest quality for the Best price available and then ask you, the customer, to compare for your best value. I feel every pipe smoker should be able to obtain, own and enjoy a quality pipe, American Made, Hand Made, and well engineered pipe for a price which is more than reasonable for the quality provided. To this end, I continue my joy in carving smoking pipes. Inspiration My inspiration for Perry White pipes comes from my love of the outdoors, the beauty in the tropical scenes of Florida and my love for artful "traditional" shapes... my shop is located on the edge of a river bank with views from the windows of tropical and jungle foliage, birds like cranes, anahingas and ospreys and yes, even jumping fish, tarpon and snook. I have always been a person who loves the outdoors. For many years I was an avid hunter and a fisherman. I hunted game birds with my dogs, ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse, quail, chukar and partridge. My bird hunting days were years ago when I still lived in Minnesota. I was also an avid big Game Hunter. I have hunted Moose in Manitoba just south of Churchill and the the Artic Circle. I have hunted White Tail, Antelope and Mule Deer in the mountains of Montana. I hunted Elk as I traversed over 100 miles into the Bitter Root/Selway Wilderness Area, Mountainous terrain of Idaho on horseback and a mule pack train. I have fished throughout Canada and into Alaska. All wonderful experiences which I feel influence the artistry of the pipes I carve.
Engineering the "White Ring" to be your Conductor of a great smoke... Let's talk specifics in workmanship. First let's
establish this; natural blemishes which are usually grains of sand,
usually smaller than a pen point and most small as a pin point and most
often are indistinguishable, especially after the pipe has been
stained. Blemishes are not flaws, they are usually made naturally from
the briar surrounding a piece of sand as the briar grew and some can be
seen with the naked eye. A flaw could happen the same way but would be
a small pocket of sand, thereby making a larger mark on the briar.
Blemishes and flaws are hidden by a pipemaker through rustication,
staining, and sand blasting. Personally, I will not sell a pipe which
has a flaw which has to be filled or if the flaw is detrimental to the
"engineering" of the pipe. I smoke them myself or toss them away. Very few blocks of quaility briar have flaws which require such a fill.
Perry White pipes are all cut from some of the best briar root
available which has been air cured for at least two years and as much
as fifty plus years with some pieces I have acquired. The theory is,
the longer the briar has cured or air dried, the better the smoke from
the pipe.
In order to promote faster and more effective caking in a Perry White pipe, first the inner bowl is finished to a texture which itself promotes better caking to protect the inside of the bowl during break in and to encourage caking. Each Perry White pipe after it is carved and before
finish, is put through an additional proprietary curing process which
promotes the pipes individual flavor and coolness of the smoke itself.
You will enjoy the smoking pleasure.
Parts of the Perry White pipe you cannot see like the inner draft holes in the shank and in the bit itself are not only drilled to precise "open" specifications, but additionally are reamed to the same specifications, leaving the inside air passage ways smooth and clean. Reaming these drill points promotes a smoother and more easy draw and ability to clean the draft way. One of my pet peeves over the years is not being able to get a pipe cleaner easily through, or not through at all, a pipe. So my pledge to you is no Perry White pipe goes out of the shop into which you cannot slide a pipe cleaner through with ease, to the bottom entry of the draft hole into the center bowl bottom, even if the cleaner is a fluffy tapered cut.
Most Perry White pipes are fitted with delrin tenons. Delrin tenons are more flexible and allow more easy manipulation of the bit to the pipe. Always rotate the bit in one direction as it is taken off or replaced, think of it as you would a screw and turn it to the right to take it off or to put it back on. Further, the tenon in most Perry White pipes being 1/4 inch in diameter allows for the shank of the pipe to be thicker, allowing less chance for breaking or cracking a shank, through use.
Tobacco holes in Perry White pipes are drilled using the finest drill bits hand ground and machined by one of the best tool and die makers in the country to exact specifications for both English and Taper shape bowls. Additionally, the Perry White pipe comes with a one year guarantee against bowl burn out a guarantee you receive with the pipe you purchase.
Decorative bit extensions are applied to some Perry White pipes. When a pipe is fitted with an extension bit the extension material itself is lined with delrin where the draft hole passes through the extension material and the extension material is attached to the bit, not the briar. Different materials expand and contract differently than each other, including briar, this is why extensions are fitted to the bit and not the pipe itself. Additionally, the delrin fitted to the inside of the exotic extension material protects it from expansion/contraction and any natural oils or juices produced from the smoking of the pipe. Wood used for extensions currently include: tesota, redwood, bloodwood, and Florida Native lignum vitae, mahogany nut shell and palm wood and from time to time several others.
What about the "WHITE RING" found on every Perry White pipe? Well, it is exactly that, the "White Ring"... the ring is cut from faux Ivory and is a part of the hand fashioned bit of every Perry White pipe made, the white ring is your identification it is a Perry White pipe. Tradition.
Awesome Tall Billiard Blast with Gold Nugget Bit Extension
Grading and Nomenclature of a Perry White Pipe
Current Briar Sources G = Greek briar aged at this point in time 12-14 years PT = is Algerian briar aged 18 to 25 years/SOLD OUT M = is Italian briar aged a minimum 5 to 8 years KL, RD, TE = briar aged at this point in time 6 to 8 years/SOLD OUT JV = Red Algerian briar aged 60+ years (I personally know the history on this lot of briar) This briar is in limited supply, and for this reason consider your purchase of a pipe you find you like when they are offered. Also, because the briar is limited there maybe a small premium attached to the price of some, not all, pipes made with JV Briar. If you would like to know more about this briar please contact me, I will be happy to talk with you about it. The briar is not for sale, only the finished pipe from the briar is... when available. The characteristics of this briar are the red coloring, light weight, and the cool and dry smoking qualities.
A1 thru A3 3 being the best grade An A is all smooth finished. Grading is also
to grain display and amount of straight, flame, burl or birdseye grain and
size and shape of the pipe. B1 thru B3 3 being the best grade B
grading is either blasted or a rusticated pipe.
Grading is also to grain display and amount of straight or ring grain grain and size
and shape of the pipe. PWP= designates a Perry White Poker XL XL grading means an Extra Large pipe
M = Magnum and would be added to the XL grading. (example MXXL)
RPS Grade= pricing as to pipemakers opinion of grain, size, and shape and application of the pipe the shape, design, size or grain or combinations of these may be better
than standards for any of the other grades. The well known pipemakers of the World established their own "Ultra High Grades". A pipe in one of these
categories comes only once in a very small window of time, using only
the finest briar and only when all of the "Standards" come together as
one, in other words... it is very Rare. This rarity would be such as
Perry White grading of an A3. I have decided to add a grade to my pipes. This grading will be RPS...
which are my initials. The grade will designate " in the pipemakers
opinion " all the perfections have come together, shape, finish, design,
size, grain in a unique and superb way. A mark of "Tradition" perhaps,
as you find in my family ancestry derived in Scotland. My initials are
given in part from my "Grandfathers name". My full name is Robert Perry
Swanson (please call me Bob) the Perry comes from my
Grandfather, Perry White. So, there may be some pipes, from Perry
White, most probably very few, which will carry this special RPS grade.
