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 Over 40 years of sculpting in clay…. created just for your enjoyment 

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some other past ceramic sculptures created

Clay pipe making dates back more than 400 years. In 1647, when the burghers of New Amsterdam (now New York City) rebelled against an anti-smoking edict by an uncomprehending governor, their weapon of choice was the clay pipe, a great arsenal of which was puffed furiously by a crowd of indignant smokers on the governor’s very doorstep .

Even with the modern ascendancy of briar, clays have simply refused to go away. We can thus project with some confidence that, after having been used continuously for more than 500 years, it seems likely clays never will go away, especially when one considers the many distinct charms they bring to the pipe smoker’s disposal:

• Clay pipes are as flavor-neutral as any pipe can be, and they are not susceptible to flavor “ghosting.” This can be a key selling point to smokers who take seriously their study of the particular flavor profiles of herb varietals. Such customers will want to own at least one pipe with which they can evaluate the taste of herb in a “pure” state, with no flavor contribution coming from the instrument itself. Meerschaum pipes, and to a lesser extent corncob pipes, also offer finicky pipe smokers a “clean” taste, but they do not approach the near-perfect flavor neutrality that a clay pipe can give.
• There is no “breaking in” period with a clay pipe.
• Clay pipes readily “breathe,” with moisture absorbed into the clay and then evaporated, making for a drier smoke without the issue of gurgle that briar smokers sometimes have to combat.
• Clay pipes are not susceptible to burnout or to damage from hot torch-style lighters.
• Clay pipes are historically traditional smoking instruments, so potential buyers go beyond active smokers to include collectors of historical replicas or kitsch, members of re-enactment societies, and the acting community.
• For the greater part of the existence of pipe smoking, clay was nearly all that was used in the manufacture of pipes. The historicity of clay pipes means they are a must-have item for any pipe collector who wishes to round out his collection with the fullest complement of smoking instruments commonly used over the ages.