read my lips:

This morning I was scratching my head over a technical problem and took a minute to google the alt.smokers.pipes group. It seems that people have the wrong impression:


mark tinsky wrote "If one was to be a pipe carver or in any type of business I think you d find that to be succesful you d have to make what your customers wanted. All else is pretty much is secondary. I think Random is a good example of someone who did exactly as he wanted."

Thank you, Mark. I do what you said, exactly as I want. But I am not a one man pipe factory grinding out whatever turns up then sorting and grading it, I'm just a one pipe at a time carver. I don't have deals with retailers who buy my pipes at wholesale and jack the prices up. I try to keep it simple. I make what I want to make, I offer it, if it's what a customer wants they can buy it. Easy-peasey.


Nick wrote "Where's Random when you need him??"

I'm right here buddy, busier than a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest, but right here.


Yoseph wrote "...not random and not the countless others you have insulted and driven away..."

JtN is a guy with an attitude. I pissed him off way early. Maybe someday I'll post his initial email attack against me and my response to it. I don't have time for the guy. I don't have time for much of anything these days. One day I'll have something to thank Jim and google for, a self-moderating discussion group where people can 'vote' and whack jerks like JtN.


Bigiron wrote "Random's stems were "Ultem" and unbreakable? That sounds remarkable. Amazing that the pipe world has lost him."

No pipe stem is unbreakable. The ultem stems I made are difficult to break. The more recent polycarbonate stems I've made are even harder to break. The pipe world only wishes it had 'lost' me. <g>.


It's going to be months more before I get back to making pipes. I owe a couple to folks. I could use a couple more myself. And dang it, I enjoy making the things.