The Talbert FdPs, and More

Today's pic shows a couple of new pipes that will probably be shipping to Pipe & Pint. Given the overwhelming positive response for "unfinished" pipes, I've decided to make a few more in future, and here is a nice simple slightly-bent billiard in "naked" mode. However, to differentiate them from my regular production, they will be stamped UF, for Unfinished, and I'll shortly be updating my site's grading notes accordingly. The reason is that I want buyers to know the pipes were meant to be unfinished, by the time any make it to the estate market in thoroughly-fingered, possibly stained and/or discolored condition. We'll see how it goes.

I've finished four Talbert Briars in the Fumeurs de Pipe 2006 shape. I don't know if they will sell or not, but I can always send them over to P&P if they don't sell to the FdP guys. It's entirely likely that they will all be too expensive! I found myself with a strange problem - I could make some basically mediocre, lower grade (more affordable) Talberts to keep the prices down... But then they would seem a more expensive, less impressive option to the standard FdP pipes (which, I think at least, have been turning out to be really nice pipes for the prices). Alternatively, I could go all-out and make the very best Talbert FdPs possible, though that would make them much more expensive. That is what I opted to do, knowing I could always sell them in the US - With the FdP pipes being "special" pipes, I really didn't want to do any low-to-middle grades. So, without further babble, here are the pic links:

Talbert FdP Pipe #1 - SOLD
Talbert FdP Pipe #2 - SOLD
Talbert FdP Pipe #3 - SOLD
Talbert FdP Pipe #4 - SOLD

Note that all prices are quoted in "TTC", which means including EU VAT. Buyers outside the EU get to deduct 20% from each price! (Well, 19.6% to be precise) FdP members interested in one of the pipes should email me, and I will sell them first-come, first-served. I decided to do it this way instead of sending pics by individual emails because so many people had expressed "some" interest, or at least asked to see the pipes as an option.

Here is a size-comparison photo, showing a standard Ligne Bretagne FdP and a Talbert:



They're not as much larger as I had expected, probably only about 30% bigger all around, but with larger, wider chambers. Here is a group photo:



Two have handcut cumberland stems while the other two have stems cut from a swirly, colored acrylic rod. I received this acrylic rod as a gift, and these are my last two stems to cut from it - it is now all gone - so I wanted to use them on something special. Differences between the LB FdPs and the Talberts? Larger bowls, handcut stems, ring-grain blasts, and somewhat different bowl shapes - The Talberts have a pronounced forward curve/lean while the LBs are straight conical bowls.