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slowroll

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:53 am
by slowroll
Hello everyone, I've been lurking and perusing for some time; this is certainly and informative group with lots of experience and damn usefull info to impart.

Real name: Steve Stas
Age: 71, officially a card carrying geezer
Location: N. East PA, about 20 miles north of scranton, on an undisclosed airstrip in the woods
Years a pipe smoker: on and off, 50 years, constantly again for about a year, afflicted with PAD, TAD, smoke between 3 - 6 bowls a day. PIpes and Cigars good promotional efforts got me back into pipe smoking when I got one their catalogs and said to myself, "holy crap, there's more kinds of pipe tobacco than ever before, maybe I can find a replacement for my lamented Balkan Sobranie." I did, and thence started the TAD spiral, followed by PAD.
How you got into pipe making: After repairing scores of pipes fo myself and others, seemed a good way to feed PAD

Other interesting facts: Many years (35) restoring airplanes and other machinery and the odd piano, I thought reparing and now perhaps making pipes would another good use for my machine shop. As an an aside for the curious, I chose my screen name for my favorite activity--doing slowrolls in a vintage biplane. My other passions are shooting and reloading ammo and a little piano abuse.

Looking forward to bashing some briar, and reading more good stuff here. Cheers all.

Re: slowroll

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 1:49 pm
by sandahlpipe
Welcome to the forum!

I lived for a year of my childhood in Peckville.

Hope you find what you're looking for on the forum!

Re: slowroll

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:30 pm
by DocAitch
Welcome.
I just turned 72 myself. I was a pipe maker in the 1970s and just restarted less than 2 years ago.
Pipe making has changed considerably in the 40 years since I last did it, and those changes will make those machining skills of yours valuable. There is a wealth of information on this forum, and putting your pipes in the Gallery is an extremely valuable exercise ( and also frequently a lesson in humility).
I also shoot and reload but have been doing much less of that since I got into pipe making full time. I don't even eat when I am in my "shop" ( a car port with tarps hung over the sides), and have lost nearly 40 lbs since retirement. Pipe making is that absorbing.
At nearly 2 years out, I am beginning to make pipes which I think are OK, and everything I've learned in this century is either from this forum or from established pipe makers that I've met through this forum.
Buy the materials and jump in. Research your questions on this site and don't be afraid to ask questions.
DocAitch

Re: slowroll

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 4:51 pm
by slowroll
Jeremiah, how coincidental. Peckville 12-ish miles down thr road. Thanks for the encouragerment.

Doc, Thank you also for the encouragement. I have already found a good deal of very useful info by perusing the sie, very good stuff. i've bought some briar, and am starting to hog it out. Biggest difference from my prior machine work (and current, just had to repair my big mower, machining a 4 foot bar of 4140 steel) is remembering the delicacy of briar. BTW, in the avatar I see in another forum, is that a Huey rotor blade in the background?

Re: slowroll

Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:27 am
by DocAitch
Black Hawk. I was a member of the Maryland Defense Force (state level Title 32 militia) and we were unloading Lead Fred on a litter during an exercise with the Army Guard.
DocAitch

Re: slowroll

Posted: Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:29 am
by slowroll
DocAitch wrote:Black Hawk. I was a member of the Maryland Defense Force (state level Title 32 militia) and we were unloading Lead Fred on a litter during an exercise with the Army Guard.
DocAitch
Ok. I was in the military so long ago every big chopper looks like a Huey to me. :wink:

Re: slowroll

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:27 am
by DocAitch
I was in 1963-1967. Never touched an M16, never rode in a helicopter, didn't go to Vietnam. I was 70 before I got my 1st helicopter ride in a BlackHawk.
DocAitch

Re: slowroll

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 10:48 am
by slowroll
You were fortunate. I was in the USMC from 65 -69. Did spend some time in a helicopter, M14 was our sholder weapon at the time. :takethat: