BOB KIESS — The Pipe Maker
I have always been fascinated with the briar pipe. When I was a young boy, I remember seeing an old pipe in my grandfather’s desk and on rare occasions I would play with it and noted it had a peculiar taste when I drew on it. In college many professors smoked a pipe and my chemistry professor was no exception. In fact he had a short bent filled with Granger hanging from his mouth at all times and was able to articulate most clearly. I began to smoke a pipe in college and carried the pleasure into medical school. There it seemed it was almost fashionable and many docs, students and professors smoked. A pipe and tobacco pouch were always in my white doctor’s coat and I lit it up almost anywhere in the hospital or medical school. Folks certainly had their heads screwed on straight in those days!
For different reasons I quit for a long time but rekindled my interest and purchased a few pipes back in the 1990s. I also read a copy of Pipe & Tobacco and saw an advertisement for PIMO Pipe Company and immediately was taken with the idea of making a pipe. I ordered a predrilled block and set about making my first pipe and it was not pretty!
When I called Jenny Baier to ask some questions, she suggested I take Al’s course, which I did, and that launched me into pipemaking. Al was a good teacher and a great guy and he is missed. Shortly thereafter I went to a New York pipe show, met some guys from the Sherlock Holmes Pipe Club from Boston, joined the club and began a wonderful journey of fellowship and learning so much about quality pipes and tobacco. They suggested I spend some time with J.M. Boswell and he graciously took me on. J.M. was a great teacher and really gave of his time and talents and was always available to answer my many questions. It was fun to be around him as he had such a passion for the craft. J.M. continues to provide scores of good smoking pipes to so many people and I am indebted to him for his mentoring.
While attending a New York show, I was fortunate enough to have my table next to Rolando Negoita. I admired his silver work and he invited me over to his shop for some pointers. He was able to teach me so much about silver work, and thus I am indebted to him in adding another dimension to my pipe making.
Two other men were also extremely helpful in teaching me more about the crafting of a pipe. Paul Bonaquisti and Lee Erck helped in refining some of my skills and they are great guys and very talented craftsman and gave freely of their time and knowledge.
I am actively practicing family medicine in Vermont and live in paradise. I craft pipes as a hobby and have an intense passion for creating fine briar pipes. I use both Grecian and Italian briar. I do plan on full time pipe making as I gradually cut back my medical practice. I am happily married (forty years) and have 5 great kids and several grandkids. I love to trout fish, ski, snowshoe, and hike in the Vermont mountains.