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Nate King

@natekingpipes

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Artist. Former aircraft and IndyCar mechanic. Any questions about my pipes, contact me! [email protected]
www.natekingpipes.com

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A pipe a latte and more early morning borrowed lens peeping!

A part of loving the combination of briar and tobacco, is the sharing of how the collector “sees” their pipe.

How they wish or hope to convey those feelings towards a particular piece. How it makes them feel, or to express the passion for a shape or aesthetic.

Pipes are created and born with one singular function to their lives, to be smoked! And through that function, induce a pleasure to the smoker.

As some hobbies can be rolled and bundled, I’m finding photography to be a very big part of it for me. Capturing the first moment a pipe begins to speak, or to convey how much love it’s been given. And in turn how much joy it brings or brought.

Aesthetics are as much or even more subjective as the flavors of a tobacco. As not every blend is for every smoker, not every pipe is for every collector. But when the perfect combination the “trifecta” if you will, of pipe, tobacco & collector comes together. It’s a truly beautiful thing.

Always be open to new shapes, finishes and conceptual design… always be open to try some new blend…

And always be learning!

So as this is my last day at the @vegaspipeshow if we haven’t met, find me, show me what you’ve acquired at the show, or tell me what you hope to find at the next show.

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#igpc #lasvegaspipeshow2026 #instagrampipecommunity #vegas #goodtimes

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One last quick post before packing up and heading off to Las Vegas for the 2026 LVIPS. I love this show. It’s got an energy, a vibe that always inspires me. It’s another wonderful opportunity to spend a few days catching up with old friends, making new ones, sharing our mutual passion, having wonderful conversations, and more than likely will find some of us doing impersonations of Christopher Walken over late night In-n-Out burgers. I can hardly wait!

All of our pipes tell a story, but sometimes, those stories are extra special. When Nate and I were in France in 2024 for our induction into the Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de Saint-Claude, he and Bruno conspired. Somehow, behind my back, they managed to collaborate on a pair of beautiful pipes. They presented them to me, housed in a fitted custom box in Vegas that year.

This is one of them. It’s a beautiful pipe, of course, but it embodies something that makes it even more so to me. It reminds me of one of the most memorable experiences in my journey with pipes and tobacco, of two beloved friends I would never have known if not for this crazy pastime we share. It seemed apropos this morning to have a bowl in it, a little prequel to seeing them again.

The pipe brings people together from all walks (Walkens?) of life, a wide diversity of backgrounds, of beliefs, of political views. We talk, we share our thoughts, our perspectives, and even in our disagreements, we almost always find our humanity and part as friends. I’ve said many times that if more people smoked a pipe, the world would probably be a more gentle place, and pipe shows have always been a microcosmic example of that for me. With all that’s going on in the world right now, I really need a dose of that.

Just a few hours now. Yeah, baby. Viva Las Vegas. I can hardly wait!

#igpc #instagrampipecommunity #pipecommunity #pipestories

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Ok… I’ve got it to a mathematical science now.
Slope-Intercept Form (Linear Equation):
y=mx + b (where mx is the slope and b is the y-intercept) in layman’s terms. 7 days=7 pipes!

But, this is far better than I imagined myself packing for a pipe show, let alone a pipe show + Orlando afterwards.

Included are my go to pipes always in my bag, some daily ones I keep on the den table, and one that’s just been performing so well, I don’t want to halt it’s break in process while away.

The same for my choices of tobacco. Blends I can’t be without, and blends I know others would appreciate on the table.

All neatly packed away… now to choose my cigars…

Unfortunately they’ll be just not enough room for even a single pipe cleaner! :-)

So, my math works… for me.. what are you packing?

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#igpc #instagrampipecommunity #vegas #lvips2026 #travel

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Virginia, Latakia, Orientals & Cigar leaf.

The same… but different. I don’t think I’ll ever really come to a conclusion as to which I enjoy more. Although I lean to be reaching for Robusto more, and smoking more of it than the Key Largo, I cannot definitively say I like one more than the other.

In a recent/not so recent post I explained how and why I enjoy each at certain times for their own merits. Since then as a game, I reversed when I have each of them to see if it was a time of day indulgence for one than the other. It didn’t help! It did allow me to smoke more of them and yet enjoy each as much as the other as I did when enjoying its counterpart.

The components are the same, there are slight differences in their measurements of each.. and although Key Largo is broken a flake… as you can see the “ribbons” of the Robusto are not so far off. Now that could be tin management during transport affecting the KL, where when it’s produced it is in fact pressed. Whereas the Robusto is not.

I find Robusto to be more full flavored, whereas KL is a bit more refined and complex. Not that Robusto doesn’t have a complexity of character but they carry themselves differently.

These two tins by the way, both 2024 and only 2 months apart.

The real question is (and you should all know the answer)… Do I need to like one over the other.. NO!

My @natekingpipes single knuckle bamboo prince, happens smoke wonderfully with either one… it’s non discriminatory, let’s say.

However… the piquant tin note of Robusto, is very intoxicating.

So … which do you prefer? More importantly why?

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#monochromepipemonday #igpc #monochrome #images #tobacco

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Apparently this new camera has gotten me in the mood to pull out some of my @natekingpipes. This time with a showing of last year's Pease-King collaboration piece. It was the first in my collection to be of the Bulldog family of pipes, and continues to remain so today. Which means nothing more than perhaps I should consider acquiring another!

Pipe shapes, artistry, where they come from and what inspired them to be are all really interesting questions to ponder. As someone who is attempting to learn more about pipe makers in particular, I just find it fascinating to scroll through the various online retailers, read bios, and take a gander at past work. At the very least, it's an informative practice.

Last week I was able to chat with my buddy Josh on @beyondtheburl about this very topic. It was a fun discussion, and hopefully provided some good food for thought. What questions do you ponder - what about the pipe keeps you up at night?

#monochromepipemonday #timberandsmokemag #pipemagazine #pipesmokingcommunity #smokingpipe

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Show me your worn out but lived tool of the trade!

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#pipesmoking #tobacco #igpc #fellowship #pipetobacco

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Grain time! What a beautifully highly defined and detailed grain. @natekingpipes

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When a non pipe smoker thinks of a pipe .. I have to believe they conjure memories of Norman Rockwell paintings with billiards or bings .. maybe older covers of Sports Afield with saddlebit bulldogs clenched while wading in a river .. (my personal favorite images)

But what they never could have imagined are the shapes we have today.. yes some crazy and outlandish others so basic and elegant.. and somewhere in between are the shapes that makers create that one day I have to believe will fall in line with what is known as a normal pipe.

I began writing this with @natekingpipes “comet” in mind, but while smoking it, holding it and feeling its curves. I was also reminded of Nate’s “apostrophe” let’s just say my fingers did the talking!

Some claim I have too many pipes in my collection, compared to others, maybe… and to others collections… I’m still just a baby and beginner. I do however am well aware of every piece I have, and often am reminded of a specific one while smoking another.

Ironically, these two seem to actually fit together, like cousins. They’re kinda the same, but different.

Forward thinking, innovation, a newness! When it comes to pipes, I have to believe… NO! I know it’s because of the makers today that have the kahonas to jump outside the “norm” not just there own boxes but what’s perceived by the masses as to what a pipe should be, and instead what a pipe could be. That’s welcomed more younger or older pipe smokers, collectors and new makers to the community.

So, just a simple and humble thank you, to the pipe makers, that excite me, draw me in with their sculptures and provide me with the undisputed proof, that this hobby or lifestyle will outlive all of us.

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#igpc #fresh #new #instagrampipecommunity #art

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A dear friend made this beautiful leather snap-up tray for me. I know it’s meant to be a tobacco tray, but it’s so cool that I might find a different use for it. He was inspired by the artwork and colors on the Metropolis label. I not only think the piece is ace, it also makes me happy to think that I have friends who do stuff like this.

The pipe is from Nate, another friend who does cool stuff. The goblet in the background? Another friend, sadly gone. I love drinking water from it, remembering many wonderful days at the old Renaissance Faire when it was at Black Point Forest.

The tamper? A repurposed titanium valve from a racing engine; a thoughtful gift from a friend who got it from Zach over at @pistonsandpipes.

“Stuff” in our lives is too often ephemeral, disposable, bought on a whim, used for a while, and ultimately ending up in a jumble sale to repeat the cycle, or in a rubbish dump. I love durable things that will last a lifetime - if treated with just a little care.

I shot the pictures with the wonderful newish Voigtländer 40mm/1.2 Nokton. I almost feel that it should be in the photo. It’s made of metal and glass, built to last, just like many of the old vintage lenses in my collection that I still enjoy using.

There was a time, decades ago, when many pipes were treated almost as disposable things. They were often bought, smoked to death, and replaced. I’m proud to be part of a community that treats these little briar sculptures with the honor and respect they deserve as objects of art that will outlast all of us - if treated with just a little care.

#igpc #instagrampipecommunity #pipecommunity #pipestories

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#artisan #cat #smoking #smoke #pipesmoking

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