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PROLOGUE:Some people are passionate pipe collectors.
They
spend serious money on their tobacco pipe hobby. Sometimes over $1000.00 on an artisan pipe. Usually a pipe of that stature
is appreciated as a piece of art as well as craftsmanship. Some people are passionate pipe smokers.
They want a good smoker when out and about and a reliable friend at days end. What's important
is the enjoyment of a favourite blend in a cherished pipe that feels good in the hand - one that perhaps has been a family
heirloom. Such collections may have a lower dollar value but represent an equal investment of time, care and passion.
Some people are both. Whatever your concerns; the shape and style
of the pipe is generally an issue as to why it's a personal favourite or an all-time classic.
And after
all this time, effort and money: How do you display your treasures? How do you display those favourite shapes? Most pipe
racks that hold these treasures show only the inside of bowls and the tops of stems. Where is the shape; where is the style?
If all you want is simple storage, like a filling cabinet, then regular pipe racks will be fine.
If
you want to see what you have - what is different and special about your collection - there are surprisingly few innovative
choices. The Pipe Monolith is my answerDisplay your pipe collection so people can appreciate what all the fuss is about! Turn your collection from a footnote
about yourself, into the centre of an interesting conversation.
For about the cost of one or two good pipes, you can have a display that shares your passion. Rather than forcing
you to justify, it becomes self explanatory.
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Searchlight 14
Group pipes by brand; Dunhills on right, others on left side. |
SPECIFICATIONS:
Each Pipe Monolith is designed by me and made in the USA by a craftsman with over 20 years experience working with acrylic.
Each one is made from high quality cast acrylic plate. Each one is guaranteed to please, or your money back.
-|- The 7 pipe monoliths are approximately 23 inches high by 5 inches deep by 9 inches wide (48.5 x 12.7 x 22.9 cm); if they
are in the upright position, for instance hanging on a wall or standing on a table.
-|- The 14 pipe monoliths are approximately 23 x 8 x 9 (48.5 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm); if they are in the upright position, for instance
hanging on a wall or standing on a table.
-|- The 8 pipe monoliths are approximately 26 x 5 x 9 (66 x 12.7 x 22.9 cm); if they are in the upright position, for instance
hanging on a wall or standing on a table.
-|- The 16 pipe monoliths are approximately 26 x 8 x 9 (66 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm); if they are in the upright position, for instance
hanging on a wall or standing on a table.
-|- They can also be laid down on their back for a lower display which may suit placement on a shelf, for example.
-|- The holes that hold the pipes are lined with rubber that both protects the pipes from any rough edges and gently grips
the pipe in a surprisingly firm grasp.
-|- The holes are just under 1 inch wide (2.6 cm) and a pipe with a bit that wide or smaller, bent or straight, will fit.
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Searchlight 14 laid down.
Group pipes by type. Shown here bulldogs, bents and others. |
Pipe Monolith Pricing & Currently Available Pipe Monoliths are priced according to how many pipes
they can hold. Pricing is not based on the separate designs.
3 Pipe
Monoliths are $140.00
7 Pipe Monoliths are $175.00
8 Pipe Monoliths are $195.00
14
Pipe Monoliths are $220.00
16 Pipe Monoliths are $260.00
All Pipe Monoliths are guaranteed to please. If you receive a Pipe Monolith from
me and are not completely happy with how it functions or looks, please notify me and I'll offer a repair, if it's possible,
or a complete refund if you desire. While they are amazing and you will love how much more pleasure you get from seeing your
collection displayed so well, they are simple structures and there is very little that can go wrong with them. That said I
can guarantee all moving parts and the power source for life!
Below
are Pipe Monoliths that are either extras that I have on hand or variations and proto-types that I'm ready to let go. Some
are priced lower than normal for that reason, although they are just as sturdy and will hold your pipes just as safely as
any current production.
Please email me at souljer[at]mac[dot]com
(or click on "Howdy" at the bottom of the page) if you have any questions or would like to purchase.
While
payment by money order or PayPal is fine, since I only have one or two of each, I'd rather have you make contact first so
that there are no double orders from two people ordering the same piece. Click Images For Larger Pictures.
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Searchlight 7
An early prototype |
This Black/White/Black Searchlight is an early proto-type. It is one of the earliest Pipe Monoliths ever made. It's a
veteran of several shows and has the original engraved labeling on the back.
$145.00 including shipping.
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Director 7
Clean. Classic. Art Deco. |
This Black/White/Black Director is done in the current design. It's a 7 Pipe Monolith perfect for your seven favorites
in rotation or a Seven Day Set you might like to display. A classic display echoing Art Deco themes and perfect as a statement
of class and style. There are two of these currently available (as shown in the photo above) which do match up nicely,
making a substantial wall display or the same can be done on a desk. They can also be set on a table back-to-back for a small
footprint display of 14 pipes.
Something nice about having two separate matching displays is that you can always change things around as your collection
or available space changes by moving one to another room or having one on a wall and one on a desk, for example. It gives
you some more options than a single display.
$175.00 each, including shipping
--OR--
$330.00 for both, including shipping
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| Director 7 With Florecent Orange center panel and Smoke inner panels |
This is an early version of the Director. It has the original central panel in a Smoke color that picks up the Orange
and reflects colors varying from chocolate brown to a deep red at the edges, depending how the light is hitting it. While
it is very interesting it turned out to be too time consuming and too expensive to add the extra colored panel. It also was
a design issue as I changed the central panels to other colors like Green or White or Blue. The current design is a black
front and back with only variations in the central panel, like the Green Director shown on this page.
The central Smoke panel is also wider than it is in the current design since the Smoke panels offer a lot to the colors and
general interest of the display. Also note that it has the original square cornered top. This is how they were before I settled
on the curving top to match the curving side panels of the Director design.
This piece also has a mate so it can also be hung on a wall foot-to-foot for a beautiful and unique display, or laid out on
a desk offering a lower profile while still showing off your proudest fourteen pipes.
Sold as a pair
$310.00 for both, including shipping
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Searchlight 14
This is an early prototype |
This is an early Black/White/Black Searchlight with spaces for 14 pipes. The central Black panels are wider than the
current design.
$200.00 including shipping.
***** SOLD *****
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Searchlight 16
This is the current design |
The Searchlight design is the same for any number of pipes. The side panels are about the same width and height whether
the Pipe Monolith is made for 7, 8, 14, or 16 pipes. This is an intentional choice that allows a modular display that is more
versatile as things change in your collection. The only variations have been the size of the inner panels. This Pipe Monolith
shows the current design with narrower center black panels.
There are two of these available.
One is slightly different from the other because things were still being fine tuned when they were built and I tended to build
several variations with minor detail changes as I settled in on a final version.
These two are almost a match but the black center panels are off by about 1/4 of an inch, one being wider at the base than
the other. The white center panels and outer black panels do match up though.
$260.00 each, including shipping
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Director 8 in Florecent Green
The edge is bright when seen from the sides. |
UNIQUE FEATURES: Powered by Gravity! The design makes gravity your slave and puts
that awesome force to work for you - besides simply holding you on earth.
Bigger and heavier pipes might not be stable or even fit in other pipe racks, but they are not only displayed better
in a Pipe Monolith, their size and weight make them even more secure and stable.
There were several issues I specifically addressed in the
design:
-|- First the pipes had to be at the correct angle for proper storage. Meaning the bowls should naturally
rest a little lower than the stems.
-|- The pipes are displayed clearly and elegantly, similarly
to how they are displayed at nicer pipe shops.
-|- The pipes are easily accessible; There is no fumbling or twisting necessary to get the pipe in or out of a pipe
monolith, no matter how big the pipe is. You simply place it in or lift it out.
-|- Normal sized pipes do not touch each other.
-|- Very large or bent pipes should still be able to be placed in the display so that they do not touch each other.
You can adjust where on the mouthpiece or shank the pipe rests so the most secure and aesthetic fit is possible.
-|- The space that the pipe monolith occupies is not overly large. It should have about the same size footprint as
an average rack.
-|- The pipe monolith itself has, simple, unassuming lines that show the pipes
rather than competing or smothering them and, aesthetics that supports the task of presenting an attractive display.
-|- The pipe monolith gives the collector options as to where and how the display will work in the space available.
The mounting holes are round and because a circle works the same regardless of which "side" is up, the Pipe Monolith offers
unique display choices. They can be laid down or stood up. Each and every Pipe Monolith has a double key-hole carved into
the back. This allows each one to be wall mounted and also wall mounted upside down so they can be paired to make a larger
single display. Pipes are equally secure regardless of positioning.
As I fine tune the designs things are still changing and
each piece is a little different from another. If you want two pieces to match each other so you can pair them up on a table
or wall you should order them both at the same time. This creates a very beautiful and impressive wall display of your pipes
that is only 10 inches wide by 46 inches tall and valuable table space is saved!
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Director 8 in Chameleon
Both Art Deco retro and Modern. Works with all surroundings |
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Director 8 Chameleon
Works with any decor and all pipe finishes |
ABOUT THE PIPE MONOLITH DISPLAY SERIES
It's been over a year of effort and prototypes and re-designs to get to this first alpha stage of development. Not to mention
a lot of my own money having the prototypes built for me.
Once I saw some of the early prototypes I got the idea of the display
plate being a monolithic slab similar to the Stonehenge blocks and the Monolith in the movie "2001 A Space Odyssey". I also
liked the way the definition fit the feeling I was going for; sculptural & architectural and the whole thing, pipes included,
working as a unit. Thus the name. Several friends suggested that I patent the ideas and after discussing things with a patent
attorney, they are now protected by a patent pending.
Looking at the displays now it seems strange that it took me so long to
work out the various details and come to the conclusions you see here, but sometimes the simplest truths are the hardest to
see.
I hope you understand how the Pipe Monolith will not only show your
pipes in a more elegant and respectful way, but how you will get so much more pleasure from your collection as the pipes are
now displayed to be seen and admired, rather than simply put away. Now I don't have to smoke my pipes to enjoy them, and can
appreciate their shape and beauty from a whole new perspective.
Let
me know how it works for you.
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| 14 Pipe Monolith Prototype; Sacramento show 2005 - Two GIANT David Jones pipes. No problems! |
At the Northern California Pipe show in Sacramento, November 2005, I brought two prototypes, a 7 pipe and a
14 pipe display. People seemed down right stunned at times asking things like, "What's that?", "Very pretty, what is it?",
and the classic, point and, "Huh?" Once I placed a few pipes in them as an example, people got the idea.
John Tolle, current president of the North American Society of Pipe Collectors
(NASPC) had these two BIG David Jones pipes at his table. I had never tested my new Pipe Monoliths on any pipe besides my
own rather normal group 4 and 5 sized pipes, and one big Dunhill collector, which I've since sold. So when I saw what Mr.
Tolle had on his table I had to ask if I could give them a try. He kindly allowed me to borrow two of them for a few minutes...
as I paid dues and joined the club! He sort of had a concerned expression at first, I honestly think he was worried that the
GIANT pipes would squash the displays. Although the table legs wobbled a bit the Pipe Monolith had no problems.
As I set the pipes up in the picture, you can see how the
double row can be used to group certain pipes together, if you like. On the front row is the Dunhill Collector above a Dunhill
ODA 835 (gives you a little perspective as to the HUGEOSITY of the David Jones pipes). Below that are my beloved Cherrywoods,
one dating to 1937, and a group 3 Dress Pot. The bottom pipes are two Paul Perri pipes I bought from the man himself, at the
last two Los Angeles pipe shows.
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Director 7 (x2)
Two Directors mounted as a single wall display |
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