Talbert Pipes- Four new Mortas posted

[Trever Talbert]

Hello to everyone on our mailing list!  I'm writing to all five or six 
of you who AREN'T at the Chicago Show this weekend - I hope you're 
having a good time even if you couldn't make this mega-pipe event. 
Emily and I are entertaining her parents, who have flown over here for a 
vacation visit (various travel pics are now making their way to our 
Brittany life blog), so I haven't gotten a great deal of work done this 
past week (mostly just finishing off existing projects).  However, I did 
manage to complete four new mortas.  One of these is a Signature grade 
sandblast, Signature meaning that it is both larger than the typical 
morta pipes (This one is "briar-sized") and fully handmade (in this case 
including a shank band handcut from solid brass rod and a tortoiseshell 
stem).  The fourth of the set is a rather silly piece dubbed "The 
Spoon".  I thought the Moebius Bolus shapes were wonderful and stunning, 
especially #3, but it seems that no one else liked them - But, I find 
the Spoon outrightly goofy so it will probably be a hit! ;)  The pipes 
can be seen at these links:

http://www.talbertpipes.pair.com/mortacatalogsmooth.shtml
http://www.talbertpipes.pair.com/mortacatalogblasts.shtml

I mentioned the Moebius Bolus, and should add that #3 (best shape of the 
lot, in my opinion) is still available here:

http://www.talbertpipes.pair.com/briarcatalogblasts.shtml

I have been blessed to make work that usually sells quickly (and I am 
thankful for this every day!) so it seems odd to have a pipe after a 
whole month.  It's a bit frustrating because at this time of year it's 
impossible to tell whether this is a sign of widespread dislike of the 
design or just the fact that virtually all the high-end buyers on the 
planet are saving their cash for Chicago (or spending it as I type, more 
like).  I plan to write a blog post on trying to interpret the market, 
as soon as I finish this notice, and it will touch on this.  It's 
puzzling, unlike the Mariner's status, here:

http://www.talbertpipes.pair.com/briarcatalogsmooths.shtml

I fully expected this one to never, ever sell - I did it solely for 
myself and as a fun bit of play, and knew going in that it was too weird 
for the majority.  It makes for an interesting bit of gambling, working 
on original shapes, because one never knows what will be a hit or not. 
In any event, it will probably be some time before the next update, as 
Emily's parents are here through next week and after that all new 
projects will be starting from scratch.
Thanks for your time, and I hope everyone has a marvelous weekend!
-- 
Happy Smoking,
Trever Talbert
http://www.talbertpipes.com

Visit my "American Pipemaker in Brittany" blog here:
http://www.talbertpipes.com/potm.html

See my "Pipe Pic of the Day" blog here:
http://www.talbertpipes.com/ppod.html