Category: About

I can hardly think of my (circa 2009-ish) hiatus from pipemaking as actually being away from the art completely. There was never a day that I didn’t think about pipes in one way or another. Pipemaking had been permanently ingrained in my soul.

Throughout that time, I had plenty of time to think about new techniques and processes to bring to the art of pipemaking. It is quite difficult to develop a new style that is unique, attractive, versatile, has a broad range of appeal, and has never been seen before in the pipe community. But there are rare instances, just when you think that everything that can be done to a pipe has already been tried, that an innovative new style shows up to raise the pipemaking bar once again. This is that innovation.

I present for your consideration, the Suede Blast finish. A blast so deep, fine and detailed, bold and dramatic, but smooth and pleasing, rustic yet refined…

The Cannoy suede blast is a unique evolution of the traditional sand blasting process that further defines the natural grain of the briar.  The result of this new process is an elegant texture reminiscent of a suede look, and quite pleasing to the touch. The texture literally shimmers in the light with ever-changing directional highlights, reflecting light much like fine velvet.

Although the appearance can be compared to many frail and delicate fineries, have no doubt that it is a rugged finish with no need for special handling or treatment.

The Suede Blasting process is, of course, a closely guarded secret. The mechanics of the process are nearly identical to traditional sandblasting, but equipment, media, and methods are vastly different. Additionally, the process involves much more time than traditional sandblasting. A small billiard, for example, can take up to eight hours of blasting to achieve this result.

Look for the Cannoy Suede Blast pipes to be available beginning in 2013, but in the mean time, click on these photos for a closer look!

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The Cardinal House Pipes “Hollingsworth” series of pipes are smooth pipes in various shapes with hand cut stems and adornments such as bamboo shanks or accent bands.

Located near the geographical center of Lakeland is Lake Hollingsworth, a 350 acre lake known for its speed boat regattas, 5k endurance events, water skiing, and bird watching. The lake shore is constantly populated by walkers, joggers, and cyclists along the 2.7 mile path around the lake. Florida Southern College is located on the north side of the lake, and from the path, an observer can see several of the buildings on campus designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Cardinal House Pipes “Langford” series of pipes are smooth pipes in various shapes with hand cut stems.

The promenade on Lake Mirror was conceived and built in the 1920’s amid a state of collapse of Florida’s economy. In 1930, it appeared in National Geographic Magazine’s January issue. In 1946, the city of Lakeland dedicated the promenade to Lakeland native Frances Langford for her work with the United Service Organizations and her music and acting career. By the 1970’s, the promenade was deteriorating along with much of downtown Lakeland’s landmark architecture, and the Frances Langford dedication was largely forgotten. The past few decades have seen a revival in the rich history and culture of downtown Lakeland, and the restoration of much of the architecture, including the promenade. In 2013, the city re-dedicated the Frances Langford promenade and installed a new marker.

The Cardinal House Pipes “Morton” series of pipes are rusticated pipes in various shapes with hand cut stems and adornments such as bamboo shanks or accent bands, or partially rusticated and partially smooth pipes.

Surrounded by boom town bungalow historic districts, Lakeland’s picturesque Lake Morton is home to the main branch public library, the Polk Museum of Art, the 1926 vintage Park Trammell building, and the 1927 Sorosis building. Well over a century ago, the shores of Lake Morton were host to regiment camps of Spanish-American War soldiers. Today, the lake is home to over two-hundred exotic birds, including over seventy Mute Swans of royal lineage!

The Cardinal House Pipes “Munn” series of pipes are rusticated pipes in various shapes with hand cut stems.

Munn Park is an oasis of green in downtown Lakeland, where people can spend a quiet moment amidst the trees and flowers. It has been a part of the city’s landscape since before there was officially a City of Lakeland. Abraham Munn, after whom the park was eventually named, was a Louisville, Kentucky businessman, who in 1882 purchased 80 acres of Polk County land sight unseen. Those 80 acres were to become the heart of Lakeland. And the heart of those 80 acres was to become Munn Park

Fine Briar Pipes Since 1999

Thank you for taking an interest in my pipes. Here is some general information about the standards and craftsmanship of Cannoy Signature and Cardinal House pipes:

The Cannoy Signature series are my high-grade line of handmade pipes. They represent the best of my abilities in quality, artistry, fit and finish combined. Cardinal House pipes, while still completely handmade, are my “production” line of pipes.

I use briar from a couple of different regions. Briar from one source might be more suitable for highly detailed sandblasts, while briar from another source tends to yield more well grained smooth pipes. Some of my briar is ordered in bulk, while some is hand picked by myself from the cutter. Wherever the origin, all of my briar undergoes a thorough and quite effective curing process including aging of the wood before it is worked, and special processes during the creation of the pipe to help remove and neutralize any excess tannins, acids, and resins that might be left in the briar.

I tend to work on only one pipe at a time, from start to finish, to ensure that each pipe commands my full attention. There have been exceptions to this practice, but only in rare occasions. Each pipe is unique in shape and dimensions. Even the standard shaped pipes that I make are unique, as I do not use templates or predetermined sizes in the creation of the pipe. Each pipe is shaped entirely by hand and measured and proportioned only by my eyes. This is a one-man process. Every step involved in the crafting of both Cannoy Signature and Cardinal House pipes is done solely by me.

Most of my tobacco chambers are tapered toward the bottom. This is sometimes referred to as a conical bowl. In the rare instance that I should  use a more rounded bottom, this will be noted in the description. The tobacco chambers are hand sanded to minimize the risk of burn out due to rough edges inside the bowl.

The smoke hole of a Cannoy pipe is quite open from the bottom of the tobacco chamber to the end of the stem. The end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise is funneled using special tools to ensure a dry, full flavored smoke. The draught hole must enter the tobacco chamber at the exact bottom center, and each completed pipe must be able to pass a pipe cleaner from the button of the stem to the bottom of the tobacco chamber without requiring disassembly. There might be rare exceptions to this in the case of a full bent or an extreme creation, and this would be noted in the description of the pipe. I take great pride in the fact that every pipe I make is made, above all else, as an instrument designed to deliver a superior smoking experience, regardless of looks.

The pipes are finished with alcohol-based stains to eliminate any possibility of residual flavor or odor from the coloring process. The stains are mixed from basic colors of powdered stain one small batch at a time, until it “looks about right”. The finished pipe is coated with pure carnauba wax, buffed and polished to a shine.

Each pipe is thoroughly inspected, then graded and stamped with the appropriate nomenclature. Only then is it ready for your enjoyment! You’ll be absolutely thrilled with the performance and looks of your new Walt Cannoy precision smoking instrument!

I love books.

I love books in a couple of different ways. The stories inside are a thrill, that’s for sure. Especially in a good work of fiction, something that really paints a mental picture, drives the imagination. But to me, a book is more than just the words on the pages. It’s the crisp lithography, the woodblock illustrations, the texture of fine papers that make up the signature, hard cover, leather bound, relief carved, gilded edges… and the smell!

Nothing does it for me like a finely crafted book with a fantastical work of fiction inside! And so, I present to you my own “Works of Fiction”:

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A Frustrating Search

I have always been a fan of meerschaum pipes… well, at least of the idea of what meerschaum pipes could potentially be. The famed meerschaum carvers of Eskişehir, Turkey are certainly unmatched in their skill and ability to transform a meerschaum stone into a highly detailed figural representation of whatever person, creature, or scene they can imagine! But for all of their artistic talent, it is nearly impossible to find a meerschaum pipe made with the same engineering, fit and finish that the pipe collecting community has come to expect from high-grade artisan pipes. Even more disappointing to lovers of the classic shapes is the fact that most of these shapes coming out of Turkey are lacking the refining graces and nuances that really make a classic shape shine.

For many years I searched for my perfect meerschaum billiard. A proper billiard, shaped deftly to perfection with lines and curves reflecting those of the most revered French and English pipe houses. The same pipe would be drilled perfectly on center, not too high, not too low, with an open airway. It would have a hand-cut stem with integral tenon, comfortable button, and excellent slot work.

Was this too much to ask? Apparently so. I searched to no avail.

A Rare Medium

Meerschaum is a stone, a mineral, magnesium silicate to be exact. Deposits are found in only a few places in the world, and all are of poor quality and color, except for one. The mines of Eskişehir, Turkey are full of large chunks of meerschaum, free of inclusions and dirt, and of pure white color. This makes Turkish meerschaum the most coveted for pipemaking, and also creates cause for protection of the material from that region.

The meerschaum carving industry is such big business that to export raw, un-carved meerschaum is against Turkish law. This has made high quality meerschaum impossible to obtain by those whose skills are best suited to properly engineer and finish a high quality product… well, nearly impossible, that is.

If you want it done right…

At the beginning of 2014, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on several raw meerschaum stones from Turkey. Understandably, I cannot discuss the details of this acquisition.  This was the beginning of the Cannoy Meerschaum Collection.

This series features high quality Turkish block meerschaum, hand-made to American high-grade artisan pipe standards, with perfect engineering, integrated push tenons, and Delrin lined mortises. They come with a handmade fitted case.

These meerschaum pipes are not graded, but are numbered consecutively, starting at “1″, in order of production. The entire collection will be archived on this page so that the pipes’ respective owners can access information about their pipe in the future!

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I have always wanted to offer an affordable option in very high quality, completely handmade pipes. The 2010’s were bringing a surge in new pipe enthusiasts, and new, inexperienced makers as well. These eager new pipe collectors wanted handmade works of art, but weren’t quite financially ready to enter the high-grade market for their shopping needs. The new makers and new buyers were finding each other, and a great divide in quality was forming. To be frank, the overwhelming majority of handmade pipes being made available to this influx of new patrons were poorly shaped, poorly engineered, and poorly finished. The market was severely lacking high quality, expertly made artisan pipes in the price range of this budding market.

In 2014, I came up with the Cardinal House brand to introduce a limited quantity of inexpensive pipes through my local B&M. At the time, Cardinal House pipes were Cannoy seconds with pre-molded stems, but offered anonymously. Although they were received well in the market, I myself was not satisfied with the quality, especially of the stems, or with the idea of producing seconds. They needed to be a better product, a better built pipe for a better value. They needed to make a statement about quality and price.

Throughout most of 2015, I was determined to teach myself to make great pipes faster, and tailor my workflow to that end as well. I started with high quality raw briar ebauchons, and solid rods of German Ebonite and resins, and concentrated on mostly classical shapes and their variations. I played around with different proportions, color combinations, and adornments, but always focused on precision drilling and internal engineering, stem and shank fit, and high grade quality lines, curves, and finishes. This lead to the re-creation, and public introduction of Cardinal House Pipes. I announced the line publicly on September 30th, 2015, and offered the first pieces for sale at the New Orleans Pipe Show that weekend!

The new Cardinal House pipes are not Cannoy seconds. The workflow is completely different from the creation of a high-grade Cannoy Signature Series pipe. Cardinal House pipes are not machine made stummels, nor pre-molded stems. They are completely, and expertly handmade from raw, high grade Italian briar, with hand-cut stems from German Ebonite or Acrylic. These pipes represent a best value in handmade pipes in today’s market!

Cardinal House Pipes are a high grade artisan pipe experience, but at the price of a big name factory made pipe.

The “Cardinal House” name was derived from the location of our home on Cardinal Pl. in Lakeland, behind which was situated my small, one man workshop where these pipes were once crafted. We have since moved from that place, but I have decided to keep the name.

To pay homage to Lakeland, the city in which I grew up and have very close ties, I have named the pipes’ various series after some of my favorite Lakeland locations: Munn Park in the center of historic downtown, Frances Langford Promenade on Lake Mirror, Lake Morton and its historic district on the south side of downtown, and the scenic and popular Lake Hollingsworth.

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