Briarcraft

Briarcraft is an American pipe factory that produced in the first half of the twentieth century in the town of Spring Valley, New York State. The factory was founded by Richard Kliethermes Sr. It was considered one of the largest mass-production workshops in the country during the interwar period, ranking second in size, according to records, only to the Medico factory. The company closed in 1950.

Factory and Family

The Kliethermes family business lived through its most productive period between 1920 and 1940. After the founder's death, management passed to his son Richard Kliethermes Jr.; his death in 1943 coincided with the same years as the contraction caused by the Second World War. The war also directly struck the briar supply. Until then the factory had brought its blocks in from Africa; when imports were cut off, a domestic root from South Carolina, similar in character to briar, began to be used. Business never returned to its former level, and the plant closed in 1950.

The first site of production was on Pipetown Hill Road, a name itself associated with pipe craftsmanship; the machines were turned by water power supplied by a dam on Hyenga Lake. The workshop was initially a two-storey wood-frame building, and a two-storey stone building was later added alongside it. The factory later moved to the town centre, to a facility on Central Avenue.

Smokemaster and Brands

The product that kept the Briarcraft name alive is the system known as Smokemaster. A pipe cleaner, folded in two, is inserted into channels running along the shank of this pipe's mouthpiece; the cleaner absorbs moisture and residue from the smoke path and is replaced with a fresh one when soiled. This removes the need for the metal-pin residue trap (stinger) common at the time. The US patent underlying the mechanism is registered under number 2,166,537: the application was filed on 12 October 1934 and the patent granted on 18 July 1939. The patent document names Bernard M. Shoemaker as the inventor; in the pipe community, however, the invention is often credited to Kliethermes Jr. Which of the two figures reflects internal company roles is not clear today. For details of the system, see the entry on pipe filters and systems.

A diamond-shaped crest logo was generally used on first-grade Briarcraft pipes. The factory released bowls with flaws or simpler workmanship under second-grade brands: Airo, Arcadian, Briarmeer, Cavalcade, Hallmark, Sterling Hall, Wimbledon, and Smokemaster are among these. In addition, catalogue pages and store display panels of the era point to the factory also having produced under the names Shur-Dri and Tuffies; independent documentation for these two names has not yet been shown.

Later Period

The Smokemaster name did not disappear along with Briarcraft. Around 1967, the rights to the name and system were taken over by Dr. Grabow; the brand remained in production, divided into three series numbered 100, 200, and 300, until the mid-1990s. Briarcraft-signed pipes are today found only as antique pieces in collections; their marks also serve as a reference point for those wishing to trace interwar American mass production.