Kirsten Pipe Company

Kirsten Pipe Company is a manufacturer founded in 1936 in Seattle, United States, known for its aluminum-bodied pipes. The pipe it produces departs from the classic single-piece briar mold: it is a disassemblable arrangement consisting of a metal cooling body, a separate bowl that screws onto that body, and a drain valve at the body's end. The brand continues to operate in the city where it was founded, in the hands of the founding family.

From the Wind Tunnel to the Pipe

Frederick Kurt Kirsten (1885-1952) was born in Germany, emigrated to America in 1902, graduated from the University of Washington in 1909, and worked at the same institution as a professor of aeronautical engineering. He proposed, in the late 1930s, the construction of the wind tunnel that still bears his name at the university today; his work on the cycloidal propeller is known as the Kirsten-Boeing propeller.

The pipe, too, is a product of the same engineering habit of mind. When his doctor advised him to quit smoking, Kirsten chose instead to design a device: he worked on a mechanism that would keep tar out of the way with the moisture that reaches the mouth while smoking. The solution he arrived at in 1936 turned into both a patent application and the company that bears his name.

The Pipe's Construction

At the center of the arrangement sits an aluminum body toothed on the outside with cooling fins. The bowl is fitted onto the top of this body with a screw passed through from below; on some examples a band is inserted between the two. The stem and valve are fitted to the rear end of the body. The pipe can thus be broken down into five parts without using any tools. As smoke leaves the bowl and travels along the metal body, it loses heat; the condensing moisture and tar collect inside the body before reaching the stem.

The valve's job is both to isolate this buildup from the bowl and to drain the body. According to the description given, when the flat face on the outer edge of the valve is turned to face the bowl, the internal passage opens and the pipe is ready to smoke; in another position the passage closes, and the liquid collecting in the body cannot flow back into the bowl. Once smoking is finished, the valve is removed and the body is cleaned. In this respect the brand is counted among the longest-lived twentieth-century examples of metal-bodied cooling and filtering solutions (pipe filters and systems); similar pursuits can also be traced under the heading of unusual pipes.

Stamps and Models

Since no detailed company record of production years and model listings is reported to exist, dating rests largely on stamps. The earliest pipes carry "PAT APPLIED FOR," later ones "PATS & PATS PENDING," and the following period "MADE IN U.S.A." The first years' models were distinguished by letters: Companion, S (Standard), M (Medium), L (Large), and the large-size A (Aristocrat).

According to family members' accounts, the biggest change in models and methods came around 1958, when the company became a corporate entity. Collector circles divide pipes into generations based on this break point; the clearest marker is whether or not an O-ring gasket is used at the valve and stem. Early pipes have no gasket, with sealing achieved through the precision of the fitting instead. In later periods, names such as Gem, Sportsman, Mariner, Lancer, Aladdin, Vagabond, Tyrolean, Westerner, Beau Geste, and Firesider came into use. An X added to the letter code denotes a brass tone, while B denotes a black finish. Among finish names, Heritage refers to a textured coating, while Traditional refers to Eternalum plating that gives an aged look to the brass tone.

Bowls

According to collector observations, some of the bowls in the early years were made by Kaywoodie; these bowls carry no stamp. Kirsten's own bowls, by contrast, are stamped on the underside. Alongside bowl names that became classics, such as Columbus, Dynasty, and Mandarin, smooth, sandblasted, carved, and rustic finishes were also offered. Besides briar, meerschaum bowls were also made. Since bowls of differing size can fit the same body, using multiple bowls with a single body is a familiar feature of the brand. The company also produced cigarette holders in three different sizes during the 1950s and 1960s.