The meeting of like minds

I met Todd Johnson at the Sparks pipe show.

I also had the good fortune of meeting Bruce Weaver,Jeff Gracik,Brad Pohlmann and Steve Morisette at the same show.

All of them seemed to be great guys and we shared a common bond.

The love of making pipes.

It was easy getting to know them because of this bond and It was great to talk to other pipe makers because we speak the same language, and we
share many of the same problems.

I will try to talk about each of these pipe makers over time on this blog because I feel that each of them deserve their own acknowledgment but for now I want to focus on Todd.
We talked to each other about pipe making and my focus on making High Grade pipes.
I was glad that Todd took such an interest in my work and that I had someone to bounce ideas and questions off of.
I was just glad that he and the other pipe makers I met at the show liked the work that I was doing and took such an interest in me and my background.
Todd was very knowledgeable on the subject, as I am sure many of you pipe lovers already know.
We emailed over the next couple of months discussing aspects of pipe making.
We met again at the Chicago Pipe Show where Todd told me he wanted me to come and visit him at his home in Nashville Tenn.
I let him know that I would do just that and that also I would get a chance to see my family because I grew up an hour from where Todd was presently living.
You may not know this but there is no schooling offered to become a pipe maker.
Everything to know about making a great smoking pipe is locked in the heads and hands of great pipe makers like Todd Johnson who learned his craft from people like Tom Eltang.
The offer to come and see him and talk about our common interest was something that I could not pass up.
After Chicago, I started making plans for a visit to Todd and his studio in Nashville.

That story and more photo's will be in the next post.