Mickles

Mickles is the name given to the handmade pipes American craftsman Clarence Mickles produced alone in Park Forest, Illinois. Mickles carved pipes for more than thirty years, first in his spare time and, for the last five years or so of his life, full time; the exact year he began is not clear from the records.

Most of the pipes he made carry the "MICKLES USA" mark on the shank along with the year of manufacture, so they can be dated individually.

A Repair Bench Before the Lathe

What first made Mickles known within the community was not pipe making but pipe rescuing. Starting his career as an auto mechanic gave him a manual skill for solving problems such as broken shanks, cracked bowls, and ill-fitting stems. That was the reason friends called him "Mechanic" and "Magician"; he is said to have restored cracked or split Dunhill bowls to usable condition. This repairman identity also gave its name to the article devoted to him in Pipes and Tobaccos magazine, titled "Pipe Mechanic."