Mitch Kalter: the Bench Side of S&M Pipes

Mitch Kalter is a pipe maker working in the United States who presents his pipes under the name S&M Pipes. Pipe making is not his first profession; by his own account he is a retired surgeon, and he came to the bench as an extension of his curiosity about how mechanisms are put together.

S&M Pipes is a joint venture between Kalter and his friend Steve, whom he has known since their college years. The division of labor is clear: pipes made from scratch are Kalter's domain, while repairs of secondhand estate pipes are Steve's. The founding year of the partnership and its official business registration are not stated in accessible sources.

The Road to the Bench

Briar is not the first fine craft Kalter tried his hand at. For years he tied artificial flies used in fly fishing, and he turned to pipe making while looking for a new pursuit demanding the same degree of patience. Such transitions are not unusual in the artisan pipe world; a hand accustomed to working with small parts can relatively quickly become capable of working with wood. Kalter says his own first encounter with pipe smoke likewise came through Steve, roughly half a century ago.