R. Ubben Pipes: American Pipes Made for Period Reenactors

R. Ubben Pipes is a small American pipe bench run by Randolph J. Ubben in the town of New Milford, Connecticut. What sets the bench apart from its peers is that the pipes it produces are shaped not to contemporary taste but to a specific historical moment: 1860s America. In this respect the workshop speaks less to the pipe community than to the living-history reenactment circle.

The Standard: Period Accuracy

A single question governs all of the bench's production decisions: does this detail have a counterpart in the 1860s? A shape is put into production only once it can be traced in period records; the sources cited are photographic archives, reference books, and examinations carried out in museum and private collections.

The same standard applies even to the least conspicuous part. Because the airway shape of ready-made stems does not match the period, none are used; the stem is either hand-carved from rod stock or turned from wood or horn. Such distinctions at the level of stem materials are considered details that determine whether a pipe is accepted within reenactment circles.