Behind Apprenticeships and Silver-Craft at Peterson

 

(Smokingpipes.com) ... After a bus ride to Dun Laoghaire (Dun-Leary), I met with Conor Palmer of Peterson, Tom Palmer's son, and we moved towards what I expected to be the Peterson Factory. I took a tour of the administrative area, had a cup of tea, and then headed back to see where the pipes are born. What I discovered was not a factory at all. A large workshop, maybe, but not a factory. I found a group of kind people, all specialized in their particular area of pipe making, working together to create fantastic looking pipes. During my tour, each person’s role was explained with detail and passion. I particularly loved learning that many had been working for Peterson for 15, 20, and 30 years, while there was an equally surprising number of young faces. The younger crew had been working as apprentices (a term almost unheard lately) to learn specific crafts and skills in the pipemaking process. Continued