System Standard Smooth (31) P-Lip Tobacco Pipe

Straight-stemmed System pipes are, understandably, quite a bit different from their bent brethren. Obviously, simply extending the drill of the shank's draft hole to create a moisture-capture chamber wouldn't do; you'd at best still leave moisture to collect in the draft hole itself, and at worst simply pierce the front of the bowl. Peterson's solution is as simple as it is ingenious: The bore of the shank is drilled over-large, ending directly beneath the bowl, with a second hole then drilled directly down from the chamber. The stem is then fitted with a screw-on metal tube, slightly tapered, which "floats" in the center of the draft hole when the stem is inserted. The result? Plenty of extra space for moisture to collect beneath the bowl and in the shank, while the stem's metal tube remains high and dry.
- Eric N. Squires