Commissions
I’m always honoured when I’m asked to make a pipe. It means that someone has made a choice, out of all those who make pipes, and decided on me. A commission isn’t just someone buying one of your pipes. It’s more than that. Don’t get me wrong, I always feel grateful that someone likes my work enough to hit that button, but a commission involves getting to know someone, their preferences and their tastes, an insight into their personality, and a connection. You find out where the pipe is going and how it will play a part in someone’s life. Too esoteric? Perhaps, but it’s great to connect with like-minded people and to talk all things pipes because there’s no better conversation than that. Making pipes is rewarding, thrilling, humbling (and sometimes infuriating), and everything in between, but it’s also quite a lonely venture. So I find that conversations about pipes provide the sociality that I miss whilst in the workshop.
Commission conversations often start with shaping - which will mostly revolve around classic English or Danish styles - and the subtleties and quirks of different fashions, dimensions, proportions; stem styles and what might suit the pipe; stem colours (if in doubt, choose black); grain orientation; panelling; finish; and accent materials. No pipe needs an accent, but including them is so much fun and can add a little frisson of character and colour, and I love to play around with different materials and processes. Whilst in the earlier years I made accents out of all kinds of mediums, I use a fairly restricted palette nowadays. English Boxwood is perhaps my favourite, it’s pale yellowy hues befitting almost all colour schemes. Silver provides that bit of bling and takes an English pipe back to its halcyon days. And mammoth ivory is a material that never fails to inspire awe, not just for its beautiful chequering, but that it’s also about 12,000 years old (being an Earth-Science geek, this is always a highlight!).
The inception of a commission is exciting, as ideas float around and different configurations get discussed before settling on an idea. It’s then a case of finding the right block. I try to buy as much briar as I can afford so that it can season in the workshop for at least a year. I find that this acclimatisation process reduces the chance of movement in the wood between stages, and results in fewer problems when getting to the finishing stage. Then it’s time to get to work. With any luck, Mother Nature will present a block with no problematic flaws, but there’s always a chance that the wood goes on the stove and I have to start again. And as the pipe takes shape, I send some update photos and any adjustments in the schedule. Once the pipe is finished, it’s photographed, shipped, and soon to be enjoyed.
So if you’d like a pipe, unlike any other, and made especially for you, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.
A commissioned Group 6 English Dublin with silver and wonderful birdseye grain for a friend in Virginia, USA.
A commissioned large old English Dublin with silver on a diamond shank for a friend in Yorkshire. This pipe was a real challenge to make, but I’m thrilled with how it turned out.
