New Rusticated Pipes - “Torched”

I’ve always struggled with rusticating pipes. It’s fairly straightforward to create something that looks good, but its likely already been done. Rustication, to me, is as much a signature of the pipe maker or brand as the shapes created. Eltang’s deeply carved rustication, or Former’s parallel lines, or the craggy ‘sea rock’ finish of Castello all immediately spring to mind. Of course, there are other fantastic rustication styles out there too.

Why rusticate? It’s inevitable that in every box of briar I get, I have some blocks where the grain just doesn’t play ball. It might be flawless but lack character. Or, it might have a few pits that are too obvious in the blast. Sometimes I come across a block that is so hard it just doesn’t want to blast at all. I guess that’s Mother Nature for you.

So, for the last few months I’ve been playing around with different techniques, searching for a rusticated finish that looks great but is also unique. It all starts with carving a slight relief into the stummel before a few other processes, and finally lightly sanded to bring out the carving and some colour variation. It’s great to be able to play around with different patterns within the existing pipe shape, and the result is the look of torched wood. These pipes also have a different finish to the usual oil cure that I apply to blasts and smooth pipes. This will make for a durable and easy-to-maintain pipe that isn’t overly shiny.

The goal was to create a line of pipes that is very competitively priced. They all have the same internal engineering as my others, and they all have handmade stems in ebonite with integral tenons. Have a look in the shop for the latest additions.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I have creating them.

A nod to Pipe Dan and Gert Holbek’s infamous shaping: a bent chimney with hammered silver