Erik Nielsen Smooth Apple (A) Tobacco Pipe

This Apple from Erik Nielsen is a straightforward rendition of the shape with a light forward cant to the bowl, but Erik's brilliant craftsmanship and diligence in finding excellent flame grain to adorn the walls of the bowl and sides of the shank makes it much more than any other Apple. Indeed, the flame grain is lightly broad but almost uniformly straight, while lovely specks of birdseye fill in the top and bottom of the shank as well as the slender rim of the bowl. The round shank displays a light, almost unnoticeable taper inward in its reach back to the tapered vulcanite stem, which meets the shank without an accent. A smooth finish and deeply red mahogany stain accentuate the grain perfectly, offering a great polish to this piece.