American Estates: J. Alan Smooth Bulldog (1012) (1) Tobacco Pipe

Jeff Gracik is one of America's most renowned pipe makers, the artisan getting his start in the craft the same year he began work on his graduate degree. With a pair of briar blocks and some pre-formed stems, he set to work on carving his first two pipes completely with hand tools and on the floor of his in-law's kitchen. This sparked the blaze of his passion for the craft, and his determination in carving pipes of excellency resulted in him visiting Todd Johnson, Tonni Nielsen, and Jody Davis, combining his already self-taught skill with teachings from some of the world's most accomplished artisans.

This straight Bulldog is an excellent display of Gracik's skills in rendering both timeless profiles and crisp facets, as the ridgelines that frame the shank and stem base here are firm, structured, and straight. The panels themselves actually feature a touch of curvature to them, softening out their look a bit and creating some subtle detail for the hand to appreciate. The ridges here feed into the bowl and transition smoothly, with the one through the underside framing the heel nicely and reinforcing its sharpness. From here we see the bowl rise proudly with a steady flare to a pair of high-set beadlines that then mark a swift taper to the rim, the easy curves of the walls lending a comfortable feel in hand. A vibrant mahogany-auburn contrast stain envelops the stummel here, revealing dense streaks of flame grain wrapping around the bowl while birdseye peppers the top and underside.