American Estates: Joe Skoda Smooth Horn (2208) Tobacco Pipe

Joe Skoda is a pipe maker from the northeast part of the Hudson Valley region of New York, close to the Massachusetts border, and has been carving pipes for over 20 years. He has prior experience in custom woodworking and cabinetry, and also enjoys building ship models from scratch. After stumbling upon an issue of Pipes and Tobaccos magazine in 1996, Skoda became fascinated by pipes and continually finds it rewarding to craft functional pieces of art. This horn from Skoda is a striking departure from many of the other, more interpretive profiles that we've seen in the past, appearing like a classic rendition of a timeless profile. As with many iterations of this shape, this Horn showcases a lithe, languid gesture to its build that underscores a charming sinuousness. Unlike many Horns, however, this pipe comes complete with a stylized shank and stem that have been crafted to resemble a military or spigot mount, with a silvery metal wrapped around both the shank end and the stem base. A demurely curved stem of swirling green acrylic arcs out of this junction, with the shank itself seeing a slight taper out of the transition, lending the bowl's flare out to the rim further visual emphasis. Said flare expands to a firm ridgeline before taking on a domed taper to the chamfered chamber entrance, the fore end of this ridge pushing out a touch and adding a bit of understated dynamism to the composition. A warm mahogany stain dresses the stummel here, revealing cross grain through the flanks that follows the shaping excellently, the fore and aft walls swathed with birdseye.