Todd Johnson Sandblasted Bent Apple with Aluminum (Hoplite) Tobacco Pipe

A woodworker for years before he started making pipes in 2000, Todd Johnson credits Danish legend Tom Eltang above all other artisans for influencing his work. He also learned from Lars Ivarsson, and formally studied aesthetics as a student at Samford University and Yale University.

This bent Apple was awarded one of Todd's highest grades, Hoplite, and it's very easy to see why — the waves of sandblast are concentric for a consistent but rich feel to the fingertips, yet that doesn't overwhelm the fine flame grain that Todd found and stained a warm walnut hue, allowing the tendrils to be easily observed. The straight walls of the bowl appear lightly stout thanks to the considerable muscularity of the shank, which is somewhat brief — at four and three-quarters of an inch, this pipe stretches only a little bit past the threshold of a Nosewarmer. Behind the shank is a fine accent of gleaming aluminum, starting with a dome and stretching slightly longer to hold the vulcanite stem, which bends very, very slightly on its way back to the bit. Weighing in at about one-sixth of a pound, it's a pipe that manages to be very substantial in the hand while maintaining a relatively brief length that could make it a suitable pocket pipe. Todd's grasp of aesthetics came in extra handy here, allowing him to make a pipe that is very pleasing to multiple senses.