Jody Davis Sandblasted Bent Bulldog (Friar) (D) (40) (2005) Tobacco Pipe

Not just renowned for his pipe making but also for his music, Jody Davis takes influence from the American and Danish schools (of pipe making, that is) when crafting his artisan pipes. He took the importance of using the best materials possible from the Danish school and Jess Chonowitsch in particular, and later traveled to Vermont to learn from famed American artisan J.T. Cooke.

This bent Bulldog of Jody's making is sandblasted all the way across the stummel to draw out flame grain and birdseye for a rich texture to the bowl, then finished with a dark walnut-hued stain. Out back, the diamond-shaped shank upturns into a gently bent stem of vulcanite that tapers generously in its reach back from the shank face to the bit. Though relatively straightforward in its shaping, the sandblast Jody imparted on this piece truly sets it apart. He gave it a generous size as well, at just under six inches in length and a substantial weight of approximately one-sixth of one pound.