Abe Herbaugh: Sandblasted Cutty with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Abe Herbaugh is an accomplished American artisan that takes inspiration from the Danish school of pipe making, most notably in his use of supple curves and clean, minimalist lines. For much of his adult life, Herbaugh built electric guitars, and his years of experience in that trade are evident in every pipe he crafts, as he brings his meticulous eye for detail to bear with every piece. This Cutty is handsome showcase of Herbaugh's style, as well as a fetching throwback to the tavern pipes of old.

This piece perfectly captures all of the shape's tell-tale features, including the form's forward-canted, Egg-like bowl and protruding heel spur. The bowl's dynamic posture is accentuated by the aforementioned spur, which is orientated closer to the transition and emphasizes the rim's elevated fore wall, especially in profile. The bowl's curvaceous walls conform naturally to the hand, with the bulbous flanks expanding outward to meet grasping fingers, while the heel spur adds a touch of angularity to the otherwise supple and streamlined form. Three knuckles of bamboo extend the shank and add a touch of warm organicsim to the composition, with each node evenly spaced from the transition to the shoulders of the saddle stem, resulting in a clear visual rhythm across the composition's aft side. A ruby-hued sandblast dresses the stummel and highlights some fetching grain across the bowl, save for the rim, which is smoothly polished for contrast.