Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Eye Scorcher with Fordite (367) Tobacco Pipe

The name is amusing, probably because it isn't far off the mark. The top of this bowl aligns approximately at eye level, though I don't see any way it could be an eye-scorcher without smoking it on an inversion table. This is a full-sized, stacked bowl in an abbreviated length that lends it the potential for a pocket pipe as well as an armchair smoker. The sandblast highlights the grain, which is mixed, and offers pleasant tactile feedback. To further enhance the presence of this monumental bowl, the cumberland stem is in a saddle configuration, flat and unobtrusive, leaving the stummel to take on the visual weight of the pipe. The fitment is of that rare and beautiful material called Fordite, reclaimed from an automotive factory where layer after layer of automotive paint was baked and re-baked until becoming hard, layered, and decorative when polished. A special and unusual piece from Bill.