Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Fordite (595) Tobacco Pipe

Bill Shalosky's formal education saw him earn a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design, his background in bowl turning and dabbling in clay pipe making seeing him doing repairs at the Smokers' Haven shop. Before long he had moved on to crafting their handmade series of pipes, and afterward began crafting his own line of handmade pieces, becoming one of the foremost artisans in the United States. Shalosky takes inspiration from pipe-making schools the world over, with this particular bent Brandy rendition reminiscent of the Danish school, though still remaining thoroughly in the style of Shalosky.

Compared to his other bent Brandy iterations, this piece is a great deal more reserved, both in its stylistic elements and its stature, measuring just a touch over four and a half inches long. The shank here ebbs out of a transition more than wide enough to drape a thumb, lifting gently as it makes its way toward the stem, the junction marked with a rounded ring of Fordite. This accent is one of Shalosky's most favored, displaying a striking palette thanks to its composition of myriad layers of hand-sprayed enamel paint harvested from automotive factories. A sleek and demurely curved saddle stem pushes out of this junction, offering the piece a comfortable smoking posture, with the entire aft doing well to balance the visual weight of the bowl. Said bowl boasts a low-set waistline that marks the start of a slow, measured taper to the rim, its gentle forward cant lending the composition an understated dynamism in profile which keeps the look of this pipe engaging. Dressed in a crisp black sandblast, this pipe showcases some handsome grain throughout, with birdseye on either flank, while the midsection is striated with rippling growth rings.