Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Bent Apple with Blackwood (615) Tobacco Pipe

One of America's most talented artisans, Bill Shalosky could be said to have some experience in pipe making, having fashioned pieces for Smoker's Haven, Chheda Pipes, and BriarWorks. He's an artisan with the upmost respect for the craft, and he draws on all manners of pipes for inspiration. His deft understanding of shaping, engineering, and finishing is present in any pipe he crafts, and that remains true for this bent Apple.

The bent Apple is one of Shalosky's signature shapes, and he fashions it with some regularity. This rendition, like many of his others, boasts a rather muscular build, the bowl and shank quite stout without being cumbersome or unwieldy. The bowl possesses an almost Brandy-like taper from its plump heel to its tauter rim, but the way the heel curves into the fore of the bowl creates a more rounded appearance. The shank glides upward out of the transition and marries a steeply curved saddle stem of jet-black vulcanite. The shank-and-stem arrangement lends the overall form a gestural curvature that harmonizes well with the bowl's rounded contours. A crisp sandblast dresses the stummel and unveils rippling waves of grain across the bowl's flanks, while a trim band of blackwood accents the junction and harmonizes in color with the reserved hues of the stem.