Scott Thile: Sandblasted Stack with Ivorite (543) Tobacco Pipe

Scott Thile got his start in pipe making like many before him, with a DIY pipe kit. Thile's skills began to grow through trial and error, visiting pipe makers forums, and inspiration from other American pipe makers. Thile's shapes tend to err towards the traditional, as he expertly crafts classics like Bulldogs and Dublins, which make wonderful canvases for his warm smooth finishes and detailed sandblasts. Scott Thile once described his pipe making aesthetic as such, "the Danish neoclassics as interpreted by the North American greats." It's safe to say he can now count himself among those greats.

This Stack by Scott Thile possesses the shape's requisite feature, a sleek, towering bowl. The walls showcase a supple taper from the plump waist to the trim rim, manifesting a comfortable in-hand feel, a necessity for anyone brave enough to smoke the capacious chamber to the last puff. Thile balances the tall bowl with a sturdy, proportional shank, which has been flattened on the underside to allow for stable sitting. Furthermore, the shank joins to a sleek tapered stem at a broad band of Ivorite, its creamy striations offering a vivid contrast against the jet-black vulcanite. Moreover, the stummel is dressed in a rustic sandblast, highlighting pockmarks of birdseye and wavy growth rings in a classic, ruby-tinged stain.