Askwith: Sandblasted Pot Tobacco Pipe

A silversmith by trade, Chris Askwith's journey into pipe making began, as many do, with his own smoking, taking up the pipe in 2006 and using his myriad of tools to restore estate pipes for his own use. In 2007, Askwith joined a pipe club where, by chance, he met Paul Hubartt of Larrysson Pipes, the man who afforded him the chance to make his own smoking instruments using Hubartt's tools. The money he earned from selling these was used to outfit his own workshop with tools better suited to pipe making, and now Chris fashions handmade pipes full-time.

This Pot is an excellent example of Askwith's work, and demonstrates his affinity for shape chart standards and non-standard finishing techniques. Even by the standards of old Anglo-French shape charts, this is a conservative Pot, being quite squat but not overly broad, the bowl's outline introducing a touch of Apple-like curvature to the walls which is sure to enhance the feel in hand. A cheeked transition sets it apart from its more aged brethren, and this leads to a gently tapering stretch of shank that meets a sleek stem which continues and accelerates this taper. Quite light in hand and eminently clenchable despite being straight, this pipe has been dressed in a vibrant, ruby-hued sandblast that unveils fields of birdseye on either flank of the bowl, while the hand-cut polyester stem showcases a stunning array of swirling colors.