Askwith: Sandblasted Morta Dublin 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.

Askwith often uses morta when crafting his stummels, as is the case with this Dublin, and his talent with the medium is evidenced here through the clean line work of the composition and subtle details he's worked into it. This is rather unlike many of the other Dublins we've seen from Askwith, mainly thanks to its bowl and sharp heel, immediately reminiscent of the Skater design. Its walls are lent an extra degree of muscularity in appearance thanks to the acute nature of the heel, and the easy curves that comprise the domed flare to the rim work well to contrast the pointed nature of the heel as well. A cheeked transition leads to a lengthy and gently tapering stretch of shank that's married to a vibrant sky blue and black stem of Askwith's polyester, accelerating the taper as it reaches the bit and contributing to a lovely bit of sleekness through the aft side. A crisp sandblast dresses the stummel of this piece, revealing the unique grain pattern of the semi-petrified bog oak which cascades down the flanks in even lines, the inky black of its surfaces strikingly contrasted by the lively hues of the stem.