Askwith: Sandblasted Cutty 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.

Chart-standard pipes have remained a constant within Chris Askwith's portfolio, their presence and expert shaping expressing Askwith's deeply held appreciation for the classic shape chart. This Cutty is certainly one of those traditional shapes, hearkening back to the clay pipes used in taverns before the advent of briar pipes, even including a functional foot that allows it to sit without the aid of a stand. The bowl here is plump and pert, taking on a slightly Egg-like outline as it cants forward strikingly out of the wide transition, its chamfered rim leading to a respectable chamber. A slight bit of cheeking at the transition highlights the contours of the bowl nicely, the shank paired to it tapering gently as it makes its way toward the stem which continues the taper to the button. This svelte build through the aft side places a great deal of visual emphasis on the bowl, but this is balanced by the shank and stem's appreciable length, extending the reach of this pipe to more than six inches. Despite its length, the weight here is still extremely light, which should make clenching this piece easy and comfortable. Oftentimes, when carving more classically oriented shapes, Askwith pairs them to vibrant stems or stains, though not here. Instead, he has completed the traditional look by dressing the bowl in a warm auburn sandblast and pairing the stummel to a jet-black acrylic stem, sure to appeal to enthusiasts of the Anglo-French pipe making tradition.