Askwith: Sandblasted Apple 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 was afforded the opportunity to make his own smoking instruments using another member's tools. The money he earned from selling these pieces was used to outfit his own workshop with tools better suited to pipe making, and now Chris fashions handmade pipes full-time.

The Apple is one of the most quintessential pipe shapes on the entire shape chart, and as such, it's no surprise that Askwith has crafted a fair number of them across a variety of silhouettes. This particular piece is one of the most thoroughly traditional Apples that Askwith has presented us, and it's a delightfully compact iteration of the shape which maintains a wonderfully light weight that makes it well-suited to travel carry. A wide, cheeked transition gives way to a slim, round shank then met by a sleek saddle stem of vibrant, sunny acrylic, the cheeking at the transition here adding further definition to the bowl's plump shaping. Said bowl stands atop a rounded heel and grows pert, supple walls which offer a comfortable feel in hand and showcase the Apple's iconic shaping thanks to its bulb-like build. A low-set waist marks the start of the bowl's gentle taper to the rim, and the bowl itself is further pushed into prominence by a slight forward cant that lends it a dynamic look. Dressed in a crisp, warm tanblast, the stummel here showcases a wealth of handsome grain throughout, the tones of the stem affording the entire composition a unified look.