David Huber: Sandblasted Glowfish (38) Tobacco Pipe

David Huber's entry for our annual American Pipe Making Exposition is this inventive piece which he is calling a Glowfish, a unique take on the artisan Blowfish shape. 2021's Expo revives 2017's theme, that of accent stems as part of American pipe making, and Huber has outdone himself here, with a custom formula of high-quality resin embedded with a unique substance called "HyperGlow Confetti." While fascinating enough to look at in the light, it also glows in the dark, making this pipe perfect late-night smoking sessions.

Not content just to make a stunning and unique stem, David went all out with the stummel as well, with an elongated Blowfish shape replete with a central wrapping panel, bulbous sides, and a lengthy shank that flares like a fish tail. Two special things really caught my eye about the stummel: Firstly, when seen from above especially, it has an abundance of forward momentum, looking much like a sleek spade cutting through the water, and second, despite its organic, natural appearance, clever shaping of the panels allows it to sit stably. The dark sandblast is well executed as well, bringing out blasted birdseye on both flanks and tight striations of growth rings across the center panel.

They say the devil is in the details, and I would assert the finest features are found in the same. The latter is certainly true here, as Huber has left the rim and shank face smooth and lighter of stain, with a ring of the same glowing resin inlaid in the shank face to bolster the army mount insertion of the stem. The unique stem accent is even shaped to match the emergent profile of the shank face, echoing its detail in a way that begs to be turned and admired from every angle.