David Huber: Smooth Speeding Blowfish (2323) Tobacco Pipe

David Huber is an American carver who takes inspiration from the Danish and Japanese pipe-making traditions, and as such, his work tends be quite organic, prioritizing sculpted lines and precise shaping. Huber began making pipes full-time in 2014 and received guidance in his early days from carvers like Jeff Gracik, Nanna Ivarsson, and Alex Florov.

This Speeding Blowfish is a distinctive rendition of the oft-repeated shape, rendered in demure proportions with a strong sense of dynamic forward movement. The bowl features the familiar central panel that wraps around the fore and aft on either side of the chamber, though here that section widens toward the rear of the pipe, stretching out farther at the right flank. This organic asymmetry causes the supple flanks to follow the same design cue, with the right flank displaying a shallower, wider arc than the left, making the pipe eminently comfortable in hand. Out back, a pinched transition leads into a round shank that mirrors the organic irregularity of the bowl, culminating in a flared and domed junction to a deftly hand-cut, saddle stem. The saddle section mirrors the flare of the shank, creating a stacked look that gives the silhouette the appearance of the namesake fish pushing through still water. The stummel is dressed in a rich auburn stain, highlighting excellent birdseye at the bowl's flanks, with perfectly oriented cross grain following the ridge around the fore and aft.