Former: Sandblasted Acorn Tobacco Pipe

It may be that Hans "Former" Nielsen has made more artisan pipes and instructed more artisan makers than all but a handful of craftsmen, and that background has certainly resulted in a portfolio of pipes with meticulous design and execution. This sandblasted Acorn reveals the line work and proportional perfection for which Former has become known, its flanks curving downward to the concise heel with its shank emerging from the bowl like a twig, arcing upward to the saddle mouthpiece.

A medium-profile blast textures the stummel except for a dramatically chamfered and smooth rim and a single band of smooth briar at the shank end. The darker aspect of the sandblast highlights the consistent growth rings circling the bowl and lends the entire composition a personality of natural ruggedness, while its lithe presence and winsome balance offers slender refinement in contrast.