Former: Sandblasted Oval Shank Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Hans "Former" Nielsen learned from Sven Knudsen and Poul Rasmussen, and got occasional pointers from Sixten Ivarsson, then went on to train carvers in the W.Ø. Larsen workshop who would later themselves become legendary — and then spent 50 more years making his own pipes. Former is still at it, and doing truly great work. His Dublins are generally bent, which seems to be the default for Danish artisan pipe making, but here Former has crafted a long, straight form with clean, elegant lines juxtaposed by its ragged, undulating rim of plateau.

The dark finish is anything but monotone, its merlot undercoat peeking through the onyx stain of the stummel where the peaking of the sandblasted texture rises. The shank is wide, an evident design element when viewed aerially but appearing more slender in profile. The expanding Dublin aspect of the bowl as it rises from the firm heel is not exaggerated but kept relatively minimal, contributing to the traditional character of the piece. Cragginess of texture at the rim contrasts with the clean lines of the design, while even the natural lottery of the grain seems to calm into more geometric cooperation, with its ring grain consistently stacked up the bowl, undulating and remarkably uniform. It's long, and provides a substantial experience in hand, with a deep tobacco chamber that will provide plenty of smoking time for enjoying this Dublin from one of Denmark's most revered artisan carvers.