Peter Heding: Smooth Billiard with Horn Tobacco Pipe

Peter Heding began his pipe-making journey in 2003, inspired by the artistic works of Anne-Julie, and carved his first pipes out of briar bought from Tom Eltang, carving them on his kitchen floor with simple hand tools. After this, Eltang himself invited Heding to his workshop, where he was apprenticed for two years, learning both shaping and internal engineering from the legendary artisan, as well as gaining a good deal of inspiration from his work. He eventually quit his job at a research institute to pursue a career in doing what he loves: making pipes. This straight Billiard is an example of his more classically inclined work, being one of very few renditions of the shape we've ever seen from the Danish artisan and doing well do display his style.

The shank and stem here are quite sleek, the shank ebbing out of a wide open transition that leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb, tapering gently as it makes its way toward an accent made of horn, flaring out to a ridgeline-wrapped dome. The hard edge of this dome stylistically mirrors the firm expansion ring which adorns the svelte saddle stem married to the horn, the ring slightly slanted toward the rear and highlighting the implied lines which run from the transition to the button, continuing the taper from the transition to the button. A nicely rounded heel supports a poised bowl at the fore, the shank and stem doing quite well to balance the visual weight of this pipe, and its walls take on an easy taper to a softly inflated rim for a silhouette that's a touch more curvaceous. The briar here provides a lovely canvas for the mahogany contrast stain that dresses the stummel, revealing flame grain running through the flanks of the shank and rounding the bowl while the top and underside are peppered with birdseye.