Peter Heding: Smooth Mouse with Bamboo (Diamond) Tobacco Pipe

A former molecular biologist, Peter Heding became fascinated with pipe making after seeing an interview with the legendary Anne Julie. His interest piqued, Heding sought out Tom Eltang, who took the Heding under his wing and taught him the fundamentals of the craft. During his two years of study with Eltang, Heding took the pipes he had crafted to the Chicago Pipe Show in 2004 and 2005. Pleased with the reception his work had garnered, Heding eventually quit his research position and took on pipe making full time.

This Mouse is a breathtaking showcase of Heding's shaping and finishing work. As a shape, this piece sees a broad, full-bodied bowl posed at the fore a lengthy and fluidly bent shank-and-stem arrangement. Said bowl boasts a Shield-like construction, with a crisp ridgeline wrapping from one side of the rim to the other and producing a spur-like heel in the process. Additionally, the ridgeline bifurcates the bowl's narrow fore from its broader and more curvaceous aft side. Out back, three knuckles of bamboo extend the shank and provide a touch of organic flair to the composition. Each knuckle of the bamboo is evenly spaced, helping to foster a visual rhythm across the pipe's aft side, from the transition to the base of the saddle stem. Dressed in a warm smooth finish, the stummel reveals incredible cross grain along the bowl's flanks.