Ken Dederichs: Sandblasted Bent Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Ken Dederichs began his journey in Japan as Ken'ichiro Dederichs-Uchida, later relocating to Germany where he produces fine pipes with a low annual output, prioritizing quality over quantity. His designs often reveal strong organic cues, referencing Japanese and Danish styles, with this handsome bent Dublin a excellent example. A hearty bowl pitches forward, flaring broadly to a rim of undulating, natural plateau, while a stout, more reserved shank flares to a domed face before giving way to a svelte vulcanite stem.

The shape is the perfect canvas on which to display the briar's tight stacks of growth rings, and Ken has dressed them in a medium-depth sandblast to provide plenty of textural detail without spoiling the pipe's subtle line work. The chamfered rim and the shank face are both stained a dark auburn and finished smooth, working in concert to provide elegant contrast with the stummel and stem, while a brass ring around the mortise provides a discrete bit of flash and added reinforcement.