Mike Sebastian Bay: Smooth Acorn with Mammoth Tobacco Pipe

Mike Sebastian Bay is one of the most accomplished young artisans in Denmark, and his journey into the world of pipe making happened seemingly as an act of providence. While scouring Denmark to find someone who could competently repair some of his father's pipes, he found himself in the workshop of the legendary Tom Eltang. After talking, the two bonded and Bay was apprenticed to the master who taught him the intricacies of the Danish design tradition, and gave him experience in finishing, shaping, and drilling. This Acorn is a fine example of Bay's work, full of clean lines and soft shaping which make it a classic example of Danish workmanship.

Up front, the bowl stands proudly atop the pointed, extended heel endemic to the design, its walls rising in a consistent flare to a plump, charmingly inflated rim that emphasizes its softness. It's quite comfortable in hand, and the wide transition that pairs it to the shank leaves plenty of room to drape a thumb, making for a pipe that's imbued with a good deal of substance despite being well under five inches long. The aforementioned shank takes on a consistent flare from out of the transition, its slow upturn punctuated at the end by a broad expanse of mammoth that comes to a firm ridgeline before sloping inward to create a home for the demurely curved stem. Said stem's expansion ring mirrors the look of the mammoth accent's growth into its ridgeline and these firm elements combine with the shank's flare to make for a balanced composition, as the visual weight here rests around the transition, thanks to the intrigue offered by both the fore and the aft sections. Dressed in a vibrant contrast stain, the briar showcases wrapping flame grain through the flanks of the shank and around the softly-shaped rim, while the underside is awash with swirls of beautiful birdseye.