Split Finish Bent Dublin (with Tamper) (4026) Tobacco Pipe

Formerly known as the American Pipe Making Exposition, our annual Global Pipe Making Exposition features contributions from some of the world's foremost artisans, all united around a central theme. One of the most exciting events of the year for carvers, smokers, and enthusiasts of briar alike, the Global Exposition acts not only as a showcase for the immense talent of these artisans but as a focus for the boundless creativity that these masters of the art possess. For 2026, the theme of our Expo is "The Art of the Sandblast," celebrating the artistry and craftsmanship behind one of the most meticulous finishing techniques in pipe making. Through the sandblast, these artisans transform the natural grain of briar into textured works of art, highlighting the unique character of each block and demonstrating the artistry of the technique.

Nanna Ivarsson is a third-generation pipe maker, following in the footsteps of her father, Lars, and grandfather, Sixten. She naturally became interested in pipes at a very young age, selling her first one at the age of nine and moving to Copenhagen to apprentice for her grandfather at eighteen. Nanna pursued industrial design and worked in the field for a few years, but ultimately circled back to the family business of pipe making. That sincere love of the craft, and Nanna's incredible ability to fashion something beautiful from a briar block, is on grand display with her contribution to this year's Expo. As the title states, Nanna's submission is a bent Dublin, but her amazing use of the tools at her disposal make it much more than that.

Nanna has done a partial sandblast before, but nothing like this. This bent Dublin is split finished with a smooth right flank and sandblasted left flank meeting right in the middle of the bowl's fore. The sharp juxtaposition of the finishes gives this piece a remarkable feel and an even more remarkable appearance that is only heightened by the gorgeous flame grain that climbs up from the heel to grace shank and bowl alike. The grain stretches completely uninterrupted on the smooth side, but is still easily visible on the sandblasted side with the added benefit of the tight, nearly concentric rings that give the left flank a great texture. The wide rim of the bowl throws smoothly finished curlicues of birdseye into the mix, adding another dimension to this piece's great grain. A push-style stem of vulcanite finishes the piece, tapering and lightly bending back from a single expansion ring. The pipe comes in a fitted case with a tamper of a similar finish — one half smooth, the other half sandblasted, with a brass ring in between. Elegant from bit to fore, exquisitely finished and decorated with only the best grain Nanna could manage out of a great block, this pipe is simply an exercise in genius. Nanna said her intention with this piece's finish is to show the hidden dimension of the grain through sandblasting, allowing the smoker to observe the briar's own narrative through its rings.