Sam Adebayo: Sandblasted Billiard Tobacco Pipe

Growing up in Woodstock, Illinois, Sam Adebayo took up pipe smoking when he was only a teenager, with his initial fixation growing from his admiration of Jazz icons like Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy. By his early 20s, Adebayo was drawn deeper into the world of pipes, gaining an appreciation for English classics as he refined his tastes. Unable to afford the pipes that he wanted, Adebayo chose to fashion his own, leading what was once a passing interest into becoming a full-fledged career. Inspired by the work of figures such as Hiroyuki Tokutomi, Abe Herbaugh, and Todd Johnson, much of his work is characterized by pristine line work and robust proportions.

Presented here is a fine showcase of Sam Adebayo's style, with this Billiard possessing a streamlined figure and a touch of muscularity throughout the composition. The bowl stands pert and upright, with straight walls reaching from the firm heel toward the flat rim. From a subtly sloping transition, a sturdy, balanced shank emerges and meets a tapered stem fashioned from jet-black vulcanite. A crisp, chocolate-hued sandblast lends the stummel a wealth of rugged texture, revealing fine cross grain at the fore and aft of the bowl and dimpled birdseye across both flanks.