Scott Klein: Sandblasted Standing Cutty with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

Bamboo is an often used alternative medium, but that doesn't mean it's easy to work with. It's even harder to get just right; that is, unless you're Scott Klein. Not only has the American artisan seamlessly married it to the stummel and, then, to the stem (reinforced with a metal tenon), but he's taken the bamboo's natural rhythm into account when fashioning both the mouthpiece and stummel: The saddle portion of the stem as well as the protruding heel spur align beautifully with the spacing of the three knuckles, imbuing the overall profile with a consistent, forward urging momentum. This aesthetic is continued in the canted bowl, allowing the piece to sit upright upon the foot below. Dressed in a dark stain and featuring concentric ripples of sandblasted ring grain, Scott has kept the color palette reserved yet balanced, as the lighter-stained, polished rim contrasts against the stummel while still matching the bamboo's natural hue.