Sandblasted Acorn with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Ryan McCawley fell down the pipe rabbit-hole after deciding to restore a pipe he had bought as a teenager, leading to making pipes as a hobby in 2020 and becoming a full-time pipe maker a few years later. His style includes Danish and English influences and he believes his greatest skill as a pipe maker is his mostly self-taught journey, which involved significant trial and error. He credits Sean Reum, Premal Chheda, Paul Lucas, and Jonathan Lavezzo for their advice on acquiring the right tools and enjoys the work of Tom Eltang, Alex Florov, the Ivarssons, Jeff Gracik, and Former, among many others.

This Acorn weighs in at just under a single ounce, a great exhibit of Ryan's precision when it comes to crafting a pipe. The deep sandblast he finished this piece with does not overwhelm the flame grain of the bowl at all, allowing it to shine through a lovely dark red stain from the heel to the inflated rim of the bowl. The shank wears the same stain and similar grain, with birdseye at the top and bottom and flame grain on the flanks as it flares back to an accent ring of boxwood, which quickly meets with a saddle-style stem of vulcanite. Ryan's diligence at narrowing this piece down to the finest flame grain and his use of a beautifully rich stain make this a special piece, one that will be at home with any collection of fine American craftsmanship.