Tonni Nielsen: Sandblasted Buckeye Burl Calabash with Boxwood and Blackwood (Viking) Tobacco Pipe

Commonly implemented in guitar designs, along with furniture and decorative boxes, buckeye burl is also incorporated in pipe design, though most often in the form of a small, decorative accent or adornment. It's quite difficult to obtain and mill, and in the process, the majority of the material around the burl itself is shorn away, leaving around 15% of the stuff to work with. Imagine our surprise, then, when we received this striking Calabash shape from Tonni Nielsen, making use of more of the stuff at one time than I believe I've ever seen on a pipe.

Indeed, the stummel of the sweeping form showcases the smokey, distinct look of sandblasted buckeye burl, forming a swirling, rippling pattern that calls to mind a naturally rocky landscape viewed from the sky. It serves to guide the eye to chamber cap of pale, honey-blonde boxwood, encircling an inner rim of blackwood, itself inlaid with briar. The look is strikingly unique, framed at the shank's end by another ringlet of boxwood, and the chamber cap is easily removable for cleaning and maintenance. Rounding off the design is a stem of rich, brindle-patterned vulcanite; altogether a gorgeous, clever piece.