Wojtek Pastuch: Sandblasted Billiard with Horn (1144) Tobacco Pipe

Wojtek Pastuch has held a deep appreciation for for pipes since the age of 15, starting a collection of his own after a time and repairing pieces that he could find, not only to expand his rotation, but because he enjoyed it. In doing so he awakened a passion within him that stemmed from an appreciation of the craft and the process of creating these pipes, leading him not only to begin carving his own, but to visit the workshop of Legendary Danish artisan Tom Eltang, who helped him on his way. Pastuch showcases a staggering degree of stylistic breadth within his portfolio, from the classic to the unconventional, and even pieces of a more sculptural, whimsical leaning, each novel exploration rendered with a skilled and refined sense of line and balance.

This straight Billiard from the Polish artisan certainly fits into the more classically oriented spectrum of his pipes, and immediately strikes me as the sister pipe to another Billiard we've received from him, so much so that this piece is actually the next one he had produced, being 1144 to the other's 1143. Comparatively, the two pipes are stunningly similar, displaying immediately the degree of consistency with which Pastuch is able to shape his pieces, and, I must say, the two would look excellent together as a compiled set. However, there are some extremely subtle differences between them which serve to keep them separate, such as the degree of taper to the bowl, which here has been magnified a bit, allowing for a bit of plumpness to infuse its walls, keeping the hand comfortable as it is cradled. Additionally, there is some extra body around the heel, with the curve of said heel made a bit more gentle as it reaches toward the mid-set waistline. The shank here is quite trim, pushing out of a wide transition to meet a slim band of black vulcanite before it is fitted with a domed horn mount, with the fitment here given some more expanse to its flare, further emphasizing the sleekness of the stem. Dressing the stummel is a dark, earthy sandblast that reveals some handsome grain, with rippling growth rings oriented at the left and aft-right flanks, while the rest of the bowl showcases blasted birdseye. The rim is left smooth and is domed, a bit more so than its sibling, with the deep stain dressing dense striations of cross grain.