Makers and Artists

When one thinks of Michael Lindner's body of work, it's hard to not immediately imagine an assortment of classical shapes — many of them trim, lean designs, in addition to various plump, Comoy's-inspired shape renditions. ... Read More

Several weeks ago we had the pleasure of hosting Smio Satou here at Smokingpipes headquarters. While good food and tobacco were all on the menu during Satou's trip, we also had the opportunity to sit down with the Japanese master and ask him a series of questions about everything from his unique tsuishu accents to ... Read More

Morta pipes have become increasingly common in recent years, but what is morta, really? Essentially, it is semi-petrified oak found underground beneath large bodies of water. One of the best sources for morta is peat bogs, where the acidic and oxygen-poor environment ... Read More

It's always a treat to be able to visit pipe makers in their workshops. Sykes and I make a lot of stops while traveling, and since most pipe makers have a workshop in or at least adjacent to their home, we're not only fortunate enough to be able to curate the best possible selection of pipes straight from their source ... Read More

Silver smithing is one of the more delicate and heavily guarded processes in pipe making. Whether the end result is a gleaming "wedding band" or a stout military mount, shaping and fitting the silver to fit flush with the briar is no easy task. Even if a pipe maker is using pre-cast rings, the medium still ... Read More

Back at the beginning of May, Sykes and I were lucky enough to spend some time in San Diego. We had some business to take care of first, but naturally, we spent the balance of our remaining time hanging out with Jeff Burt-Gracik of J. Alan pipes.

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Love Geiger and Sara Mossberg are two of the most prolific pipe makers in the business right now. Geiger Pipes are classically informed, but quite unique to the extremely talented duo. Shane Ireland recently had the opportunity to sit down with the married couple and talk about their own pipe making process ... Read More

Long ago in Denmark, one marque introduced a precedent that would change the face of the serially produced pipe. This marque was Stanwell, and the precedent was simply that of asking skilled, independent pipe makers to design shapes for their standard lineup. It was a simple, yet ingenious idea ... Read More

When you've been in the game as long as American master Brad Pohlmann, you're bound to end up with at least a few favorite forms. Whether they're standard shapes that one explores over and over again, or experimentations that end up becoming signature shapes, it's these repeated exercises that truly define a pipe maker's body of work. ... Read More

Visiting the Peterson factory for the first time earlier this year was an incredible experience — there was a lot to see and a lot to learn. While I've also found this to be true for several of the larger pipe factories ... Read More