Makers and Artists

In the beginning there was the Dunhill Shell. At least, that's how histories of the sandblasted briar usually go; whether or not Dunhill was in fact the first to come up with a sandblast-finished pipe, I leave to better historians and whatever original source materials they may find. ... Read More

A few days ago, Ryota Shimizu, Smokingpipes.com's representative in Japan, and I visited Kei Gotoh at his workshop in northwestern Tokyo. Gotoh makes only a few pipes a year, a pattern he's maintained since 1987, the year he stopped ... Read More

Todd Johnson is a talented pipe maker. There's no doubt about it. He's done so much to propel the American pipe making movement in the last two decades, as well as completely change the game of the serially produced pipe. ... Read More

Cano A. Ozgener, a Turkish native with a Master's Degree in mechanical engineering, happened across some imperfect meerschaum pipes in his late twenties. Unsatisfied with the quality, he decided to improve them in his spare time. He changed the stemwork, made modifications to the engineering, and began ... Read More

On Saturday, March 5th, Luigi Radice celebrated his 77th birthday. I got there late — almost noon — thanks to a localized snowstorm in Varese, where I'd started that morning. Luca Di Piazza, Luigi, and his sons and fellow Radice pipe makers Marzio and Giancluca were all there. ... Read More

Pipe making has become a universal art. From Greece to Brazil, from California to Japan, makers and artisans dedicated to this most unique of crafts are scattered across the globe. Sure, many of these share similar styles and influences, but geographically, they're very much spread out — save but a handful. ... Read More

I've long been a fan of both Vladimir Grechukhin and Jeff Grecik of J. Alan pipes. The two makers have worked together several times over the last few years as part of Grechukhin's International Project, an open collaboration in which the Russian Master invites other master carvers to his shop to make pipes together. ... Read More

Jody Davis. If you're at all familiar with the artisanal pipe making scene, you've more than likely heard his name. His pipes, however, are some of the hardest handmade pieces to come by — prized by collectors for their unique style, excellent craftsmanship, masterful engineering, and sheer rarity. ... Read More

Ten years and some change ago, Luca di Piazza was working on a project that involved pipe design for a third party, when there came along into his head a Pot that just stuck with him. The shape was never realized for that project, but it didn't wind up on the cutting room floor, either. ... Read More

Alex Florov has spoken to us before about influences and other master-pipemakers whose work he admires, but there's another pipemaker relevant to discussions of Alex Florov pipes. Specifically, an artisan who is relevant because the two share some history as artisans. ... Read More