Jess Chonowitsch

The Hygge of Danish Pipe Making

September 24, 2021 by Truett Smith

14 Comments

Widely considered the Mecca of pipe making, Denmark is home to some of the most illustrious and prolific pipe makers in the world. The Danes are credited with pioneering artisan pipe making, and they've both contributed a distinctive pipe design aesthetic and developed engineering techniques and standards that have elevated the craft. ... Read More

Stanwell Shapes and Origins

April 9, 2020 by Truett Smith

2 Comments

Alongside classic English and French pipemakers, Stanwell holds a significant place in pipe history. Due to the briar shortages of WWII, and the chaos that overwhelmed both France and Britain — as well as Italy from where a large quantity of briar was sourced — Danish pipe smokers couldn't obtain pipes from England ... Read More

How to Pronounce Pipe Maker Names

February 19, 2020 by Truett Smith

13 Comments

It's never my intention to insult someone's intelligence (but sometimes I do). It's also never my intention to mispronounce someone's name (but sometimes I do). Mispronunciation is a particular potential if a person's name follows the phonetic standards of a language other than my native English — ... Read More

Jess Chonowitsch: A Legend Mentored By Legends

July 19, 2019 by Chuck Stanion

6 Comments

At the center of every hobby are practitioners who build reputations on the exceptional quality of their work. Those who collect knives, firearms, fishing rods, or virtually anything else that can be handmade, know who makes the finest products in their hobby. Some craftspeople commend themselves with superior skills, at a higher level than most can ever hope to accomplish. Like musicians or actors, some are just enormously talented. Some are geniuses. ... Read More

All Pipes Considered: Shane Ireland Part Two

February 26, 2018 by Adam O'Neill

In this second All Pipes Considered on Shane's collection, we talk about what he looks for in a pipe, how he ties it back to his collection, plus Danish pipe making in general.

All Pipes Considered: Shane Ireland Part One

February 15, 2018 by Adam O'Neill

1 Comment

Oh how the turntables as I put Shane in the hot seat in a new episode of All Pipes Considered, wherein we talk about the Danish portion of Shane's collection, including some of his favorites from Jess Chonowitsch, Hans "Former" Nielsen, and Tom Eltang.

Chonowitsch: There And Back Again

November 10, 2017 by Chuck Stanion

5 Comments

Jess Chonowitsch had achieved legendary distinction long before I became involved in this wide world of pipe smoking. I'd read about him. His stature was mythological. He didn't reside on my plane of existence, but at some rarefied elevation where his work could be admired from sea level only in images. If pipe culture was ... Read More

Jess Chonowitsch: At The Heart Of Functionalism

November 10, 2017 by Sykes Wilford

2 Comments

Mies van der Rohe, the famous modernist German-American architect and designer, coined the aphorisms "God is in the details" and "less is more." He was referring primarily to architecture, specifically his famous "skin and bones" approach to building design, but there's no question that he was also referring ... Read More

Our First Batch of Rescued Pipes

February 28, 2017 by Adam O'Neill

11 Comments

As some of you may have noticed, we recently dropped a new category into our estate pipes selection: Pipe Rescue. In short, these are pipes that needed a little more love than our usual restoration process could provide. The slightly ... Read More

Danish Chronology: Trip Overview, Part 1

July 18, 2010 by Sykes Wilford

Kevin Godbee, of PipesMagazine.com, and I arrived on different flights from the US, but within a few minutes of each other. After taking care of airport necessaries and a quick stop at the hotel to clean up, we set out for Peter Heding. ... Read More