Pete Prevost's experience as a pipe maker has been a passionate pursuit, fueled by a love for the craft and a love for challenging himself with complex shapes and designs — I recently had the unique opportunity to chat with him and learn more about his background in the industry.

[Truett Smith]: I am joined today by a special friend and pipe maker, Mr. Pete Prevost. He has been making handmade pipes for the past 16 years now. Glad to have you here in person. And it's been fun to hang out not at a pipe show and just get to catch up. Why don't you tell us a bit about your story as a pipe maker?

Pete Prevost's Early Days

[Pete Prevost]: I had gotten into smoking a pipe when I was 18. Fast forward several years later as a musician, I was in a band and we were out on tour and I started collecting some pipes from antique stores. That sparked my interest in attempting to make a pipe, and it was actually one of my bandmates who had the initial idea. I got a pipe kit and ended up doing that. And I just got hooked, man. I got so into the idea of creating something out of this block. At the time it was a pre-drilled pipe kit with a pre-made stem. My first six or seven pipes were made from pipe kits.

Then, I met Jody Davis, who is an incredible pipe maker, and I had known about, learned about, and totally respected him. He's also a musician, so we had that connection there as well. Jody was kind enough to invite me to come over to his shop, where he taught me some of the basics, like how to drill my own block. We didn't get into the stems. Jody taught me to focus on the actual pipe first and be skilled there first. He basically said, "Take your time. You can modify a pre-made stem and you can make that work, but let's just focus on the actual pipe and then get to the stem later." So that's what I did.

We made a few pipes in his shop and then he introduced me to Todd Johnson. He and I were able to work more frequently together cause Jody and I were both touring in bands and on different schedules. So then I started going over to Todd's and spent time in his shop, and he was just a great teacher. At that point, I started learning other parts, like stem making. I didn't realize at the time that that was actually going to be one of the more difficult things to learn about. And I think a lot of people think of it as the easy thing that's just there, but it's totally different. Making a good, quality stem that's comfortable and consistent is difficult because that's the part that's actually touching someone's mouth. I think over time, as you make enough stems, you develop a feel for the thickness, the width, and everything without ever taking calipers and measuring it.

That's how I got into the pipe making side. From there, I just kept working at it and went to the pipe shows. I think it was probably about 12 or so years ago that I started selling pipes at Smokingpipes.

[TS]: Yeah. Nice. I was gonna say, you've been with us as long as I've been here, probably even longer. I was thinking, obviously, you're a musician. You talked about Jody being a musician. I'm sure there are other pipe makers who are musicians. Was there something similar to pipe making and making music that was a common thread that maybe captured your attention and your interest in that sense?

[PP]: I think that there's that creative side of it that appeals to musicians. I know a few other pipe makers who are musicians who are also into brewing their own beer or roasting their own coffee, things like that. Jody actually does all of those and makes his own guitars too. So yeah, he's next level. He covers all of it. I think being in a band, especially when there's downtime during the day while you're waiting to play a show, I had the time to bring some of these things out on the road to work on the pipes. So yeah, I think there's definitely a connection there.

[TS]: Yeah. I can also see a connection. Like you said, there's a creative side, but there's also a technical side of it too. And I was thinking of shaping the stummel versus stem work; the stummel is all creative, all just by feel, by inspiration in the moment, and then the stem is super technical, and obviously the finish and stuff, like drilling, is very technical as well. That's similar to playing music; you've got the creative side, but then, physically, your fingers have to be doing it as well.

Pete's Shaping Style

[TS]: Stylistically, you're pretty well known for smaller pipes and often chubbier, smaller pipes. Is there something that draws you in that direction? Or tell me a little bit about the different shapes you've done.

[PP]: I think some of it is personal preference. I smoke more delicate and small pipes. I gravitate towards making things that I would want, and I think that's a good approach. If I was just trying to create something that didn't fit me at all, it would be unnatural and maybe it wouldn't work out as well. I also like the challenge of it because I think a lot of people think smaller pipes are easier. It's completely the opposite.

We've got a large pipe right here, which is very rare. With bigger pipes, you need a nice block of wood that will work out with a good sandblast. Material utilizing more surface space is more cost-effective. With larger pipes, if you don't like the way things are going, you can shape it in different ways. There's plenty of room to work with, whereas with something small, there's not much room to change directions if you mess up the shape.

Some designs are very delicate, such as a long slender Horn. There's no room for error, so if for some reason you end up hitting a big flaw or you mess up the shape, it's done. I think that I like the challenge of it; I like to push myself to work under a little bit more pressure in that way, but sometimes I get in the mood to make a giant Tomato.

[TS]: For the one we have here specifically, was it inspired by the block that you saw to make it this large?

[PP]: Yeah, I remember making this one not too long ago and it was definitely a nice wide block that had pretty solid growth rings. I figured it was probably going to be a blast because the grain didn't look great, but the growth rings on the wood looked really nice.

[TS]: It's fun to do stuff that maybe some people don't expect and throw a surprise in every now and again.

[PP]: Right, and also I do get some complaints sometimes from people that say, "I wish you'd make some larger pipes because then I might want to buy one." So I've got to throw them a bone every once in a while.

BriarWorks Pipe Making

[TS]: Like we've mentioned, besides making your own handmade pipes, you're also running production at BriarWorks. However, you've also, like some other artisans, designed pipes for BriarWorks, and you designed the shape that is now serially produced by the factory. What is your intention or thought process when choosing what shape to design for BriarWorks?

[PP]: There are some that are obvious no-brainers, but there have been some that creatively I think are missing or that you don't see a lot of in the market for factory-production pipes. Stylistically, I've designed some classic shapes, but then also the more creative, handmade designs.

[TS]: When it came to designing the Original series, what was the thought process there?

[PP]: With the Original series pipe, that one we actually moved over from Icarus, which was an old brand of ours. But to be fair it was based directly off of a personal handmade that I own and that I would smoke. The reason that pipe even came about — and maybe this is what got me into making some more smaller, delicate pipes more regularly — was because on my 30th birthday, my wife ended up talking to Jody's wife and just casually mentioned that I wanted a Jody pipe. Jody ended up giving me a pipe for my birthday, but there was a condition: I had to make him a pipe in return. I cut off a piece of the block when I made the pipe so that it would be a straight pipe, and saved another piece for something else.

And then, at some point not long after, I took that little chunk of wood and made myself this little stubby Apple. It became my daily smoker. Anytime I grabbed a pipe, it was that pipe. And so whenever we started the company, Todd mentioned that I should make that a factory-production shape. And so that was the Original shape.

Bell Stamp

[TS]: That's cool. One pipe I definitely wanted to talk about was this smooth one here. This received your Bell grade, which is your highest grade and your highest stamp. And it's only the third one you've ever done. Tell us about the Bell stamp and what it means to you and what this pipe process was like.

[PP]: Yeah. I know a lot of pipe makers end up having some sort of a high-grade stamp and, whenever I first made a pipe that I just thought was totally exceptional in terms of meticulous shaping and quality grain, I knew it needed some sort of special designation.

[TS]: So the Bell stamp is merited when the natural grain and the man-made shaping merge in a perfect confluence.

[PP]: Yeah, and there was something special to me about that pipe. I don't even know how I came up with the name, but I started thinking about my kids and their initials, and then "Bell" is the combination of their initials and I thought that was perfect. So I stamped it and I put the number "One" on it. I think it was a couple of years later that I made another Bell grade and I stamped it as "Two."

I make a decent amount of smooths, but I'm pretty selective about what I want to be smooth. I would much rather crank out a sandblast and save those really special pieces to be smooth. So this one here was one of those where I loved the way it came together. I love how the grain lined up, the finish, and everything. It was long overdue. I felt like I finally wanted to throw another Bell grade out there.

[TS]: I love how you stamp every Bell with a number designating which Bell grade piece it is. Like you said, a lot of pipe makers have high-grade designations. But I don't know anyone else who's doing the number system. So that's really cool. And it means that 15, 20, 50 years from now, someone who looks at your pipe will know that it is the third one you've ever made, for example.

[PP]: Yeah, I'm glad that you brought that up because a lot of pipe makers have a really good system for stamps. They have it planned out already, they individually number every single pipe, and so on. But I didn't do that. I started to do that. I should have kept doing it. But before I even had a Prevost stamp, I would just stamp, or hand scratch, basically P1, P2, and so forth, and I think I kept that up for the first 20-something pipes, and then I got a stamp and then I just stopped doing that and started putting the year on them.

I think it was about three years ago, I was really bummed that I didn't continue numbering them, so I actually started doing the stamp and the year. I think it's one of those things I haven't really talked about ever, but I think for people who are seeing this or following me, it helps them understand the system a little bit. Which has not been a great system, but I've been trying to make it a system. The Bell is one that I am very glad to have numbered.

[TS]: You've been doing this for just over 15 years, so one every five years gets a Bell grade. That's saying something about the caliber of the Bell grade.

Pete's Passion For Pipe Making

[TS]: So last year you celebrated 15 years and you released a very small run of the first pipe shape you ever made, which was super cool. What do you look forward to in the next 15 years? Is there a direction you're thinking of going?

[PP]: I always think I need to improve, I think that hopefully I'll continue to develop, and the quality will continue to be just as good if not getting better. Like other pipe makers, I pretty much make all of my own tools. So I'll continue to try and improve some of the processes, tooling wise, and that might make some improvements even on my pipes.

For the next 15 years, and beyond that, I want to do this forever. I love doing this. I always want to, on some level, be making handmade pipes.

[TS]: Yeah, absolutely. You also mentioned that a lot of pipe making isn't just making pipes, but also the tooling and machining side of it. How much of that did you know going into it? And is that a thing that you found you also enjoyed? Or is it one of those necessary evils that you do because of your love for making pipes?

[PP]: I'll be honest, it's a necessary evil for me. I'm not anti-doing it. It needs to be done. But I have plenty of pipe maker friends who love doing it. They're really good at it, and I'm so impressed.

[TS]: Some of them even get into pipe making to have an excuse to tinker with tooling.

[PP]: Yeah, and it's awesome. I'm blown away by the time they put into developing tooling for their process. Personally, between running BriarWorks, our lounge, and then everything else, it's hard to find the time. I have a family as well, so it's hard for me to dedicate as much effort as I want to into the handmade side. I make a very limited number of pipes a year. I wish I could make more. That's something over the next 15 years that I would actually like to say that is a goal to increase slowly. It's more about the pipes for me.

Accent Materials

[TS]: Gotcha. So we only have one pipe here with any accent, which is this little Billiard with the cocobolo on it. What are some of your favorite accent materials that you like to work with, or anything besides briar and traditional ebonite?

[PP]: It's funny. I was just looking down here and thinking, wow, I normally wouldn't have this many that just use ebonite. For that one, it's not an accent on the pipe, it's actually on the stem with the two-tone cocobolo. And then we've got a couple here that are military mount, army mount with the brass, but typically I do mix it up. It's not all black ebonite stems, even though that's true to me and is my favorite go-to stem material.

[TS]: I mean, it's been a staple for over a century.

[PP]: I like to use Bakelite stems, even for accent materials such as rings. I love using boxwood. I've done plenty of boxwood rings. I think it was two to four years ago when I first made a boxwood stem and I know you guys have sold some of those. I've done a handful of those. I don't know what inspired that. We had a good stock of boxwood and I think I just decided to make a wood stem with it. That's definitely a lot more work and a lot more filing, and, again, you have wood flaws to think about too. But I've made several now and one of them I even steamed and slightly bent a little bit.

I've used horn a lot with stems. I remember years ago for the Expo, I did the horn Calabash, The Horn. And let me think, what else? What other materials? Stem-wise, I've used mostly a combination of Bakelite, ebonite, and some Juma, along with boxwood and horn.

[TS]: On the Bakelite note, not every American pipe maker uses it, but it's certainly more dominant in the United States artisan scene. What was your introduction to it? And maybe can you speak to what draws in American artisans?

[PP]: I know that Bakelite was used on some old factory pipes back in the day for stem material. I think I've seen some old GBD pipes where the Bakelite almost looked pink on the stem. My introduction to Bakelite as a pipe-making material was from Todd.

When I first started working with Todd, he had a really good stock of it. At some point he let me use some of his material and taught me how to use it. The influence that Todd's had on American pipe makers over time inspired other people to use it. I definitely give Todd a lot of credit for this explosion of U.S. carvers using Bakelite, for sure, and that makes it harder to get. It's also gotten way more expensive.

[TS]: Is it still being produced? Or is everything old stock from the past?

[PP]: I know everything I've ever gotten my hands on is definitely way old. It's completely oxidized. It doesn't look like the same color whatsoever until you cut into it and you see that the rod was once green, but now it's gray. That's pretty common with Bakelite, and that's what I love about it because over time, it changes colors. And I love the way that white Bakelite turns to a creamy yellow color. I think it's so cool.

[TS]: Is it different to work with than ebonite? I've heard it's a little bit more difficult or trickier to work with.

[PP]: It's more delicate in the sense that it can crack easily. It can split if you're not careful. Even putting the drill bit into it too fast can ruin the shaping and cause it to chip out. But, on the flip side of that, sanding it is way better. It's more like working with acrylic, so it goes a lot faster with the sanding process, and it's easier to get out scratches.

[TS]: To get a little bit technical, are you using integrated tenons with Bakelite, or do you typically use a Delrin?

[PP]: I use Delrin on pretty much all of my pipes. It's a really good material that's really consistent. I used to turn my tenons down some. I just found that once they go into a different climate or whatever, the fit just doesn't work as well. It's not as smooth. The Delrin has the perfect amount of lubricated material with a little bit of flex and play to it to where it stays very consistent with the fit. The only ones that I do turn are pipes with a military mount.

Muletown Pipe Show 2025

[TS]: Well, Pete, it's been a pleasure and I look forward to the next time.

[PP]: Thank you for having me, this was great.

[TS]: Shout out to the Muletown Pipe Show, every spring.

[PP]: Yeah, 2025's show will be the weekend of March 14-16. It's a good opportunity for artisan carvers to bring in, showcase, and sell their own handmades; For collectors, it's a really cool show and a unique experience.

[TS]: It's one of my favorites. You've got a great bar, lounge, and hangout spot. Columbia, Tennessee, is an awesome town. Check out the Muletown Pipe Show, March 2025.