RD Pipes by Ron Powell Sandblasted Bent Brandy w/ Spalted Tamarind Briar Pipe, New

Description

American artisan Ron D. Powell has been making pipes for around ten years now, working under the moniker of RD Pipes. But, sadly, all good things must come to an end. A few months ago, Powell announced that he was finally retiring from his pipe making activities, and we were honored when he reached out to us to ask if we would like to purchase the last RD Pipes to sell via our store.
But it’s also bittersweet. The tagline for Powell’s work for a long time has been “Just Honest Hand Made Pipes.” While this is certainly true, it’s also perhaps a little too modest. RD Pipes are exceptionally well made and Powell is an exceptional pipe maker, with an expansive portfolio demonstrating a great versatility, working with all manner of shapes, styles, and materials to a consistently high quality. While we’re more than happy to be carrying RD Pipes, it’s a genuine shame that, after these ones, there will not be any more to follow.

For many years, Ron Powell’s brandy shapes have been especially acclaimed by artisan pipe aficionados. As can be seen in another listing from this first and final batch he sent us, they are both stout and sturdy, while also being good looking pipes. Powell’s always had a keen eye for color, making sure that even his more unorthodox designs remain cohesive and tasteful. This bent brandy, for example is dressed in a smoky, black and brown sandblast finish and fitted with a scarlet red acrylic stem, which is a bold combination to say the least. But Powell’s inclusion of a ferrule cut from spalted tamarind wood tempers the dissonance between the two, making for a much smoother and more natural transition between the dark of the heel and the bright of the button.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.38″ / 35.05mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g