Dirk Heinemann Sandblasted Dublin w/ Fossilized Whale Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

There are certain backgrounds that might be said to give an advantage to aspiring pipe makers. One, of course, is hailing (and learning) from a dynasty of masters, such as in the case of the Ivarsson and Rasmussen families of Denmark, or the Morel family of France. Another regards early education and career choices, such as the fine and the practical arts. It is quite likely that Germany’s Dirk Heinemann benefited from the latter—or, at the very least, his past life is palpable in how he presents his work. Though he’d always been a keen pipe smoker, Heinemann first started out as a carpenter, apprenticing for three years in the trade. Then he attended the University of Hanover, where he studied product design for the next five years. From then on, Heinemann was never not working with wood in some capacity. As far as backgrounds go, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better one when making the leap into artisan pipes. Heinemann would ultimately make that leap—assisted by fellow German Axel Glasner, with whom he studied—and inspired by an eclectic mix of past and present greats—from Bo Nordh and Tom Eltang to the aforementioned Axel Glasner and Christian Wolfsteiner.

As far as pipe proportions go, Dirk Heinemann’s pipes tend to subscribe to the mantra that “less is more.” But, as the saying goes, it’s not the size that matters, but what you do with it. Dirk Heinemann does a lot. This pocket-friendly, plateaux-topped synthesis of forms is a good example, combining elements from Dublin, Zulu, and horn shapes, as well as a distinctive flattening of the shank that adds to an overall sense of forward momentum. The finishing is one of a crisp and just about perfect ring grain sandblast, dressed in a contrast stain, while the pipe is additionally accented by a ferrule carved from fossilized whale spine.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.19″ / 30.22mm

Weight: 2.7oz / 54g