Johs XL Sandblasted Stacked Freehand (Unsmoked Estate)

Denmark’s Mogens “Johs” Johansen made his first pipe in 1983, beginning as a self-taught artisan while receiving guidance from his friend, the late Peter Hedegaard. Johs established his own workshop in the mid-1980s, with his pipes quickly garnering significant acclaim. In fact, Joh’s became such a sensation in the Danish pipe smoking community that, at one point, he had to close his doors to the wider public as he was getting so many visitors that it was interrupting his work. Among the growing number of admirers of Johs’s work was none other than the legendary Bjarne Nielsen, who snapped up the former to make Bjarne pipes in 1992. Alongside Tonni Nielsen, Ph. Vigen, and Ole Bandholm, Johs ultimately became one of the main craftsmen behind the Bjarne brand. After Nielsen’s sudden passing in 2008, Johs returned his focus to making pipes under his own name, while also running the Gaden Pibemagerie pipe shop with his wife, Doris. As is common in the Danish artisan community, Johs has since paid forward the debt owed to his debt to Hedegaard by helping to cultivate newer generations of pipe makers, mentoring artisans such as Knud Bech, Johannes Hoffman, Dieter Gottschling.

Mogens Johansen spent years carving freehands under Bjarne Nielsen, so it’s no surprise that he’s one of the most skilled artisans working in that genre today. But it’s not just freehand shaping that Johs excels at, as he’s also a master at bringing out the grain of the briar blocks he works with. This is especially true for his sandblasted pieces, like this stacked freehand, whose ring grain reliefs and deep burgundy top-coats stand toe to toe with many a legendary English make.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating, and comes with its original sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 2.23″ / 56.64mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g