Max Capps Smooth Cobra w/ Aged Redwood Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Like many artisans, California’s Max Capps first entered the contemporary pipe scene doing pipe repairs. A former architect, he began exploring pipe restoration in 2009 and became so successful that, to this day, Capps’ services for pipe repairs and general refurbishment remain some of the most in-demand on the market. But Capps is also a highly sought-after pipe maker, having taken his first steps into the craft in the early 2010s. While Capps is extraordinarily versatile in his creations (and even fabricates leather clamshell cases for his own pipes and for customers’ requests), he is perhaps most known for his bent shapes, taking cues from traditional Anglo-French designs and radically re-inventing them for modern tastes. This is done partly with specialized drilling tools and techniques, allowing Capps to accentuate the angles of classical designs to a degree that would be impossible for almost anyone else. His LC shapes, for instance, are the stuff of legend, and are arguably even more impressive than the finest examples made by Dunhill themselves. But even his more subtle compositions are marked by sweeping curvatures that are somehow never inelegant. I’ve labeled this one as a cobra, and while it isn’t completely in line with the Scandinavian staple, it maintains a snaking profile (pun intended), wide front face, and hallmark use of cross grain along its flanks that certainly move it beyond the territory of the mere “bent billiard.” As is something of a signature for Capps’ pipes, this one looks to have a stem inlay cut from well-aged, vintage redwood timber from his home state.

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original leather sleeve.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g