Nate King Natural Sandblasted “Eastwood” Stack (New)

It is very likely that Indiana’s Nate King had something of a “head start” when he first took up pipe making, by virtue of his previous careers. First employed as a transmission specialist in an IndyCar pit crew, before moving on to work as an aeronautical engineer, King came to pipes already having a wealth of experience working with industrial machinery and an acute understanding of fluid dynamics. On the side, King enjoyed restoring estate pipes and, in the 2000s, he began making pipes of his own, after being taken under the wing (if you’ll excuse the pun) of fellow Indiana artisan Wayne Teipen. In the years since, King has emerged as one of North America’s premier artisans and has received numerous awards for his work, including a Master of Pipes from the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club and a fellowship at France’s Confrérie des Maîtres-Pipiers de Saint-Claude. He is also a frequent collaborator with G.L. Pease, with whom he designs yearly, limited runs of novel pipe shapes.

Some time ago, Nate King was asked if he would be interested in making a series of pipes inspired by Spaghetti Westerns, such as those of Sergio Leone. The “Eastwood” was one of the fruits of that endeavor, and has since become one of his signature shapes. Named for the actor who played Leon’s iconic Man with No Name, it is an unusual design, but not without the elegance and classicism that defines so much of King’s work. In a manner not entirely unlike the old Charatan countryman, the Eastwood strikes a profile somewhat reminiscent of its namesake’s broad-brimmed cap, while also having something of a “tankard” poker quality to it.”

This rendition adds a crisp, ring grain sandblast to the Eastwood’s signature figure, along with a dash of live plateau burl at its rim, and a black ebonite mouthpiece. As one of King’s natural sandblasted works, its finish is comprised of only a lightly oiled and waxed dress, letting the briar underneath do all of the talking.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 43g