Nate Rose (C.C.) Contrast Sandblasted Canadian (Estate)

About this pipe:

As I always say, when it comes to pipe makers, what Canada lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. Nate Rose is no exception. A former student of the legendary Canadian artisan Michael Parks, Rose first turned his expertise as an automotive engineer into a career as a pipe maker in the mid-2010s. One of his first endeavors in this vein was a collaboration with Michael Parks on the Commonweal project, which Parks personally selected Rose for. Commonweal pipes took their name from the British Commonwealth, as they were made from stummels turned by Les Wood, of Ferndown, which Parks finished and Rose cut stems for. Though he remains firm friends with Parks, Rose operates as a purely solo carver these days, putting out high-grade pipes via his Rose Pipes. Mixing a expressed fondness for classic Anglo-French shapes with a genuinely experimental streak, Rose can be counted alongside some of his fellow countrymen, such as Parks, Julius Vesz, and Todd Bannard, as well as others in the wider artisan scene, as a pipe maker at the very forefront of the contemporary neoclassical movement.

Canadian renditions feature prominently in Nate Rose’s output. Sometimes these take the form of novel hybrids that merge long, oval shanks with elements of other staples, such as his opera-bowled “Edward,” but a fair few are much more classical as far as shaping goes. Aside from its live plateau edge rim, this particular pipe is an example of the latter, and it also happens to be a rather special one at that. Rose is known for his pursuit of gnarly, grain-focused sandblast finishes, and when one of his pipes exhibits an especially deep and consistent relief, it receives a “C.C.” grade, which stands for “Craggy Canadian.” To bring said relief even further to the fore, this one is dressed in a contrast finish that subtly accentuates its ring grain patterning.

The condition is great. Minor rim darkening, but overall the pipe has been well looked after.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.69 / 17.52mm

Bowl Depth: 1.64″ / 41.65mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g