RD Pipes by Ron Powell Contast Sandblasted Bulldog Briar Pipe, New

Description

Ron D. Powell has been making pipes for around ten years now, working under the moniker of RD Pipes. But, sadly, all good things must come to an end. A few months ago, Powell announced that he was finally retiring from his pipe making activities, and we were honored when he reached out to us to ask if we would like to purchase the last RD Pipes to sell via our store.
But it’s also bittersweet. The tagline for Powell’s work for a long time has been “Just Honest Hand Made Pipes.” While this is certainly true, it’s also perhaps a little too modest. RD Pipes are exceptionally well made and Powell is an exceptional pipe maker, with an expansive portfolio demonstrating a great versatility, working with all manner of shapes, styles, and materials to a consistently high quality. While we’re more than happy to be carrying RD Pipes, it’s a genuine shame that, after these ones, there will not be any more to follow.

As mentioned, Powell is a versatile pipe maker but, as also mentioned in another listing, there are a few genres of shapes that are staples in his portfolio. In the case of that other listing, which I recommend checking out, one RD Pipes staple was Danish-American brandy. In the case of this one, it’s a decidedly muscular take on the classic, Anglo-French bent bulldog. Though in this instance a relatively light sandblast has been applied, it nonetheless brings into relief the growth rings of its briar on the bottom half of its bowl, as well as pockets of bird’s-eye at the top, with the rim speckled like a desert plain after a meteor shower.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.34″ / 34.03mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g