RD Pipes by Ron Powell XL Sandblasted Silver Spigot Poker Strawberry Briar Pipe, New

Description

American artisan 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.

This pipe, for example, show’s off Powell’s ability to execute a classic form (the poker), using a material that is somewhat out of the wheelhouse of many pipe makers (strawberry briar, also known as Arbutus), and to turn his own sterling silver mount, something that, in itself, often requires formal training with a silversmith to master. The pipe is a little longer than the average poker; it’s also a little lighter than one would expect. But it passes that fundamental test of all pokers, cherrywoods, and similar shapes: it sits. As for the strawberry briar, it’s a material that is a little softer than briar from tree heath, but it’s used by pipe makers because, in addition to being similarly heat resistant to the latter, it is particularly receptive to sandblasting, creating the sublime relief patterns seen here.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 2.03″ / 51.56mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g