Sebastian Heck Sandblasted Calabash w/ Stabilized Poplar Burl Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

Sebastian Heck is part of younger generation of highly skilled artisans to have emerged from Germany in recent years. Based in Heidelberg, Heck took up pipe smoking—and, ultimately, pipe-making—as part of a conscious effort toward slowing down in an otherwise constantly accelerating modern world. Like many pipe makers, Heck took his first steps into the craft as a restorer of estate and heirloom pieces, which in time brought with it an expansion of his workshop and the tools housed within it. With this as a base, creating new pipes of his own was a natural progression. Heck’s development has been greatly influenced by the Danish and German schools of pipe design, and has included time spent learning directly from fellow German artisans, such as Dirk Heinemann.

The calabash has seen a fascinating revival in the 21st century, and from artisan pipe-makers no less. From Tom Eltang, to J. Alan, to Mimmo Provenzano, pipe makers are putting their own spin on a shape older than the briar pipe itself. This rendition, from Germany’s Sebastian Heck, follows in that vein. Taking the form of a one-piece calabash, the pipe features a beautifully sandblasted, ring grain finish, with a reserved, near-black finish and black ebonite stem. Most distinctive about this rendition, however, is its “cap.” Instead of the more typical boxwood or beech that is often used to adorn modern artisan calabashes, this one features rings of stabilized around its rim and shank end, whose marble-like striations almost remind of fossilized mammoth tooth.

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g