SU Pipes XL Smooth Blowfish w/ Stabilized Maple Burl Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

You may have wondered, as I often do, what would happen if professional meerschaum carver was to turn their attention to briar wood, and to make pipes out of that instead. While many early briar pipe manufacturers, such as Frederick Charatan, made just such a transition back in the late 19th century, both briar and meerschaum pipe manufacture have changed significantly in the century since, making for an interesting opportunity. Enter Sebahattin Urgan of SU Pipes, former apprentice to Eskişehir’s master of meerschaum Emre Bay and now an expert carver in his own right. Urgan’s talents have in recent years extended to handcrafting briar pipes, having been greatly inspired by the legends of Scandinavian and post-Scandinavian design.

A bulbous bowl, a flattened, under-traveling heel, and a shank that flares and curls in upon itself can only mean one thing: the modern classic that is the blowfish. Or, at least, one of many archetypal forms this marine-themed designs has taken since its conception by Lars Ivarsson. This large rendition from Sebahattin Urgan is beautifully grained, with a slightly more squat bowl that almost appears to “stretch” the straight grain that lines it. A dash of plateaux burl at the pipe’s rim and shank ends provides a nice contrast with its softer, constitutive lines, while an accent cut from stabilized maple shines against the backdrop of the bowl’s light, natural finish. As this is one of Urgan’s favorite pieces, it comes with a custom-fitted clam-shell case.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.64″ / 41.65mm

Weight: 3.9oz / 112g