Gimli's Travel pipe is a fairly simple sitter, a strong pipe with a wooden stem. The stem is maple instead of vulcanite. The bowl is straight grain plateaux briar. The briar is not stained and the stem is stained with a black stain. This is my first attempt at a wood stem and am quite satisfied with the result. It is also my first pipe with a stem I made on it.
I call it Gimli's travel pipe, because despite what the movie would have us believe I don't really think that all the Lord of the Ring characters traveled with outrageously long Churchwardens. Sure, those are beautiful pipes but when you're walking for miles fighting with sword and ax, carrying all your own gear you don't want to bring you churchwarden and risk breaking it. You need an old standard. something strong, pleasant to smoke and nice to look at and preferably shorter than your sword. None would have known this better than Gimli.
I was first disappointed that you didn't go with "the judgment gavel" (that should be the inspiration for you next piece btw...) but after reading your explanation for this title, its very fitting, and very true.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could make one that could even double as a weapon if Gimli were to lose his trusty ax.
ps. I laid some breadcrumbs to your blog: http://ourliveactiveculture.blogspot.com/2011/09/fulfilling-apspirations.html
oh, and the wood stem? beautiful.
ReplyDeletewhen I finally get around to commissioning a piece from you I'm definitely going to get you to make a wood stem.
I have a scrap of leopard wood left over from a recent job that I am going to try to get a couple of stems out of, I'm going to try a bent wood stem also.
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