The Lucky WIzard

It's been a while now since I've created a wizard pipe. I  decided to combine the idea of my lucky pipe with the my freehand wizard design and thus was created the Lucky wizard. this pipe has substantially thicker walls on the bowl than the lucky pipe which became a concern of mine the more I looked at it. I do like freehand pipes but they quickly become very similar and as I am trying to stay on the more unique side of pipe designs I don't want to wear out a good thing to quickly. I did want to try the green Dye again and it looks great on the italian brair. This is most certainly my last St. Patrick's day inspired pipe of the year. I am hoping to turn my eyes back toward the Lord of the Rings Travel pipes soon, strong, sturdy pipes with wooden stems.

The Irish Potato

I like the potato pipes and this one sports a lucite stem. They are basic pipes but the eyes give each one it's own flavor. I know that Irish potatoes are one of the most over used stereotypes and this stereotype is only made more fascinating by the fact that potatoes, like tobacco, are a new world plant. So no one really knows what the Irish ate before Columbus discovered America.  Enjoy.

The Lucky Pipe

I've made a couple pipes in honor of the upcoming St. Patrick's day. This tobacco pipe is the first that I am posting. The most striking feature is obviously the bowl shape. After having experimented with square bowls I feel pretty confident in using other shapes. So this is my first attempt at a four leaf clover. It might also remind one of a bubble pipe design which we all had as children. 

This Pipe also has a green hue which is the result of using both a blue dye and a light walnut dye. I removed more dye than I usually do, allowing the grain to really shine through and there is some beautiful grain to show off. 

A Well Balanced Hammer (plus a free game)

There is a great game I have been taught called "Stump". To play you will need a stump (preferably hardwood),  a hammer, and a nail for each person who is playing (16 or 20 penny in length). Each person starts his nail into the stump. You want most of nail still exposed but started deep enough that it won't just pop out if it's hit weird (that's one way of losing the game). The goal is to knock everyone else's nails into the stump before your own nail gets knocked into the stump, the last nail standing wins. The hammer makes it's way around the circle of people playing and each person tosses for strikes. This is where it is both fun and dangerous, use your intelligence and give the person throwing plenty of space. The person throws the hammer and must catch it again on the handle. The rotation of the handle is a multiplier, one rotation x1, two rotations x2, three rotations x3, four, well I've never seen that happen so do what you want with it. The base number depends on the throw, straight up in front of you is 1, thrown from under the leg is 2, thrown behind the back is 3. So if I throw the hammer from under my leg (2) and it has 3 full rotations (x3) I get 6 strikes I can use to pound in other peoples nails. If you don't catch the hammer at all or if you don't catch it on the handle you don't get any strikes. When your nail is completely pounded in beneath the surface of the stump you are out. Enjoy this great little game and my newest pipe, The Well Balanced Hammer. 

The Well Balanced Hammer is an amazing sitter. The pipe balances on what would be the claws of the hammer and has such a light and beautiful look. DeProfundis suggest making my pipes look lighter by having them curve under towards the bottom and I think this one fits the ticket. 

Aggiornamento: Cultural Exhibition

Ever since December I have been participating in an Art show. A good friend of mine Mark Thomason, who heads up Thomason Art Group and is the main instigator of the show, hunted down the hall for us and has put in all kinds of time and effort. Each month we've been trying to add something. From the beginning we have had my own pipes, several painters, a ceramics artist, and a couple of photographers. Last month we had a iconographer join us and a sketch artist. We have had live music Friday night for a couple of months. Last month we had our first Art Demo for kids on Saturday afternoon. This next month we are calling for writers looking especially for short stories and poems to post on the walls. And drinks are available throughout. 

Our next show is this weekend. Friday, February 3 our show is open from 6-10 p.m. and on Saturday, February 4 our hours are 1-5 p.m. Are show is located down at the Knights of Columbus Hall near the Cathedral, 1555 Grant St. Denver, CO. Please do show up, bring a friend or several. It is a blast.

The Elephant

I have been fascinated by a pipe I recently saw that had ridges and so I decided to experiment with that technique. Ridges are difficult. The ridges on The Elephant tobacco pipe did not come out perfectly but I still satisfied with them.

A lot of different names were suggested for this pipe, probably the most common name has been the snail but someone suggested that it looked like an elephant head, with the stem as the trunk and know that's all I can see. I hope you enjoy.

The Trunk and the Branch

People frequently ask me where I get the ideas for my pipes. Specifically, I am asked if I, like Michelangelo, chip away at the wood until I bring out the briar's true form. Until now my usual response  has been a confused look and a nondescript grunt. However, after having carved The Trunk and the Branch tobacco pipe I have gained an inkling of what all that means. 

I am still amazed at how far I deviated from my initial design which was similar to Gimli's Travel Pipe. As I started to shape the pipe different and better shapes presented themselves to me from the block of Briar. What could I do? I discarded my designs and followed the fantastic shapes the briar presented to me. I am beyond pleased with it's final form, a great little sitter that looks like a tree trunk with a branch veering off from it.