Frank Axmacher AA Grade w/ Horn Shank

It's been an extremely busy year and I've had little time to spend on the forum but I just had to post some pics of this beauty.


I've admired much of German pipe maker Frank Axmacher's work for some time now and this piece is right up there with his finest. I came across it on Al Pascia the other day and it was one of those pipes that immediately grabs you and won't let go. You know the ones...


Back in March I had a conversation with Grant Batson regarding some very old horn material he obtained from Frank which Grant used in a pipe he made for me. The horn is English from the 1930's and is the same material Bo Nordh, Lars & Nana Iverson and Former used in their creations. According to Grant, Frank filled his trunk with as much of the horn he could carry so I'm pretty sure this is what he used for this pipe. It's beautifully marbled and exceptionally dry, making it resistant to cracking.


The grain on this baby is first rate with some of the finest birdseye there is. The staining really complements both grain patterns in a rich warm walnut with gold and umber tones. Just gorgeous. The pipe is just the right size with a two inch bowl height.


I can't wait to light a little Sextant or Charing Cross even if it is almost too pretty to smoke.

You're right Bigpond. It's a shame the German makers do not receive the credit or notoriety that their Danish, Italian and American colleagues do in spite of the high quality and beauty of their offerings. Rainer Barbi and Karl-Heinz Joura were/are the exceptions but there are many German makers who's work is as good if not superior to theirs yet they remain relatively unknown. Makers such as Frank Axmacher, Jürgen Moritz, Cornelius Mänz, Paul Becker, Oliver & Max Brandt, Werner Mummert and Eckhard Stöhr come to mind. I really don't know why this disparity exists even though Germany has a long tradition of pipe smoking.

I wish I could take credit for the gorgeous photography work but the good folks at Al Pascia in Milan took these photos. Just as Bigpond said, the photos are done in such a way as to enhance the detail and contrast of the grain and are untouched in any way. What you see is what you get. The photos are taken under ideal lighting conditions and ordinary room lighting may not show the same vibrancy as do the photos. Otherwise the photos are very accurate representations of the pipe.