OK, it's not a J.T. Cooke, exactly. It's actually one of the pipes Cooke made for Barry Levin and Levin Pipes International in the 80s or early 90s. Nonetheless, it's a really well made pipe with a smooth, but not too open, draw -- qualities that seem to be a hallmark of Cooke's craftsmanship.
I'm about to fire it up with some Frog Morton's Cellar, but I'm most interested in the rustication technique Cooke used on this pipe. It's meant to mimic a ring-grain blast, but I'm not sure that any sand blasting was used at all. Instead, it looks like the rustication was done with some kind of drill or Dremel, while the briar that isn't grooved by rustication appears to have had a wire brush used on it. I wonder if it's this kind of work that led Cooke to develop his famous sand-carving technique later on.
I'm about to fire it up with some Frog Morton's Cellar, but I'm most interested in the rustication technique Cooke used on this pipe. It's meant to mimic a ring-grain blast, but I'm not sure that any sand blasting was used at all. Instead, it looks like the rustication was done with some kind of drill or Dremel, while the briar that isn't grooved by rustication appears to have had a wire brush used on it. I wonder if it's this kind of work that led Cooke to develop his famous sand-carving technique later on.
