An Un-Natural Pipe

[zack24]

I just realized 8 out of 9 of the pipes I shaped in the past few weeks were natural finishes- time for a little color... (Note to self- wear gloves next time!- aniline dyes take days to wear off your hands...) Also- finally broke down and pulled my trusty Canon out of the closet to shoot these with a tripod and timer- as much as I love my iPhone, it's a lousy way to photograph pipes..)Time for a beer-

 

[cigrmaster]

Zack, that is a beauty, great looking grain and I really like the shape. Well done.

 

[tbradsim1]

Zack,I love that shape, resting in your hand, Budda looks pleased too, Really like your work.

 

[adam2]

what an awesome pipe!

 

[bentmike]

Beautiful grain on that one. Thanks zack for posting up pictures of your pipes. You are an artist.

 

[zack24]

Thanks Guys! I'm really, really tempted to keep this one for myself...

 

[trailspike48]

Zack, back when you posted your first pipe, after coming out of a retirement phase, you stated you purchased a large lot of briar. I have been watching and appreciating your work, so I thought I'd comment on the excellent quality of the briar you purchased. Every pipe you've posted has been beautifully carved out of beautiful briar. Congrats on one more winner. :clap:

 

[zack24]

Thanks Trailspike! I'm really pleasantly surprised at the quality coming from this mill- years ago, I used Grecian Plateaux and sandpits were just a fact of life along with average graining at best. I'll still run into a spot occasionally on this briar, but I can usually work around it. When I started shaping pipes again, I was really determined to get as close to the source as I could- this comes from a mill in the Calabrian region and they only cut Calabrian briar, unlike many suppliers who use a mix of different Mediterranean briars. Not cheap- but I'm loving it!

 

[latbomber]

Awesome flame!

 

[hodirty]

That is a beauty, gorgeous grain. Great work on the shape as well. Since your keeping this one, I hope she smokes well for you, zack! Enjoy!

 

[tjameson]

Beautiful! I really like the finish and shape. I'm partial to those kinda scoop shapes. I also really like the transition from the shank to stem and like that its not just a straight line where they meet.

 

[zack24]

I'm kinda partial to curves- in my women and my pipes...

 

[4dotsasieni]

Zack, that is a gorgeous pipe, and I love the way you've posed it with the Buddha figure. I told Brian Levine the other day that smoking my pipe out on my deck has become my preferred meditation method, and your photo says it all!

 

[foggymountain]

Zack: You made that pipe? Terrific work. Really first rate.

 

[zack24]

4Dots- Shooting pipes on the buddha seems to work...my back yard is like a jungle with the buddha in the middle. Most days on my day job (financing boats and yachts) I sit in bed working on the computer looking out an oversized sliding door into the back yard.
Foggy- Thanks, Finally getting to the point where I'm comfortable with the tools I haven't used before like the metal lathe. Once you can use your tools and not think about the process, the work seems to flow.

 

[tbradsim1]

Zack I would buy one.

 

[zack24]

NOW, that's a compliment!...

 

[soggycitybob]

Beautiful! WANT!

 

[cigrmaster]

Bradley, back away from that pipe. Since Zack lives near me I get first right of refusal. lol

 

[allan]

Zach
I just love that shape and grain. Man, what a beauty! Is there photoshop in there or is that grain and color true?
Allan