Big Swan Neck Billiard Fixation

[Ducreapa193]

I don't know how I got here but I find myself captivated by the form of large bent swan-necked billiards. I consider the Dunhill 120, Sasieni's Viscount Lascelles, and the Parker and Savory (patent)189 my grail pipes. I have a pretty robust collection of pipes but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on any of those big beautiful bent billiards.

I have probably read everything about the Dunhill 120 and the Viscount on this thread but I have never really gotten any information on how they smoke. I would hate to throw so much cash at a bad smoker. Are they anyone's favorite pipes or are they just a trophy to bring out on special occasions and enjoy the horrific gurgling and impracticality of the pipe as a smoker? Perhaps this is what gives me pause... Does anyone have thoughts about the practicality and capability of these pipes, specifically the Sasieni and Dunhill?

Big bonus points if anyone has any suggestions of other similar, maybe slightly more cost-effective pipes that would scratch that itch until I decide to pony up for a Dunhill or Sasieni. Should they stay my online eye candy or should I make the leap and break out the Captain Black Grape I have been saving for that sacred moment?

 

[xrundog]

I don’t know if they are still available, but the Merchant Service 1935 is in that genre and more affordable.

 

[georged]

Does anyone have thoughts about the practicality and capability of these pipes, specifically the Sasieni and Dunhill?

I have a 7-day set of 120's that range from 1924 to the 1970's, and covers all the finishes that were available during that time.

Also have a Sasieni VL from the early 1930's.

Wonderful pipes one and all. Recommended.

My favorite of the bunch is the Sasieni, though. Fantastic workmanship and execution, and the smoothest smoker.

Something I always found both weird and fascinating is the variability of the Dunhills' shank/bowl angle over their production years. No two quite the same. (go figure)

 

[Ducreapa193]

I don’t know if they are still available, but the Merchant Service 1935 is in that genre and more affordable.

Thank you! I have certainly seen them! They look impressive and may have to give Blue Room some business.

 

[Hillcrest]

Check or sponsor SmokingPipes.com or Smoking pipes.Eu ---- Search "Swan Neck" in search bar. Briarworks C13 is a reasonably priced Swan Neck as is the Peterson POTY 2023, and Rathbone. Occasionally the French makers Genod and chacom will have one as well. Dunhill still makes a swan neck but it is a bit more pricey.

 

[Ducreapa193]

I have a 7-day set of 120's that range from 1924 to the 1970's, and covers all the finishes that were available during that time.

Also have a Sasieni VL from the early 1930's.

Wonderful pipes one and all. Recommended.

My favorite of the bunch is the Sasieni, though. Fantastic workmanship and execution, and the smoothest smoker.

Something I always found both weird and fascinating is the variability of the Dunhills' shank/bowl angle over their production years. No two quite the same. (go figure)

I would kill to see those and thank you! That's proof right there... no one would collect a 7-day set of a pipe that didn't smoke well! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a 120 that doesn't have paper thin walls or contains 50% pipe mortar.

As a point of curiosity...I do have a line on several Sasieni Old England pipes, shape 56 or the VL. Any experience with those seconds?

 

[VDL_Piper]

Whilst these are not magnums I find it very hard to find a current carver that does this shape better than Mar Telo but they aren't cheap either!

 

[georged]

I would kill to see those and thank you!

Here are five of the 120's, and the Sasieni (couldn't find the links to the other two)

Dunhill Shape 120 Redbark (Factory Error) :: British Pipes

Dunhill made sweeping changes in the early 1970s. They stopped matching the briar source to the finish, changed stain formulations, introduced the Redbark finish, went with a thicker bite zone & button, dropped many shapes, and "re-named" the ones they kept with new shape numbers. A few pipes...

pipesmagazine.com

1924 Dunhill Bruyere (shape 120) :: British Pipes

Bending the stems of bent pipes into an arched "swan neck" shape was once very much the fashion in the PipeWorld in the same way its opposite---near-periscope verticality---is popular today. The 1920's was prime time for it, and this 1924 specimen is a good example. Obviously, wood grain...

pipesmagazine.com

1963 Dunhill Tanshell (shape 120) :: British Pipes

This particular 120 is the "straightest" one I've seen. It seems odd that something as fundamental as the angle between the shank and bowl would vary significantly within a numbered shape, but there you go. Dunhill is nothing if not occasionally eccentric (in the finest English tradition, of...

pipesmagazine.com

1975 Dunhill Root Briar (shape 120) :: British Pipes

Starting in the 1970s things changed at Dunhill in ways that made good specimens more difficult to find. The wood was definitely as good as ever, but the shaping was hit-and-miss, and the stem work would rarely have made it past QA in earlier decades. The good news about most bad stem work is...

pipesmagazine.com

1965 Dunhill Bruyere (shape 120) :: British Pipes

Some guys are straight grain collectors, others are eye-popping birdseye collectors. Me? I've always been drawn to something I call "granite grain." Super-tight end grain bowls that don't have any (or many) dots, but, up close, look more like compressed paisley than anything else, and from...

pipesmagazine.com

Patent-era Sasieni "Viscount Lascelles" To Die For :: Pipe Talk

In the collecting world, from cars to watches to pipes, there are ultra-rare, never used, never sold "time capsule" specimens, and there are desirable specimens, but they hardly ever overlap. Meaning, not many people care about a zero-miles Yugo with the option sticker still in the window, but...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[VDL_Piper]

This pipe does my head in too. Faceted bowl and shank with swan neck and contrast stain, can’t even begin to grasp how difficult this is to achieve.

 

[First Sealord]

Northern Briars makes this shape. I've seen some examples of it.

 

[Hillcrest]

I too wanted to try the swan neck shape without breaking the bank. This is my Vauen Olaf #4873 bent egg which is on the larger size of a regular size pipe with a 20mmx46mm chamber. Its my most comfortable pipe and very light weight. Its in regular if not daily rotation. Runs about $120 or less on sale. The Nana version of this shape is often on SPC or SPE at reduced prices.

 

[bayareabriar]

I don't know how I got here but I find myself captivated by the form of large bent swan-necked billiards. I consider the Dunhill 120, Sasieni's Viscount Lascelles, and the Parker and Savory (patent)189 my grail pipes. I have a pretty robust collection of pipes but I haven't been able to pull the trigger on any of those big beautiful bent billiards.

I have probably read everything about the Dunhill 120 and the Viscount on this thread but I have never really gotten any information on how they smoke. I would hate to throw so much cash at a bad smoker. Are they anyone's favorite pipes or are they just a trophy to bring out on special occasions and enjoy the horrific gurgling and impracticality of the pipe as a smoker? Perhaps this is what gives me pause... Does anyone have thoughts about the practicality and capability of these pipes, specifically the Sasieni and Dunhill?

Big bonus points if anyone has any suggestions of other similar, maybe slightly more cost-effective pipes that would scratch that itch until I decide to pony up for a Dunhill or Sasieni. Should they stay my online eye candy or should I make the leap and break out the Captain Black Grape I have been saving for that sacred moment?

Sasieni over the Dunhill, unless you’re getting into the magnum size ones (maybe that’s what you’re referring to?) which I’ve never smoked. What is your budget? I can keep an eye out for you.

 

[lraisch]

I can only comment on the Viscount Lascelles. Mine came to me as an estate but had clearly never been smoked. Unfortunately, the button cracked almost immediately, and I had to have a proper new stem made.

It's a good smoker and does not have a gurgling problem like some full bents. Mine is not broken in yet as its large bowl means I only smoke it occasionally.

 

[kcghost]

Being somewhat frugal you'll aren't in the market for any of Michael Parks' work.

 

[Sigmund]

This pipe does my head in too. Faceted bowl and shank with swan neck and contrast stain, can’t even begin to grasp how difficult this is to achieve.
View attachment 335591

That is one BEAUTIFUL Pipe!

 

[driftedshank1]

This pipe does my head in too. Faceted bowl and shank with swan neck and contrast stain, can’t even begin to grasp how difficult this is to achieve.
View attachment 335591

The Martelo "LC' style" shapes are beautifully done with great care and planning. Since I believe he's not using a curved drilling tool to drill the draft hole, he's got to be very skilled, very precise. Todd Bannard has made some great pipes which capture the style as well. I get the impression from Bannard's writings that achieving a well done pipe of this type is quite a challenge.

 

[craiginthecorn]

Max Capps makes a very nice LC-ish pipe and can even make a case for them.

 

[Ducreapa193]

This pipe does my head in too. Faceted bowl and shank with swan neck and contrast stain, can’t even begin to grasp how difficult this is to achieve.
View attachment 335591

Mind-Blowing! Who is the maker?

 

[camaguey]

Many people call swan neck to simple bent pipes. The concept is clear on old dunnies LC , some old GBD , Martello, Parks , Amorelli Paris, some old french briars , etc. But so many simple bents are called like that that the concept is loosing its sense.

 

[camaguey]

I just checked on ebay for swan neck and only one is a real one. It is a early 1900's pipe. The rest are just bent pipes.