Cannoy Suede Finish

[lestrout]

tslex said in another thread: "I am a huge rustication fan and have never seen anything quite like what you do. This, for example: Cannoy pipe
The rustication is simultaneously very fine and very craggy. Simply amazing. (ETA: I see you call it a "suede blast" which makes sense. Is it actually a blast, not a rust? Either way, gorgeous.)"
This reminds me of my Brakner's finish. I am told Brakner had a proprietary blast technique, which was never disclosed.
hp

les

 

[bigboi]

Yes lestrout. Cannoy's Suede blasts are very beautiful. They are my pipe above all other pipes I want to own.

 

[docwatson]

I haven't heard of this finish until Les wrote this post. It certainly does look like suede, very uniform and shallow surface blast. I know that the European market enjoys this finish after speaking with Bill Taylor years ago. Bill stated that the German market always preferred his shallow smoother sandblast finish and that the American market always wanted the craggiest finish they could get. Walt has an incredible talent for bringing out some amazing designs and finishes on his master works. Thanks for showing us this Cannoy suede finish, awesome!

 

[dutch65]

I remember seeing a photo on Facebook that Walt posted, with the same suede blast. I think it makes for a really classy looking pipe. Simply gorgeous!

 

[kashmir]

I'm a big fan of Walt Cannoy's pipes. Just haven't gotton one yet. I think this suede blast is gorgeous. Very cool. Would like to see other examples.

 

[wcannoy]

Thanks for the comments, everybody! The suede-blast was a long time in the making, and the very slow blasting process continues to be a labor of love. While doing a lot of experimenting with blasting equipment, media, process and settings, I sort of stumbled upon the combination that yielded these results. The beauty of this blast is the fact that is blasts half of the grain very, very deep, while leaving the other half virtualy untouched. This means the the overall shape of the pipe is not distorted by the blasting!
Here's some closeups of the birdseye/crossgrain portion of a pipe after blasting and before staining:

Same image, but even closer:

There are only a few of these suede-blasted pipes in circulation right now, as I have only been making these for a few months, but I can't wait to get more of them into the hands of pipesmokers everywhere. The photos are nothing compared to seeing one up close and in person! There are a few available, and several photos of the suede-blast finish online. With respect to the forum rules, I will only say that one of the forum sponsors, smokingpipes.com, still had at least one Cannoy Suede-Blast pipe avalable, last time I checked...
Cheers

-Walt

 

[dlattim]

Wow, absolutely beautiful! I must figure out how to add one of these to my collection. :clap: :worship:

 

[bigboi]

I am very much a fan of Walt's suede blast finish...I will own one of those pipes one day.

 

[rmbittner]

If you all haven't heard the Pipes Magazine Radio Show interview with Walt Cannoy, it's archived here, Episode 24. http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/the-pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-24/
BTW, I'm surprised how many folks here apparently aren't listening to the weekly podcast. I didn't like it much at first, but I have to say that its quirky charms have really grown on me. Definitely worth checking out at least several episodes before you decide it's not for you. (And it's playable on anything from your computer to your smartphone to your tablet.)
Bob

 

[ssjones]

I did enjoy Walts interview and the talk about this finish. Those close-up pictures are spooky! What an innovative process.

 

[teufelhund]

Wow; I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these... How much will one of these set you back?

 

[wcannoy]

Wow; I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these... How much will one of these set you back?

Teufelshund,
Depending on the pipe and where you buy it, current offerings are running from $380 to $460
Cheers

Walt

 

[cigrmaster]

Very cool looking. One more artisan I have to add to my list. Price seems very reasonable as well.

 

[wcannoy]

Very cool looking. One more artisan I have to add to my list. Price seems very reasonable as well.

The best pipe you can get at that price, or more for that matter! I guarantee!

 

[hodirty]

Those are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for posting.

 

[kashmir]

Yowza! I'm blown (blasted) away. Just too cool for words. A while back I had a battle royal on eBay trying to outbid the competition on one of the coolest pipes I've ever seen. Unfortunately I didn't make it. The pipe? A Walt Cannoy creation where the shank embraced the bowl with carved blasted arms, like scragly roots reaching out and around. The irony? A month layer the same pipe was reposted, but then I didn't have the funds. Walt makes some gorgeously cool pipes!

 

[yohanan]

Mr. Cannoy, The suede finish on your pipes are fantastic, and a joy to look at. ::

 

[peckinpahhombre]

The finish certainly is quite different. i Just ordered the Canadian.

 

[cigrmaster]

peck, that is awesome looking, congrats. Let us know how it smokes.

 

[bigboi]

Wow that is another gorgeous pipe by Mr. Cannoy!