Chris Askwith Made Me An Allbriar Pipe - (pic heavy)

[misterlowercase]

I'm on a sort of briar stem kick, and who better to contact than Chris Askwith because he's made a few allbriar beauties in the past which flipped my lid. It was a natural choice, I wrote him to ask and he accepted the idea.
The big problem for me was actually choosing a shape because he has such a deep bag of tricks and all the proper tools to make anything at all happen. It was a hard choice. He does the best rendition of a Devil Anse I've seen imo,

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/chris-askwiths-devil-anse-pipe

...but I had other ideas for that shape down the road (all one piece monoblock pipe), so I went looking and looking and looking across his myriad fields of diversity, trying to find that one shape that clicked with me. I love his chubby takes on the traditionals, the slim shank Rhodies, the angular bulldogs, the cutties, and of course his dead standard billiard too, but then I saw a shape that I've really been attracted to as of late, a short stubby oval shank billiard that SP had called a "fireplug", and I really like that description, it fits so well, I've taken to calling this a fireplug billiard...

https://smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/askwith/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=130724
He said no problem and away we go.
About a week and a half later I got the new issue of P&T in my mailbox, with the much anticipated photos from the KC billiard carving contest (Ryan Alden kicks ass!), and also a long article about Askwith that's way cool. It was like a strange serendipity.
A few days after that he sent me some pictures of the pipe...

...and to be honest I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't an "aggro blast" as I usually mucho digs the craggadelic end of the spectrum. I expressed my viewpoint and he said he'd send it out and if I didn't like it then he'd give me a full refund.

I said okay.
In the past I've been known to say that "ring grains are boring", just because they're becoming almost like standard issue with little variation and a lack of chaotic randomness --- so now I was really putting myself to the test, because I actually love ring grains the most LOL, they're hard to resist, but I want to appreciate the art of sandblasting in all of its forms and be enthused by each technique for their own special characteristics.
Many makers prefer a lighter blasting style because it's said to "preserve the shape" and I completely understand that, but for me kraggy is king, I don't mind disfigurement at all. :D
When the pipe got here I inspected it and gazed at it and contemplated it.

I wrote back to Chris with my honest critique and he said he was sorry that I was disappointed and to send it back for a full refund.
I was unsure if I should because I was drawn to the pipe by certain unique qualities.
I questioned myself,

and I looked again.
I hadn't even smoked the damn thing, what if it was a wonderful pipe?

Was my narrow aesthetic view hindering me?

Why didn't I like it?
Well, I did like it, very much, I just didn't love it, and that's only because of the left flank on the bowl looking odd to my eyes, otherwise everything about it called my name and sang in my heart.
Briar is such a difficult and fickle mistress.
But the pipe had won me over.
I decided to keep it.

And I can't wait to start breaking it in,

I know that I'll grow to love it, for true beauty is in the smoking and I have a very good feeling that this little fireplug is gonna light my fire!

::

So thanks Chris for taking it on and delivering this awesome little pipe,

it has alotta character and presence!
Very light at 26g.

I know this is already a long and rambling post, but wow, another strange incident of serendipity, and when this happened as I was taking pix outside, it really gave me a warm relaxed feeling of contentment, like a sign saying that I had made the right decision and that I'd be rewarded with the service from a very fine pipe.

I was really stoked about this.
The butterfly was like a divine messenger,

and all is well.

One final photo,

to show the "short snorter" aspect of the Askwith,

contrasted with the Teipen Allbriar you get more a sense of its puggish dimensions.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Very nice. That butterfly was trying to tell you something for sure What are the odds? Enjoy the heck out of it.

 

[ssjones]

What a fantastic pipe. If you had described this to me, I'm not certain that I would have found it appealing. On the screen, I love it. That stubby shape is right up my alley. The briar stem divine, how does it feel and/or smoked, compared to Vulcanite? I think Chris might have been calling this type of sandblating, "Moonscape"? What ever the name, I find it very distinctive. Personally, I think that the left side of pipe is the most handsome!
Butterflys are honor-bound never to lie, so there you go!

 

[misterlowercase]

No doubt about the butterfly, it speaks the truth!
The briar stem feels great, quite soft actually, perfect for clenching (but not chomping or chewing LOL) and so far in my experience with briar stems, they seem to add a slight woodsy note to tobacco.
They're sunlight friendly too, so that's a big plus.

 

[dread]

Wow, that pipe really knocked my socks off!

 

[papipeguy]

Wow, that's a beauty, Troy. Enjoy.

 

[antbauers]

Lol the butterfly, as if the picture needed something to make it better. I'm very jealous of your nosewarmer allbriar. Very awesome Troy!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Christ is top notch. That is a beautiful little piece of briar there. It is a very interesting collecting niche you are finding.

 

[fnord]

It's stunning, Troy. Just stunning.
Fnord

 

[mrenglish]

I am not sure about the briar stem but that is a seriously nice pipe. That blast is amazing.

 

[yohanan]

Excellent!!! ::

 

[allan]

Troy
I enjoyed your 'ramblings'. Several times I have found myself wondering if I should keep a pipe or not, so I completely understand.
Congrats on going with a bold new idea=a briar stem. I never would have thought of that.
Good luck with it

 

[layinpipe]

I agree with everyone else here in that this is a stunning pipe. That said, i wouldn't mind having the second or third pic with the butterfly in it blown up and framed to put on my wall. It really strikes me as a beautiful piece of artwork with all the right color combos to brighten up a room. Great photography. That truly is a sign that you and the pipe were destined for each other....enjoy it!

 

[wyfbane]

Congratulations on a truly amazijg pile! Let us know how she smokes!

 

[edgreen]

Christ is top notch

As are Buddha, Mohammad, Ganesh,... :D

 

[pitchfork]

mlc, you're so wrong about the blast! What you have is so much better than some silly old ring grain. :laughat:
Regardless of how wrong you are, that is one of the best looking pipes I've seen in quite a while. The color, the blast and the stem work perfectly together. As I read through your ramblings, I was hoping you had returned it (so I could buy it!). You've got a couple of stunners there. Congrats.

 

[misterlowercase]

Thanks everyone!

ʘ‿ʘ
I think what my main problem was is that I had a very clear preformed idea of what the blast would look like and I was expecting an "exact match" to my mental picture -- when it didn't, it caused a cognitive dissonance and it was difficult for me to see it with clear eyes.
It actually made me think, caused an internal debate with myself wondering why I didn't like the blast, and the process finally led me to a place where I could view it with fresh clear eyes, and deeply appreciate the character of how it looked.
The other dimension that gave me pause was the price, since it wasn't "love at first sight" it made me question if I'd really be happy with it if I paid for it, or if I would always regret and be saddened by the purchase.
Well, now I know that I'll be happy with it, so that's not a problem.
This is the most expensive pipe I've ever bought, and it's no easy thing for me to drop big bread.
But that's all relative too,

Chris actually has extremely reasonable prices for an artisan maker, especially for a maker with 7 years under his belt, he takes payment in USD and it's even more inexpensive if you break it down into pounds, this was £215 and that's pretty damn cheap for a bespoke pipe --- living in England is expensive because the prices are pretty high on a lot of things.
One thing that helped me put it all into perspective was remembering something Mike Glukler had said that really clicked with me and influenced me toward artisan makers -- he said that he would would rather have one really nice artisan pipe rather than 5 decent factory pipes, and that made alotta sense to me. I'd definitely rather have this Askwith than 3 new $100 factory pipes.
This is only my 2nd commission, so I'm a greenhorn in this arena, and I've learned alot from these interactions, as well as reflecting on exactly what I value and why I value it.
Sometimes I feel like an asshole for nitpicky critique, like in this thread,

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/usa-maker-sandblasted-straight-billiards

...collectors don't often openly post on forums with specific critique, that usually happens backchannel or on private nonpublic forums, and it's tricky water too because in the end it's all just personal opinion and probably not worth stirring up any shitstorm that may come.
One thing not often talked about or considered is the large amount of time that makers waste dealing with idiots like me LOL

I mean, setting up the framework of a commission idea takes a bit of conversation, but the big timekiller may be people with crazy demanding requests, and then try to argue for a price discount, or never even pay, or whatever --- the amount of dead ends must add up, and all that takes time to deal with because when some unnkown John Q. Public contacts them, they really don't know if the person is actually serious or not, but they have to pursue it further and find out I guess --- but I'd reckon the number of weirdo deadbeats that popular makers have contacting them for making commissions is pretty high.
And also, they're putting it all on the line, what if the customer rejects the finalized pipe?

I'm sure it happens and that's just more loss for the maker, in time, money, and materials.
Briar is a very difficult and frustrating medium to work in, and nothing is really ever concrete beforehand because of hidden flaws or deviations in the grain or whatever, and I'd reckon that sandblasting has its own particular set of challenges that throw even more variables into the fold.
I've learned alot already from the 2 commissions I've had made, and it's also amplified my huge respect regarding the mighty skills of the makers, not to mention an extraordinary patience with dealing with a large diverse swath of different collectors, all with divergent ideals and standards and often overly critical...I'm sure it's trying at times. LOL
Well,

I've waffled on enough,

I'll stop rambling now.

::

 

[misterlowercase]

As I read through your ramblings, I was hoping you had returned it (so I could buy it!).

LOL

:lol:
Hey,

I think you have an LHS Allbriar dontcha?
I thought I remember you posting a pic of it at one time?
If so,

do you ever smoke it?
And, what do you think of its briar stem?
::

 

[daimyo]

What an amazing looking pipe, Chris really knows his stuff. I think you made a wise decision keeping this little number.

 

[pitchfork]

Hey,

I think you have an LHS Allbriar dontcha?
I thought I remember you posting a pic of it at one time?
If so,

do you ever smoke it?
And, what do you think of its briar stem?

Did have -- I gave it away. Never smoked it. I think I would have liked the stem well enough, though.
Again, love the new Askwith, especially that particular shape. I'm thinking of asking for one like that, but with an acrylic stem.