Favourite Sandblasts

[peckinpahhombre]

In light of Harris's thought-provoking post suggesting that some artists are slouching toward mediocrity in their sandblasts, I thought it would be interesting to start a thread where people just post pictures of sandblasts they really like and explain why.
You don't need to own the pipe - just post some photos of sandblasted pipes that you really dig.
Now this Bruce Weaver is not one that is not what I would call a deep craggy blast - but I love because it just looks and feels so richly textured





Here's another lighter blast by Jody Davis that I also quite like - it just looks and feels classy:





This Cannoy suede blast is also one I find appealing - there is no blast that feels quite like it in the hand:






Everyone loves a ring grain blast, but I also really love the way a cross grain cut blasts - with concentric rings on one side and blasted birdseye on the other. Here are a couple of examples - the first from Weaver and the second by Parks:

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am currently smoking some Haddos delight in this one from Brad Rowley. It could be called a light blast, but it has some gorgeous colors and grain worked in with it. One of my favorites.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My work pipe, I have this one clenched while I work at my bench. It is a Hilson, but nice texture to the hand, and I've read that it may be one of the first uses of strawberry wood in factory mades. It doesn't have briar characteristics in aroma, very neutral.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

One that Skip and I worked together on. He made the stummel, and I made the stem and bandwork. It is moderate in depth and the grain and color actually show well with this blast. Of course, I did the stain, so I may not be objective, ha ha!!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

And, now to wip out my Becker, ha ha. It is strawberry wood for sure. Deep and craggy, but sometimes it is harsh on my hand. Ha ha, I know you're all thinking it... You dirty guys.

 

[pitchfork]

Nice pokra!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Another Becker... Deep and craggy. All the girls think my Beckers are craggy, ha ha!!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I liked that first Hilson so much, that I picked up another, but the blast is treated differently on this one, but it has that same strawberrywood-like quality.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

 

[misterlowercase]

Great thread idea!
This is one that I'll keep coming back to because there's a slew of pipes catalogued in my brain that I love just love to look at and will post later on...
This thread so far is already spectacular!

Good stuff here!

:clap:
... I'll start off with a couple of mine,

this Teipen AllBriar because it just sings to me and I love the way it looks and feels, the ripples are great and the stain really pops with warmth, the pictures don't do it justice!

This Ryan Alden billiard is a jawdropper and it blows my sox off everytime I smoke it, max aggro crag but still incredibly well defined with a very solid shape, it exudes a presence and is damnstraight badass!

 

[sablebrush52]

I haven't photographed many of my pipes, but here are two, and my apologies for repeating one of them, yet again.
The first one is a Barling sandblast from around 1940. Barling didn't add sandblasts to their line until 1943, but they were making them earlier. This one has the "small" Barling's Make stamp that was used in the 1930's.

The second is the Paul Tatum that I shared a couple of weeks ago. The blast is beautifully detailed. But Paul isn't content simply to create a sandblast. He uses it in a uniquely creative way to contrast surfaces, and to make a volcano that looks like a volcano.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That volcano rocks!! I'm not much of a volcano guy, but that is just amazing work.
mlc, love that fourth picture

 

[okiescout]

These really set a standard to shoot for! I do not remember ever see a suede blast before, awesome pipes.

 

[newbroom]

I agree with the unspoken opinion of the honorable Peckipahombre, that a blasted pipe is not necessarily a step down in terms of its beauty or value.

While I do find that a perfectly finished smooth classic feels good in the hand, I find that I enjoy my blasts for their tactile contrast and what amounts to a more durable finish.

When I first saw one of Walt's suedes, I was thinking that not only was it absolutely beautiful 'understatement' but that it appeared to be a texture that would be amazing in hand. I imagine his secrets are as valuable as the recipe for original coca cola.

I think that a blast featuring some smooth contrasts on the shank and rim help set off the blast.

Blasts that follow seemingly perfect ring grains are just awesome, and the more contrast in colors within the better.

 

[hedonaut]

One of the first really interesting sandblasts I picked up was a Grade 5 Autograph with a crack in the shank. There's a dab of wood glue in there to hold it steady while I try and find a way to fit a band on it.

 

[misterlowercase]

Droolworthy thread already, please keep the pix comin' people!
I'm still in my own zone and clicked a few pix this afternoon, but I look forward to listing my wishlist dreamblasts that trip my trigger but are either already owned by someone else or out of my price range - it'll be fun hunting down the specimens that really blast my brains to the max!
Anyway,

one of the reasons I love the older British factory pipes is because many of them are blasted super nice, unbeatable even today in some cases, and there's a great variety of different styles too. I've often wondered what the sandblasting department was like at any given factory, like did they have one dedicated man or several, or did they outsource the process - that would be my dream job, blasting pipes all day!
British estates are truly everyman pipes and can often be had for under $50, so you don't have to have deep pockets to own a killer blast, hell, many of the 2nds can be picked up for $10-$25 all day long! A little work to refine them and you got yerself a world class pipe!
Piccadilly Square

(Comoy's 2nd)

No-Name

(I suspect a Charatan 2nd)

Memphian

(GBD 2nd)

Lord Renfrew

(Comoy's 2nd)

Sasieni Ruff Root

Dr. McQuade

(unknown maker?)

 

[misterlowercase]

This thread has gotten too quiet,

time to blast it back!
These examples are atypical for my tastes because I usually favor very well-defined craggy stuff, but recently I've really fallen for the work of Gian Maria Gamboni in a big way and he's honed out a softer signature blast combined with striking contrast stains that really yank my chain - to be such a soft blast, the texture and feel is amazing.

​

 

[cosmicfolklore]

mlc, that Rhodesian blows me away! You lucky dog.

 

[misterlowercase]

Thanks Cosmic!
It's a damn fine pipe.
btw

...there's currently 3 variants of it out there for sale!


http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/gamboni/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=171470
http://www.jppcigares.com/page.php?idmenu=336&nom=pipes
http://www.bisgaard-pipes.com/product.asp?product=33849&vat=false&lang=uk#.VUUNcJORYpp
I would love to have a Becker rhodie like you have, they're beyond cool!
I came very very very very close to getting this 25g strawberry longshank version, but I resisted.

I still have high hopes to find one as an estate someday though!
http://www.lepipe.it/english/scheda.asp?id=6285
8O

It's killin' me to keep look at it but I keep going back again and again!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yes, that Becker is a head turner. It has started more conversations than any of my banded pipes that I made. It is also my favorite for trying new Virginias and VaPers. Something about the shape of the bowl gives you a diverse smoke from wide open at the beginning to tight and stoved at the end. It isn't a long smoke, but the flavor is amazing. Plus, that blast on that one in the picture is drop dead gorgeous as well. At this time of the year business is slow, so it might not be until August (wedding planning season) till I am able to buy a new pipe :?
But keep the pictures coming. These are great.