Freehand Pipes
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Huh?? Big and ugly does a major injustice to these pipes. Those in my collection have been only 5.5 inches in length. Hardly big and the pipes were never ugly.
The Danish pipe makers originated freehand pipes, at least as a popular commercial design, and to my eye, they cultivated a fairly delicious design concept around them -- plateau on the brims and shanks, interesting tactile shaping on the bowls, and rather dramatic looking mostly bent briars. However, as with anything that becomes popular and sells well, there came in the wake of the Danish freehand a raft of others that were notably lesser pipes. I went into an antique store in upstate New York that had about a dozen non-Danish freehand that were strikingly ugly, heavy, and poorly made. Hence this thread. I can see some may consider even the Danish artisan versions unappealing, and I don't agree with that. But ugly ones abound, look half made-up and clunky. I have a Johs, a Nording, and a Thompson Cigar house pipe made in West Germany, and I find them all handsome, well-made briars, and a Jerry Perry pocket pipe in cocobolo that I think is distinctive and, to me, distinguished looking.
Products of the late 1960’s, early 1970’s…
Plaid sportcoats, slacks and Peter Max ties, and high heeled shoes for men. So you have to put yourself in that paradigm.
Europe had an arts and crafts movement in the mid 20thc (sounds so weird to hear that, like it was a long time ago or something). But, it melded this idea of function and natural, to make useful things like chairs, pottery, jewelry, etc... anything that could be made. They made them to look like they grew that way, or were just found in nature.
Not The Arts and Crafts movement, but an arts and crafts movement. Manmade v natural, designed v accident, refined v rustic. Some of the best examples of this come from the Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc...
It wasn't really till the late 60's and 70's that the style hit the US in craft stores and production designs. I just remember my grandmother having these big ugly candles and lots of macramé stuff around.
These freehand pipes seem to fit in well with some of the other areas of crafts at the time.
Not The Arts and Crafts movement, but an arts and crafts movement. Manmade v natural, designed v accident, refined v rustic. Some of the best examples of this come from the Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc...
It wasn't really till the late 60's and 70's that the style hit the US in craft stores and production designs. I just remember my grandmother having these big ugly candles and lots of macramé stuff around.
These freehand pipes seem to fit in well with some of the other areas of crafts at the time.
Most the freehand pipes I see are big and ugly like a Panerai watch. I guess these are new money status symbols while something like a Dunhill are like Philip Patek watches. I don't think any cashier would comment on a person's 20k Philip Patek but an aged pipe smoker from Greenwich, CT, likely would.
My first pipe I made was a billiard, it is ugly up close, but from casual observation it looks exactly as a pipe should. The freehand pipes don't have the luxury of having an iconic traditional shape association, and so need to look 'right' in themselves, hence the high possibility of there being ones that could be considered ugly, and some that even it's parent admit, are just ugly.
I agree. They are ugly. Sometimes I feel like a bad person when I feel bad for their parents.
Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't. Kind of like eggplant...but that's a different thread. I don't have any FH's in my collection, yet. I can't decide.
Must all pipes be the same handful of “classic” shapes? (BORING!) Woodworking is a craft that easily lends itself to creative expression. I’m surprised the freehand movement didn’t happen sooner with pipes, but as @cosmicfolklore said it went with the times.
some people like opera, some like techno, I like both.
some people like opera, some like techno, I like both.
Just opinion, but I think crafting a quality freehand, artisan or factory, requires a strong sense of visual design, to go with all of the other skills needed to make a pipe. There's no paradigm that guides you. It's like some can do improvisational music and others really can't. And as with abstract expressionism, some people can't make heads or tails of it/them no matter how accomplished the artist.
Do people play smoking pipes? I guess it might be possible with the right placement of a reed in the shank.
Improvisational has a pattern that can be followed given enough information and attention. I have seen some pipes that folks here go ga ga over that remind me of some impressionist artists. Early Piccasso would surprise many.
of course they're ugly. They're more niche then a factory pipe. And they have to stand out. Which means they're less about objective taste and more about subjective taste and rarity. I personally demonstrate this with my reaction to such pipes. I usually think blah, meh, or oh gosh that a super nice pipe and I won't find another like that any time soon. I doubt it's a status symbol outside of a little corner of the world like here. You'd have to be around enough pipe smokers for it fit that bill. I do think there is a lot of conflating price with quality. The if a 100 dollar pipe is this good a 600-1000 dollar pipe most smoke that much better. Not it takes more man hours to build a pipe using these methods and if you want what these pipes offer (for example the pipe being carved to show off the grain, instead of the grain being whatever it is). That said I can confirm that smoking out of a pipe that one really appreciates and that one has a special feeling towards does change the smoking experience, but no more then the same way eating off the special occasion plates can be different then eating out of a Styrofoam take away container. Yes it's a purely psychological effect but that does not make it any less real. And the fact that a pipe can be smoked for a lifetime if you only had one it would cost pennies per smoke to get the most expensive commercial available dunhill pipe.
That said a huge collection might be a status symbol.
I was listening to an Opera (no I don't remember the one) and it hit me how much the construction of the song had more in common with early industrial music then any other genre. The big difference was the instrumentation. (oh and the Doors are a lounge act, seriously listen to one of their hits after listening to Tom Jones).
Also side my favorite/least favorite question in the world is "what kind of music do you listen to?". I like that question when people understand my answer "good stuff" and hate it when they don't get it.
That's how I feel about them. Only very few do I like. I have several in the rotation, a couple of Nordings and an old Ben Wade, my favorite.
Thanks. I was trying to say this earlier but I think I didn't satisfy myself. But a artisan pipe only has to please the one person buying it. Where as a factory pipe has to have broader appeal. A one off only needs one person to like it enough to pay that price. So the goal goes from following the general rules of something being aesthetically pleasing (symmetry for example) where a more expensive one off has to really please someone so it works better if it leans harder into other less universally appreciated qualities. Or long story short a factory pipe should have more of middle of the road I like that quality, where as a more expensive and limited pipe needs to stand out and get a strong reaction which means it is way more likely to have a love/hate reaction.
Now I am in a ranting mood so sorry.... Reminds me a bit of my musical taste. There is stuff I listen to a lot but some of my favorite pieces of music are only good when I am in certain moods. But that's my favorite stuff. It follows less traditionally music theory but hits certain moods or themes deeper and harder (Dimanda Galas is not a good daily listen, but when I am in a mood to be tortured by music few are better).
Dunhill went through a Danish freehand phase as well (thankfully only for a short period) and have produced a few clunkers.
Charatan pipes became increasingly clunky during the Lane period, as did GBD with their Horry Jamieson "uniques"
Yes! Before I got one, I was just a square joe wall flower. Then I strode over to Gucci, went back into their pipe department and dropped some Benjamin’s on these. Do you have any idea how many bitches I get when I roll up on them smoking one of these? Freehand are the new Escalade! Holla son!
