Every pipe maker I know will make a smooth with no fills, at your request, but you'll have to pay a bit more for it. I have no idea who you have talked to, but it's ...no big deal to make a smooth, if you have bought quality briar. I sometimes have to cut more than one piece, yes. So I wind up making 1 smooth pipe and maybe 1 or 2 blasted or rustic pipes in the same shape, and I sell them all.
To make this pipe,
I had to cut twice, having a pretty ugly failure in the first.
But the first was imho not good enough to sell anyhow, so no matter what, it got chucked. No big deal (other than frustration for the maker).
To make this pipe,
I had to cut twice, having a pretty ugly failure in the first.
But the first was imho not good enough to sell anyhow, so no matter what, it got chucked. No big deal (other than frustration for the maker).