Sandblast or Rustication?

[mso489]

I had several rusticated pipes, along with mostly smooth ones, before I bought my first sandblast. I then was won over, thinking that sandblast was the higher quality finish compared to rustication. As time has gone on, I feel that you take these finishes one at a time. A well-done sandblast, with lots of expressive grain, whether it's deep and dramatic or flowing and subtle, can be beautiful. However, many rusticated finishes are beautifully textured and really lend a pipe a lot of interest. (Carving is another discussion for another thread.) I now feel sandblast and rustication are equal, can be excellent or mediocre or downright homely, depending on how they're done. Do you have a strong preference for one or the other, or do you take them as they come and judge them accordingly?

 

[macaroon]

Being pieces of woodcraft, I believe a pipe should try to exploit the natural aesthetic of the material whenever possible. As such, I tend to prefer the look of sandblasted pipes since they tend to bring out the qualities of the wood. I don't much care for pipes with opaque finishes for the same reason. However, these feelings definitely aren't so strong that I be opposed to buying a rusticated pipe, especially when taking the tactile nature of the finish into account.

 

[cynicismandsugar]

I love a good sandblast -- but own several rusticated that I equally enjoy. For my personal prefrence, it all comes down to what feels good in the hand, and what smokes well (for me).
Plus, like many opinions in this hobby, there are times when it can be difficult to clearly indentify certain rustication techniques from other types of sandblast.
In the end, it's all about the personal Oooooooh! factor.

 

[derfatdutchman]

I really don't have a preference, I like both sandblast a rusticated finishes. I tend to take them as I find them, judging them on their own merits.

 

[ssjones]

I generally prefer Sandblasted pipes over rusticated. But there is one exception, the Sasieni Rustic finish The Rustic is a carved finish and flows with grain lines, Joel Sasieni's answer to the patented Dunhill sandblast.

 

[puffy]

Some sandblasts have sharp ridges which don't like.Other than that I like either one.As I've gotten older I find that smooth pipes are a bit easier foe me to drop than blasts or rusticated pipes.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I used to be a big flame grain hound until I saw Bruce Weaver's blasts. Really not a fan of rustication as it looks too unnatural to me. So I would have to go with blasts.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'm with Tom's o.p.; there are good, bad and indifferent blasts as there are rustications in the same grades. On the whole, though, I have more blasts than rustics, whatever that might mean.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I agree with Macaroon, a blasted finish is more natural, a rusticated finish more 'contrived'.
I own several blasts which I smoke often but the only rusticated pipes I have are ones I did myself with a Dremel and these I rarely if ever smoke.
If there is any pipe I really dislike it would be the half and half pipe, neither smooth nor rusticated though for some reason these are very popular in the US.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[aimlesswanderer]

I think for looks, a smooth finish always wins. To me, a textured finish may win on traction and feel better in hand, but not please the eye more. As to preferring which texture, it all depends on the individual pipe

 

[voorhees]

Al beat me to it, but I love sandblast, but this is awesome rustication.

 

[tbradsim1]

. Cookes blast are the best in my opinion...EDITED by MOD

 

[pipestud]

I have always found Jim Cooke to be a gentleman and have thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him at pipe shows. His work and his reputation over the decades of working in our hobby has been exceptional.
EDITED BY MOD

 

[clickklick]

Deep pits and fissures can be better worked into a rusticated finish. I think that is why they generally are looked at as lower quality, because they are "hiding" more than a sandblast can.
However, it takes at least 3 times more time to rusticate than it does to sandblast, unless of course you are pencil blasting like Cooke, Weaver, or Hamric, then sandblasting can take hours!

 

[jpmcwjr]

I'd put Ryan Alden's and Zack Hamrick's blasts up against Mr. Cooke's, and those are the only two I've seen up close and personal where I can make that statement.

 

[clickklick]

I wasn't away Ryan was pencil blasting? When did that start?
The only way to compete with Cooke is to start the laborious and highly time consuming art of pencil blasting amongst finding the correct media at each stage.
Blasting is truly an art all it's own! Which is why Cooke is usually thought of as being unrivaled in this category.

 

[daveinlax]

As much as I like and respect Lee Erck and JT's blasts I prefer the more natural looking blasts like on Parks, Rouch and older Ashton pipes . IMO Mike Parks blasts are as good or better than the old Dunhill Algerian Shell Briar blasts. In addition to his blasts Larry Rouch's rustication technique is about as good as the best Sea Rock finishes I've seen.

Another rustication style that I like is the Epoca. I have some in the collection that turned some pretty rough briar into, again IMO, spectacular pieces of smokable sculpture. 8O

 

[ssjones]

I meant to bring up Rousch rustification, it is excellent.

 

[sablebrush52]

Do you have a strong preference for one or the other, or do you take them as they come and judge them accordingly?

I judge them accordingly. Like others here, I really like the Sasieni rustication. In addition, I also like the old Barling quaints, which featured rusticated panels. Also, I like Ser Jacopo's rustication a lot.
Aldens' blasts are sweet. I like Von Erck's blasts.
But I'm not a fan of "barely there" subtle sandblasts, nor the gouged rustication that is seen on inexpensive basket pipes.
Like everything else to do with pipes and tobaccos, it comes down to one's personal preferences. There's no one correct answer.

 

[noquarter]

I tend to like my chunkier pipes rusticated ala Mincer era rustication and sandblasts for my smaller english billiards.