Thank you, and I’ve always heard that birdseye was just end cut straight grain.
Which sorter led me to believe most birdseye pipes are accidents.
Any type of grain. It's just the ends of the wood's xylem and phloem.
I agree. I only have a couple of them, but they are my favorite to look at
360degree straight grain - yes.
Straight grain on the sides and birdseye on the bottom is the artistic pinnacle for every carver in the old days. Its supposed to represent the heart of the briar root dead bottom center just below the red heart of the briar root and reflect how the briar grows in the ground. In the eighties carvers began to go with horizontal grain on front and back and birdseye on sides. I prefer the old pattern as above for traditional reasons. I was told this by the carver at the Owl Shop in Worcester, Mass When he took me on a tour of his workshop and gave me a quick lesson on briar and pipes when I bought my first pipe from him. I was very lucky and fortunate. I still have that pipe - a Peterson Aran smooth 68 with a military stem from 1981. It was the one I found that was closest to the mix of birdseye and straight grain in my price range. I don't smoke it often but keep it for sentimental reasons. I always look for pipes with the above pattern first before other considerations.
I find the contradiction of a cross straight grain with the birdseye on the sides fascinating.
Assuming you hold the pipe on the front and back with thumb and forefinger, that pattern would be theoretically cooler to the touch when lit, if my research on heat transfer and wood grain is correctly understood by me. I agree its beautiful to behold. That pattern would be my second choice in style and is actually the same pattern as the Aran I mentioned above that was my first pipe --- I couldn't find one with 360 straight grain so went for the horizontal on front and back with birdseye on sides. I was a kid at the time and only spent about $48 plus a few bucks for tobacco --- which I bought based on smell !!! I was just a newbie like everyone else at one time. Turns out i bought a mild aromatic english so not bad in end. The pipe you show seems very celestial to me like a hubble photo !
That looks like Ostrich skin ... I have a pair of black Nacoma dress boots in that pattern !
Strawberry woodThat looks like Ostrich skin ... I have a pair of black Nacoma dress boots in that pattern !
