When the time came a couple of years ago to have a pipe made that fit my own persona and aesthetic, it took a bit of time to come up with a design. The pipe needed to express my rather dark side, expressed in my own art and writing, and, I determined, not be garish like a naked lady carved in meerschaum. (Not that I have a problem with naked lady meerschaum pipes!) Finally, the idea hit me and would work as a pipe design. Then the search for the pipe artisan: who to render this idea into a functional three-dimensions of a pipe? Rad Davis was mentioned, but he explained to me he was retiring--but when I explained my concept to him he immediately popped up with the name, Stephen Downie. Those of you who haven't seen Stephen's work need to do so posthaste. He makes these Japanese poseurs look like frauds. His ingenuity is remarkable, his imagination unparalleled. He was in fact over-qualified to do my pipe, but when I contacted him, he graciously agreed to do so.
The pipe--which I dubbed "The Vampire's Wand"--was to be a straight billiard, sandblasted, with a thick stem with a red on black that would suggest blood. For the stummel, I drew a bunch of little bats that had become a kind of trademark of mine; these would be done on the briar surface in relief on a sandblasted background. The background, for me, could represent windy night skies or the walls of dungeons. I scanned the bats drawing and sent them to Stephen; now he had the headache of figuring out how to place these jagged shapes on the wood and sandblast around them. He wanted to use rustication, but I insisted on sandblasting. He came up with a solution (which I will not reveal here--it's Stephen's trade secret) which worked wonderfully, seeing my bats fluttering around the pipe chamber and shank. Then the matter of the right acrylic stem: Stephen again came through with the discovery of an acrylic material called Black Rose, and that formed the thick stem. (It's interesting how I like Petersons because of their thick stems, yet Stephen's work didn't make you think of a Peterson at all--it was pure Downey-style.) As a last touch, Stephen added a tamper out of the same acrylic that he shaped to resemble rising smoke. Perfect!
So here below is The Vampire's Wand. It is the jewel of my collection, the first thing I would grab if the house were on fire--and it smokes great, too! In a few months, Stephen is going to create a larger, sister pipe to the first Wand, and I can hardly wait to see what he will come up with.
So what is your special custom pipe, and the story around it? How does it express you?
The pipe--which I dubbed "The Vampire's Wand"--was to be a straight billiard, sandblasted, with a thick stem with a red on black that would suggest blood. For the stummel, I drew a bunch of little bats that had become a kind of trademark of mine; these would be done on the briar surface in relief on a sandblasted background. The background, for me, could represent windy night skies or the walls of dungeons. I scanned the bats drawing and sent them to Stephen; now he had the headache of figuring out how to place these jagged shapes on the wood and sandblast around them. He wanted to use rustication, but I insisted on sandblasting. He came up with a solution (which I will not reveal here--it's Stephen's trade secret) which worked wonderfully, seeing my bats fluttering around the pipe chamber and shank. Then the matter of the right acrylic stem: Stephen again came through with the discovery of an acrylic material called Black Rose, and that formed the thick stem. (It's interesting how I like Petersons because of their thick stems, yet Stephen's work didn't make you think of a Peterson at all--it was pure Downey-style.) As a last touch, Stephen added a tamper out of the same acrylic that he shaped to resemble rising smoke. Perfect!
So here below is The Vampire's Wand. It is the jewel of my collection, the first thing I would grab if the house were on fire--and it smokes great, too! In a few months, Stephen is going to create a larger, sister pipe to the first Wand, and I can hardly wait to see what he will come up with.
So what is your special custom pipe, and the story around it? How does it express you?
I absolutely love it! Definitely one of the coolest pipes to ever grace this forum in my opinion.
