The Dublin Shape Gets Subtle

[mso489]

On a recent thread, I asserted that the bowl on the Savinelli 404 Yacht, which has what I call a Dublin bowl, and a horizontal oval shank, and a slightly bent stem. It has a Dublin bowl, that is a conical bowl. But it is so subtle, and tapers downward so little, I had to get out a ruler to make sure.

It turns out the out rim of the bowl is a quarter inch wider than the bottom of the bowl before it rounds off to complete the bottom of the bowl, but taper it does. Visually, with great subtlety, it is conical, which is one of the oft described traits of the Dublin shape. However, looking further, and sticking my finger into the chamber, I found that if the chamber narrows, it is even more slight than the taper on the outside of the bowl.

Visually, I think the bowl is conical, as the ruler says when it's measured. But this illustrates how fine are the points of shapes so that I'm never entirely convinced of what I'm seeing.

I have a Ser Jacopo Dublin, an artisan pipe of course, that is equally subtle. The brim is wider than the base, but you have to study it to decide that it is.

Part of the art of shapes is that they are often nuanced, right at the edge, to some degree in the eye of the beholder. But I try to get it "right" as possible, when I can.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

To me, it's the billiards that get confusing. In reading the specs for scoring artisan made billiards at a pipe show a few years ago, I started noticing that in factory pipes, they'll call anything a billiard. Some are merely parallel sides, some almost look dublin-ish, and the Danes will call anything a billiard.

 

[JackOrion]

Mr Guidi had a series he called ‘Compta’. They were supposed to be as true to the classic shapes as possible, being made by hand. Apparently he claimed these were the most difficult pipes to make in his catalog. I don’t think Ser Jacopo makes this series any longer.

Another interesting series coming from Ser Jacopo was the Divina Proportione where he applied the golden ratio to the shapes. I have a couple of these, a bent billiard and a maxima apple/billiard. I’d have to pull out the calipers and calculator to fully see the theory put forth in these pipes. I’m not going to do that though.

 

[Puff nstuff]

The Savinelli 404 is one of my favorite shapes. I appreciate the exterior silhouette as well as the conical shape of the bowl, and the interesting oval stem. It's just a lovely pipe shape. And I have also struggled with calling it a yacht or zulu, because the forward cant is so subtle compared to more classically shaped zulus.

 

[Zamora]

To me, it's the billiards that get confusing. In reading the specs for scoring artisan made billiards at a pipe show a few years ago, I started noticing that in factory pipes, they'll call anything a billiard. Some are merely parallel sides, some almost look dublin-ish, and the Danes will call anything a billiard.

Same here. I think it's because generic billiards are sort of the "default" image of a pipe for most people, so it becomes the go to point of reference.

Mr Guidi had a series he called ‘Compta’. They were supposed to be as true to the classic shapes as possible, being made by hand. Apparently he claimed these were the most difficult pipes to make in his catalog. I don’t think Ser Jacopo makes this series any longer.

Another interesting series coming from Ser Jacopo was the Divina Proportione where he applied the golden ratio to the shapes. I have a couple of these, a bent billiard and a maxima apple/billiard. I’d have to pull out the calipers and calculator to fully see the theory put forth in these pipes. I’m not going to do that though.

Ser Jacopo pipes are gorgeous, very artistic without getting carried away

 

[Chasing Embers]

The Savinelli 404 is one of my favorite shapes. I appreciate the exterior silhouette as well as the conical shape of the bowl, and the interesting oval stem. It's just a lovely pipe shape. And I have also struggled with calling it a yacht or zulu, because the forward cant is so subtle compared to more classically shaped zulus.

Some dublins have a forward cant, the difference is often the bore. A zulu typically has a cylindrical chamber and bowl while the dublin's are conical.

 

[canucklehead]

The Savinelli website says the 404 is a Zulu:

OSCAR TIGER 404

Zulu, smooth finishing.

www.savinelli.it

 

[warren99]

The Savinelli website says the 404 is a Zulu:

OSCAR TIGER 404

Zulu, smooth finishing.

www.savinelli.it

It does look more like a Zulu shape than a Dublin.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I had a Savinelli Silver 404 once. It was a pretty pipe but I found the bit to be a "bit" too wide for my liking. Wish I had a picture of it.

 

[lraisch]

Same here. I think it's because generic billiards are sort of the "default" image of a pipe for most people, so it becomes the go to point of reference.

Ser Jacopo pipes are gorgeous, very artistic without getting carried away

I agree that Ser Jacopos are gorgeous, but as to not getting carried away, have you seen the "Insanus" series?

 

[Zamora]

I agree that Ser Jacopos are gorgeous, but as to not getting carried away, have you seen the "Insanus" series?

Just googled it and in fact I have, I had no idea who made those. The one with the "broken" stem is pretty notorious, and I've seen most of the others. I stand corrected, turns out SJ can be just as wacky as some of the Danish and Japanese artisans.

 

[sparker69]

I have the 404 Cocktail and I think it's a lovely pipe.