What Type of Pipe am I Thinking of?

[paranoidpiper]

I see them all the time. Some are really ugly and others are really beautiful. Around the rim instead of being smooth they are pointy almost like a stump? I'll try to find a picture

 

[jarit]

Possibly you are thinking freehand pipes made of plateaux briar blocks, where the naturally craggy outer surface of the briar burl is left intact. Often these are of the "Danish freehand" type in which the maker has intentionally wanted to reveal the endgrain and typically has worked with the grain, and not so much with a predesigned shape in mind, which is more common.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Like this?
http://pipesmagazine.com/members/chasingembers/album/picture/15543

 

[paranoidpiper]

Yes! Only some I've seen the spikes are even bigger. So the briar is just naturally that big or do they carve down to make them bigger?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Usually that big just depending on the burl the pipe is carved from. Freehand makers tend to let the flow of the grain determine the pipes shape, and sometimes the plateau is sanded a bit to make the pipes crown smoother while retaining a natural look. Most of my collection has plateau. Love the stuff!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

When searching for this type of pipe, include the word "plateau" in the query. For example, "dublin plateau"
Hope this helps.
edit- hmmm, plateau is how I spell it. Is there any difference in adding the x? plateau, plateaux, is this just a European version of the word?

 

[drennan]

Adding the X is the plural form in French.

 

[igloo]

Look for Nordings ,Ben Wades or try Denmark pipes in your search . SmokingPipes.com always has a great selection to choose from .Mike at Briar Blues has a bunch right now as well . Good luck in your search .

 

[Chasing Embers]

Johs and Neerup quite often feature plateau.