Pipe makers are beginning to experiment with different finishes, but the Ramses seems most comfortable in a smooth finish. Bo Nordh was a true pioneer of both mechanics and artistry, the combination of which gave us the Ramses pipe, and what a beautiful pipe it is. True to its namesake, a classic Billiard’s shank is still both round and straight, and is about as long as its bowl is tall. Tapered or saddle stems are both common on this pipe, and stems measure tobacco pipe 2 inches in length, give or take. The Billiard’s timeless shape has served as a launching pad for many other pipe shapes over the years.
Although a British newspaper cartoon of the early 1900s depicts the British actor H. A. Saintsbury Filling cut tobacco as the Great Detective smoking what may be a calabash pipe,citation needed its now-stereotypical identification with Sherlock Holmes remains a mystery. Although the company sells over 150 million of their famous Dr. Perl Junior System Filters every year, their well-crafted pipes are not widely distributed in the U.S. or Canada. An internet article that I read some years ago offers advice that is relevant for today’s column.
Over the years we have successfully sold over 2,000,000 pipes, and are the leader of the European pipe market. At Bisgaard Pipes we have chosen to only include the very best pipes from the foremost pipe makers of the world today. As you browse our collection, you will find high variety and many different price ranges, catering to the needs of both the beginning pipe smoker and the experienced collector.
When a pipe maker begins to work on a Freehand pipe, there isn’t always an established shape that he is determined to arrive upon. The piece of briar that is being worked, in some ways, has a will of its own. And so, as material is sanded away from the rough edges of the block, the grain points one way and then another, until all the excess material has been removed, and what remains is only what naturally lay within. The supernal grains that make our beloved briar so beautiful to behold, made possible only after decades of growth under the Earth, are tobacco pipe expertly exposed by the skillful hands of the carver. Freehand pipes take many forms, many of them unsurprisingly inspired by nature, but each one tests the skill and understanding of the carver in a unique way.
This is when hot smoke burns the surface of the pipe smoker’s tongue, creating a sensation that is similar to a bite. Named for its ability to sit steadily on the poker table while you shuffle up and deal, the Poker is made for play, but it’s an “all business” kind of pipe when it comes to shaping. Its walls are tall, and the cylindrical bowl is flat on both the top and the bottom. The round shank exits just below the bottom of the bowl, and is elongated with a simple saddle stem. The sturdy appearance of the Poker is complemented well by a skillfully rusticated finish. They are most often turned on a lathe as opposed to being shaped freely by hand, in order to achieve true symmetry.