However, the majority of modern Cuttys now sport a tapered stem, and come in many finishes. Wildly popular today, thanks to the Lord of the Rings series of films, the Churchwarden’s actual origin dates back to well before Tolkien’s masterpiece was scribed. Churchwarden pipes had their debut in Europe thanks to the Austrian light cavalry who brought them to England and France during the Napoleonic Wars. One of the primary advantages (and indeed the defining feature) of the Churchwarden is the distance between the bowl and the bit.
A second entirely original shape attributed to the legendary Bo Nordh is the Ramses. Together, they have the appearance of a gently cupped hand holding the bowl. The grain must be oriented in a very precise manner to achieve a beautiful result, much like Bo’s other original shape, the Elephant’s Foot.
All the edges on a Vest Pocket are smoothed considerably to prevent the pipe from snagging the material of your clothing when taking it out or putting it away. You’ll realize how practical a feature that is once you try to stuff a rusticated Poker in the ol’ pocket. Aside from the oval smoking chamber, the stem is surely the most tobacco pipe unique element of the Vest Pocket pipe. It can twist 180° so that it does not protrude from the pipe, and when folded, it is indeed a wee little package. Pipes referred to as “paneled” derive their originality not from a specific shape, per se, but from a distinct aesthetic property, namely the flat panels on their bowls. Many pipes can be made with panels, including Billiards, Dublins, Brandys, Acorns, and more.
A bigger brother to the Prince shape, the Author features the same flattened ball shape, but is quite a bit larger than its smaller sibling. The Author’s hefty bowl sits at the end of a burly shank that almost always has a 1/8 – 1/4 bend. Its thick walls help keep the bowl from heating up and make for a comfortable hold. Some of them are in production, but you need either a source in the UK, or to be lightning fast to grab before it evaporates. For the discontinued tobacco there are numerous options, which require some combination of time, patience, and money.
The Danish master carvers are renowned for their production of stunning Horn pipes, but today the Horn has been adopted by carvers from all over the world. What we know for certain about the Dublin is that Filling cut tobacco it is much like a Billiard in proportions and measurements, but with walls that taper gently and evenly from a wider rim down to a narrow heel. Up top, the rim is usually flat, but Dublins can be found with a beveled rim as well. Smooth finishes are by far the most common, since the vertical walls of this pipe make a wonderful showcase for straight grain, as does the relatively wide rim for birdseye.