Partially Sandblasted Volcano Tobacco Pipe

A compact, saucer-like Volcano from Davide Iafisco, this may be the most fun pipe I've seen, and Davide's creativity is on fine display. It has a very low center of gravity with a domed heel, allowing the pipe to spin on a tabletop. A view from the top when it's spinning clockwise makes it look like a satellite time-lapse video of a hurricane. It's a sure sitter; you couldn't knock it over without trying hard. The flat band of straight grain that wraps the bowl and curves around the mortise end of the pipe places grain on full display and leaves a neat impression along the top of the "shank" for a thumb to drape, with the left hand being slightly more intuitive than the right, but comfortable either way. a particularly nice design element is the stem itself, which is a saddle stem with a flush push mount. The face of the mouthpiece blends perfectly with the briar.

With the heel completely sandblasted and the rest of the pipe smooth, there's a clear demarcation along the crisp ridge that runs along the underside circumference. the orientation of the grain fits the shape, of course, with a slight forward cant and the near-side grain oriented at a shallower angle than that of the far side, but with excellent grain on every surface.

A flat rim tops the piece and maintains a low-profile vertical character. Lovely from every angle, creatively inspired and rendered, this piece is not only unique, but fun.