Sandblasted Bent Dublin with Cocobolo (856) Tobacco Pipe

Micah Cryder is the artisan behind Yeti pipes, his passion for the craft imbued into him since childhood. An autodidact for much of his career, he turned to pipe makers forums for information about carving before he developed relationships with other notable American carvers who furthered his knowledge of the craft considerably, especially with regard to the technical elements. Over the years, his abilities have become even more refined, each pipe made contributing to his skills and solidifying his unique shaping style, something which can be seen here in this bent Dublin.

There's an extremely understated bit of curvature to this piece, especially at the stem, whose minimal, demure downturn at the saddle bit affords the silhouette an elegance through the aft side which belies the thickness of the shank. Said shank lifts gently out of a wide transition and takes on a measured flare out to its end, where the junction to the stem is marked by a rounded ring of cocobolo wood that displays its handsome grain beneath a glossy, deep stain. The majority of the visual weight here is centered on the bowl, its ample substance sat atop a sweeping heel that pushes its build into prominence. What stands out immediately about the bowl's structure here is its impressively broad rim, one which is covered in organic plateau that's dipped in the middle at an angle, orienting tall peaks at the right fore and left aft sides. This asymmetrical rim defines the shape of the bowl's walls as well, which waver rhythmically before reaching the rim, and said rim's asymmetry extends not only to the slightly oblong outline of the bowl but to the more pronounced broadening of the walls at the right side. Aside from the asymmetric plateau, the most striking feature of this piece is the bowl's swift and easy taper up toward the plateau, one which retains the fluid vacillations of the lower bowl and further leads the eye toward the rim. This tapering area is finished in a smooth, light, glossy finish which reveals wrapping flame grain and adds a wealth of contrast the the crisp, contrast stained sandblast of the lower stummel: one which showcases rippling ring grain cascading down the bowl.