Sandblasted Cutty with Bamboo Tobacco Pipe

It's no secret that Adam Davidson loves to use bamboo, as his body of work shows no shortage of unique applications of the medium. From arrow-straight, honey-blonde shoots, to curled, often slightly gnarled darker-hued fellows, his acute ability for pairing just the right piece to a given pipe is undeniably deft. And so, happening upon this Cutty shape in today's batch from Adam, I was immediately drawn to it, as it quietly evokes the look of another dark bamboo-adorned piece from the carver, and one that happens to be a cherished piece of my collection.

However, the dark-hued series of knuckles making up the upward-curling shank, as cool and whimsical as it may be, is not the star player of this composition. The real treat is the forward-ebbing Cutty bowl, which Adam has lent a special, time-consuming treatment involving sandblasting, oil-curing, contrast-staining, and a further, light blasting away of the remaining cured briar. The result is the dark, patina-like finish on display here, lent a hint of underlying warmth, evoking the look of older iterations of Dunhill's Shell Briar. And with a weight just under 26 grams, it's safe to say that this one isn't likely to be around long.

- Daniel Bumgardner