Partially Sandblasted Blowfish with Boxwood Tobacco Pipe

Scott Klein's background lies in the trades, and not just one, as he has had his hand in the fields of plumbing, construction, automotive technology and others. After his education in these fields, he worked for six years in various other trades, before he was introduced to Alex Florov. Florov introduced him to the world of artisan pipe making and he was immediately enamored with the process, and, as it turns out, Florov saw potential in him, something that led to Klein's spending five years working alongside Alex, skipping the usual beginnings of pipe kits and delving into artisan carving with raw blocks and vulcanite blanks. His work of course is influenced by his time spent with Alex, but also by the Danish masters and the Japanese greats, something that's reflected by this Blowfish.

We've seen a number of different Blowfish renditions from Klein in the past, the diversity of styles speaking to his talent in altering the silhouettes of classic and modern classic profiles to great effect. This is a particularly thick imagining of the shape, with ample presence in hand and a robust build that keeps the eye cemented to the stummel and its tightly-knit design. The transition is rather tight, though with enough room to drape a digit, and it gives way to a curling shank that flares out as it reaches to meet a stylized accent of boxwood. The shank itself is shaped in singular fashion, taking on an asymmetrical, hexagonal shape that informs the outline of the accent and boasts a sextet of ridges that line the shank at the top, bottom, and corners. The panel at the bottom left side of the shank features a subtle hollow carving and diminishes as the ridges reach toward a fin-like structure at the bowl. Said bowl is supported by a sweeping heel and boasts a pair of plump, rounded panels at its flanks, the aforementioned fin-like structure mirrored on the right side to create a look reminiscent of its namesake fish. Dressed in a warm, contrast-rich smooth finish, the briar here showcases a rich display of birdseye on the left side of the stummel, contrasted the bowl's right side panel and its crisp, inky sandblast.