Sandblasted Pencil Shank Billiard with Warthog Tusk (0831) Tobacco Pipe

I'm quite fond of this handy pencil shank Billiard from Wojtek Pastuch. It's well on the more lithe, slender end of the carver's shaping spectrum, though it boasts a bit more length than the more compact numbers I've seen from the Polish artisan. With a touch of forward cant about the bowl, it seems to sport something of a soft bit of Danish influence, though the sandblasted treatment is far craggier than the understated, low-profile blasts commonly associated with the Danes. Indeed, it's more like something Dunhill would have produced during the Patent period, and the gently inflated shaping at the rim is well-suited to the touch of smooth stain at play. It sports a reverse tenon arrangement at the shank's end, along with a creamy, minute accent of genuine warthog tusk, guiding the eye to the easy taper and fishtail-like flare of the stem. A really cool piece.