Moonlight “Steampunk” Oom Paul Sitter Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

While some pipe-makers take inspiration from the natural world, or from the technologies of present and past, few of them in the contemporary seek to represent these forms in their work. Czech artisan Ondrej Bárta of Moonlight pipes does just that, in a way that recalls the intricate, figural carvings of briar pipes from the turn of the 20th century. But Ondrej also departs from the figural approach of early briar pipes by combining it with high-grade materials and a careful attention to grain patterns that is far more modern.

I first reached out to Ondrej of Moonlight Pipes after seeing him make something like this. In fact, it was a pipe just like this one that made me want to stock his pipes, and so I asked if he would be willing to make a couple for the MBSD store. “Yes,” he said, “but it will take time.” I told him that shouldn’t be a problem. Ondrej was right about the wait, but not because he was slacking off. It takes a lot of time to carve something like this, which should be apparent from the attention to detail: while the bowl is all briar, it has been carved to mimic bolted leather and mechanical gears, both to remarkable effect. The pipe also – fittingly – has a brassy faux spigot, along with a swirling green ebonite stem and shank plug for easily cleaning. As a last touch, Ondrej has also carved a matching tamper to go with the pipe.

 

Details:

Length: 3.4″ / 86.36mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 3.1oz / 88g