Preston Rogers Rusticated Billiard w/ Spalted Boxwood Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

Preston Rogers is an American artisan based in Lexington, Kentucky. As keen pipe smoker (with an insatiable appetite for Latakia blends) Rogers was fascinated with modern, handmade pipes but, like so many of us in the community, found that his budget would not allow him to purchase as many of these pipes as he would have liked. Rogers’ solution – as is also a common occurrence in pipe-making – was to explore crafting his own pipes. Along the way Rogers has been heavily influenced by fellow American artisan Jeff “J. Alan” Gracik, but has also been inspired by the pipes of the great Danish makes and makers, such as Stanwell, Nording, Bari, and Anne Julie.

As in Italy (and in part because of Italy), there is a definite tradition of stony, rusticated finishes in North American artisan pipes. Figures such as Mike Butera and Walt Cannoy in the US, or Michael Parks and Todd Bannard in Canada, have helped bring rustication to the fore as something that should not be overlooked in the pursuit of a high quality pipe. This is one of the reasons that I was first drawn to the work of Kentucky’s Preston Rogers. As can be seen on this light, nosewarmer length quarter-bent billiard, he’s got a real knack for bringing out the sharp and tactile side of briar. He’s also excellent when it comes to pairing and cutting accents and ferrules, typically using spalted woods, like the spalted boxwood seen here.

Details:

Length: 4.5″ / 114.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g