Sebastian Heck Danish Billiard w/ Cocobolo Handmade Briar Pipe, New

Description

Sebastian Heck is part of younger generation of highly skilled artisans to have emerged from Germany in recent years. Based in Heidelberg, Heck took up pipe smoking—and, ultimately, pipe-making—as part of a conscious effort toward slowing down in an otherwise constantly accelerating modern world. Like many pipe-makers, Heck took his first steps into the craft as a restorer of estate and heirloom pieces, which in time brought with it an expansion of his workshop and the tools housed within it. With this as a base, creating new pipes of his own was a natural progression. Heck’s development has been greatly influenced by the Danish and German schools of pipe design, and has included time spent learning directly from fellow German artisans, such as Dirk Heinemann.

One of my all-time favorite pipe shapes is what is sometimes called the “Danish billiard.” Purists will say that it isn’t a billiard at all, and that it should be thought of as a brandy sub-type, or something like that. But this shape straddles the line between billiard and brandy, and given that the Danish-style brandy is a whole other beast, “billiard” would seem to be more appropriate, at least comparatively. Exemplified by the works of Danes like Jess Chonowitsch, Former, and (one of my personal favorites) Karl Erik, it is a stout, slightly fat-bottomed reinterpretation of the Anglo-French classic, often with a slightly longer shank and either a saddle stem or some kind of mount fitment. This one, from Sebastian Heck, is an even sturdier rendition, cross-pollinating elements of the Danish and German styles. A contrast stain sets off the stummel’s flame grain marvelously, and a subtle ring of cocobolo wood smooths the shank’s transition into a black, SEM ebonite stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.5″ / 38.10mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g