Finishes?

[momus]

Rusticated feels nice in the hand to me. Since pipe smoking is really a sensory thing....the feel of the pipe being in some ways almost as important as the flavor of the tobacco...I gravitate toward rusticated. Plus pipes are cheaper that way. Although I like the smooth look better. Cest la vie

 

[Zeno Marx]

It's also easy to overlook the amazing stem work that he does when all the focus is on the sandblast.

Absolutely. I believe he is one of the few who pour their own stock. His stems aren't only unique in color, but they're often subtle in how perfectly they are shaped to the pipe. It's easy to miss the brilliance in that. They can be flashy in color, but it's the shape and how well they compliment the wood in every way that sets them apart. I mean, I really, really like Roush's stem colors and color compliments, but he is much more a traditionalist than Cooke. It isn't a hammer to the head approach that Cooke takes with stem progressivity, though. His pipes are clearly forward-thinking (while paying homage to those old Dunhill deep blasts), but his stem work is more in the middle, yet entirely leaning towards the future.

 

[mattia76]

I have steadily gravitated towards Black and Blasted over the years. I think just because of the ease of maintenance. I do love a good tanshell though.

I have decided I do not enjoy the Bruyere reddish finish, so if I get a smooth, I like it to be a very light stain that shows off the grain.

 

[monbla256]

Smooth, dark "cherry-ish" stain, but not so dark it hides grain. And I like the "moderate" blasts in a dark brown stain. I don't much care for the kinda jagged blasts -- Is that rustic? The nomenclature seems to mean different things to different folks -- the texture of which I find to be an impediment to finding a comfortable holding spot. I've acquired a dark reddish smooth Sav that has a fairly unique shape including a flat spot on the lower front of the bowl, allowing it to be set down in a "stem up" position. It has an orange lucite bit. Not everyone's cup o' tea, but I like it.

As I understand it, a "rusticated" finish is one that is carved into the briar with some sort of edged tool and a "blasted" finish is done with sand blown under pressure onto the wood which removes the softer areas of wood following the grain pattern. My preference is for the blasted finish for sure

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Cooke's blast stuff is wild! I dig it! I'm also a fan of Heeschen's blasts, who by comparison to Cooke is subdued... oh, and I guess Rad's stuff is okay... you know, if you're INTO that kind of thing... Harlock, that bent bulldog of Cooke's down there looks like it'd feel just as interesting as it looks!

Rustication can be really cool. I've seen textures that resemble myriad surfaces, from brick to shark skin. I consider it more a carving skill than a finishing skill. With any skill, there's some examples that are crap--which looks like somebody beat a poor pipe with a bat full of nails, threw on some shellac and called it a day. :lol:

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