the first pipe I ever carved

I began smoking a pipe because it was cheaper than smoking a cigar, and to be honest, I thought pipes were cool.  They looked cool, and they smelled good, and they were cheaper than cigars.  Whats not to love. 

I bought some used pipes, cleaned a few and started smoking, but as I was looking for pipes on Ebay I kept running into this shape that I just loved.  I call it the Danish Fan.  I think I have heard others refer to it as that, but maybe not.  I love it.  It is big, and bold, and is made to be grabbed in the hands of a constructions worker.  I wanted one, but... they were a bit expensive.  I paid 17 dollars for six pipes and a pipe holder, and these were selling for 100-300 dollars.  That wasn't happening.

But then I heard you could make your own pipes by ordering a kit.  I bugged my wife about it and she emailed Mark Tinsky from American tobacco pipe company and bought me a premade  kit for Christmas.  It already had the holes drilled and the stem in it, all I had to do was turn it into my Danish fan pipe.

and I did

This is the first pipe I carved. 

others saw this pipe and asked me to make them a pipe... I made six pipes from kits without having any teaching, any input from any pipemakers.  But by then I was bitten, I started to really learn at that point, and now... I will not stop til I am among those that are called professionals

rev