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Name: The Seahorse, 2008 Grade/Finish: Grade 4 Sandblast
Price: 515 € Est. $798 USD
615 € TTC including VAT for EU buyers
Notes:
Often pipes will go wildly awry from the original sketches and design
ideas, dut both to unexpected variances or flaws in the briar, and also
to changing aesthetics (ie, suddenly getting a better idea halfway
through). So, it's nice to occasionally get a pipe where the end
result is so similar to the initial rough sketch! I love that
last photo, it's really a great example of going from a rough idea to a
finished pipe. I can include the original sketch page with the
pipe, should the buyer desire. I think this pipe is a side-effect
of all the classical and conventional shapes I've been making lately.
Whenever I've been making a lot of billiards, I always seem to
build up a need to do something wildly extravagant and creative as a
side project. I made a pipe a few years ago that I dubbed "the
Seahorse", but it was of quite a different shape than this. I
suppose one could call this a pickaxe, but I thought it was far too
elegant and graceful and curvy to really suit the "pickaxe" moniker.
Positives:
Unique, unusual, and wildly exotic - It's about as "Talbert" a freehand
as one can get without moving into the more bizarre Halloween pieces.
It's also quite beautiful, at least to my eye, with a sense of
dynamic motion that is hard to capture in a static object. The
entire pipe looks as if it's gently rippling as it floats in ocean
currents. It has a very nice sandblast, with tight grain and
sharp detail, though I did not give it the "mega-craggy" heavy blasting
treatment - That's reserved for pipes where the sandblast itself is the
dominant feature of the pipe, and in this case, the dominent feature is
the shape, so I didn't want a blast that would fight with the shape for
attention. Nonetheless, I think most will find it has a very
pretty grain layout, and the bird's-eye covering the front is really
exceptional. It's unusual in another way, as well - The handcut
acrylic stem is cut from acrylic rod that I've personally cast myself.
I used to do a lot of this, and plan to get back into it more,
because I miss having unique stem materials and colors to work with,
even though making your own acrylic can be time-consuming and
expensive. This particular acrylic plate was an attempt at a faux
amber. Negatives: Not
a pipe for anyone who treats their pipes roughly. The sharp edges
of the bowl rim and trailing shank "tail" could easily be broken if the
pipe was dropped. I considered beveling them off to thicker,
flatter edges so they'd be more durable, but opted to stick with the
original design idea and keep them sharp. I can, however, blunt
the points off and restain them to match, should the buyer be really
concerned over this.

Dimensions:
Bowl
Type: 2.2
cm conical
Airhole
Size: 5/32"
Total
Weight incl Stem: 73.5
grams
Bowl
Height: 6.5 cm(Bottom to lowest bowl edge)
Tobacco
Chamber Depth: 4
cm
Length
from Bowl Base to end of Bit: 15 cm
To
Purchase:
All
Buyers - Email
us and reference this catalog number - Seahorse 2008. Posted prices are
WITHOUT tax, so EU residents must add 19.6% VAT to their total. See our
new SHIPPING page for full information on the shipping options for your country.
Non-EU buyers are responsible for all customs fees incurred in their
country. We prefer payment by credit card or Paypal. To pay by credit
card, call or fax us at (33) 240.88.98.08. Credit cards must be billed
in euros on this end, so the actual price will vary depending on the
native currency of the buyer and the current exchange rate. Payment in
euros by Paypal should be sent to trever@talbertpipes.com.
The pipe will be marked and shipped on receipt of payment. If for some
reason credit card or Paypal payment is impossible, please email
us for other options. Note that we do NOT accept partial payments,
reservations with later payment, etc - full payment is expected when a
pipe is spoken for. |