‘Fernande’ 4 Featherweight Sandblasted Tan, Jungle Lucite Ring

I’m pleased to introduce you to a new series of pipes named ‘Fernande’ in homage to Georges Brassens, who loved smoking ‘Asbestos’ pipes, among other models. These black pipes feature an olive ring and a very thin ‘army’ stem. The Dublin shapes in this series are very light (between 17 and 20 grams), with chambers 18 to 19mm in diameter and around 35mm deep. Carved from very old blanks (between 50 and 100 years old!), they will be adorned with colored ebonite or acrylic elongated lugs and mounted with a long, refined ebonite stem (black at first, colors may follow later). In homage to the poet, I’ve reappropriated this shape by lightening it considerably.

On the present model, the sandblasting reveals a tortuous design with some concentric rings pleasing the eyes.  It is stained in a tan color that blends well with the jungle lucite ring. The long, tapered stem, hand-cut from Giudicci ebonite, plugs in via a classic mortise and tenon joint, the flock is made of Teflon (a nylon that handles temperature variations very well) and the shank is drilled at 4.2mm. The lens of the mouthpiece is wide open in V-shape for optimum draw. Since I’m dealing with very old, very dry briar, I’ll opt for pre-coating most of the time, unless the woodworking indicates that it’s not necessary.

The fact that I can work in series with this type of blank and a substantial stock of Giudicci ebonite from my reserve enables me to offer you the models in this series at more affordable prices, even though everything is entirely handmade in my workshop.