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Cooke, James T.: Difference between revisions
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[[File:AMBER BARK Natural Standing Dublin.jpeg|thumb|The Standing Dublin, A Cooke Signature Shape]] | [[File:AMBER BARK Natural Standing Dublin.jpeg|thumb|The Standing Dublin, A Cooke Signature Shape]] | ||
Vermont native James T. “J. T.” Cooke, (b. 1949) has variously been called “the Bo Nordh of the blast,” “the supreme master” and “the Tessla of Sandblasting.” <ref>Fred J. Hanna, ''The Perfect Smoke'' , 146; David M., “In A Class All His Own,” ''Tobacco Days,'' August 8, 2011. | Vermont native James T. “J. T.” Cooke, (b. 1949) has variously been called “the Bo Nordh of the blast,” “the supreme master” and “the Tessla of Sandblasting.” <ref>Fred J. Hanna, ''The Perfect Smoke'' , 146; David M., “In A Class All His Own,” ''Tobacco Days,'' August 8, 2011. http://tobaccodays.com/2011/08/j-t-cooke-in-a-class-all-his-own/ accessed 1/4/2021; Chuck Stanion, “J. T. Cooke: The Tesla of Pipe Sandblasting,” https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/jt-cooke-the-tesla-pipe-sandblasting , accessed 1/4/2021. | ||
</ref> In 2022, he was awarded Doctor of Pipes by the Chicago Pipe Collectors Club, the equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar for Lifetime Achievement Oscar. <ref>Chuck Stanion, “Doctors and Masters of Pipes: A Timeline,” | </ref> In 2022, he was awarded Doctor of Pipes by the Chicago Pipe Collectors Club, the equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar for Lifetime Achievement Oscar. <ref>Chuck Stanion, “Doctors and Masters of Pipes: A Timeline,” https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/doctors-and-masters-pipes-timeline?utm_source=Smokingpipes.com&utm_campaign=18848e7cd7-Sun_Jun_12_2022_DailyReader&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0e8b6a473f-18848e7cd7-209228005 , accessed June 12, 2022.</ref> He has made two pipes of the year for ''Pipes & Tobaccos'' magazine, one in 1999 (in a run of 250) and a second (in a run of 50) in 2008. In 2005, he made an edition of 25 straight dublins for the NASPC club pipe. <ref>http://www.naspc.org/Pipe%20of%20the%20Year.htm, accessed 6/10/22.</ref> His pipes are renowned for offering a tactile and visual experience unlike any others in the world. His work is in such continuous demand that commissioned pipes have sometimes taken three to four years, resulting in a robust estate market where his pipes routinely sell for more than newly commissioned ones. | ||
== Design Language == | == Design Language == | ||
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=== Stamps and Nomenclature === | === Stamps and Nomenclature === | ||
[[File:C0003 OKF shank stamp.jpg|left|thumb|Cooke's OKF | [[File:C0003 OKF shank stamp.jpg|left|thumb|Cooke's OKF shank stamp]] | ||
J. T. has used three stamps in small capital letters at the mortise shank face to indicate the origin of his briar:<blockquote>'''OKF'''— “Old Knarly Friend”—briar from Morocco | |||
'''OGF'''—“Old Gnarly Friend”—briar from Italy (no longer used) | |||
'''OKFA'''—“Old Knarly Friend Algeria" –briar from Algeria (no longer used)</blockquote> | |||
There have only been two shank stamps indicating the authenticity of a Cooke pipe: <blockquote>'''J.T. & D. Cooke'''—on pipes made before 1996; “D” refers to ex-wife Deb who teamed with Cooke as sander when they were making pipes for other American labels. <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> | |||
'''J. T. Cooke'''—on pipes after 1996. </blockquote> | |||
[[File:C004 Nomenclature JT&D 2008 stamp.jpg|left|thumb|Cooke's nomenclature shank stamp and the year stamp placement]] | [[File:C004 Nomenclature JT&D 2008 stamp.jpg|left|thumb|Cooke's nomenclature shank stamp and the year stamp placement]] | ||
Cooke has disavowed the authenticity of pipes with the LPI shank stamp as contract work, not genuine Cooke pipes. <ref>“Tesla.”</ref> | Cooke has disavowed the authenticity of pipes with the LPI shank stamp as contract work, not genuine Cooke pipes. <ref>“Tesla.”</ref> | ||
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These photos show the range and sophistication of his work at this time, including the growth of his distinctive signature style based on his deep appreciation of classic English shapes . The bell calabash, horn, standing poker and bulldog are all shapes to which he will frequently return in his later work. | These photos show the range and sophistication of his work at this time, including the growth of his distinctive signature style based on his deep appreciation of classic English shapes . The bell calabash, horn, standing poker and bulldog are all shapes to which he will frequently return in his later work. | ||
[[File:C014 Fred Heim smooth calabash 1.jpg|thumb|A J.T.&D. Cooke smooth calabash with repro-amber stem (Fred Heim Collection)]] | |||
=== Middle Period === | === Middle Period === | ||
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While J. T.’s shape catalog has become more and more distinctive and uniquely his own over the past ten to fifteen years, there is constant experimentation and new shapes still appear with regularity. <ref>Making a regular visit to the Gallery page at Cookepipes.com | While J. T.’s shape catalog has become more and more distinctive and uniquely his own over the past ten to fifteen years, there is constant experimentation and new shapes still appear with regularity. <ref>Making a regular visit to the Gallery page at [https://www.Cookepipes.com www.Cookepipes.com] reveals Cooke's on-going innovation as well as unifying aesthetic.</ref> For example, the Christmas Bell, a dublin bell shape with special stain and custom stem, has appeared since 2016, but only one is made annually, just before the holiday. | ||
[[File:C013 Christmas Dublin Bell 2018 reverse.jpg|left|thumb|alt=|Cooke's annual Christmas pipe since 2016, a custom-color stain and custom-color stem dublin bell (courtesy J. T. Cooke)]] | [[File:C013 Christmas Dublin Bell 2018 reverse.jpg|left|thumb|alt=|Cooke's annual Christmas pipe since 2016, a custom-color stain and custom-color stem dublin bell (courtesy J. T. Cooke)]] | ||
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=== Curing=== | === Curing=== | ||
“Cooke’s curing method,” writes Chuck Stanion, “takes up to two weeks and reduces the weight of the briar from 4-9 percent, depending on the individual block, and his method cures primarily the smoke channel and tobacco chamber, providing flavorful briar that absorbs moisture, so it’s important to keep a J.T. Cooke pipe clean for that carefully developed system to do its job of providing a dry and effortless smoke.” <ref>Chuck Stanion, J. T. Cooke estate pipe description, | “Cooke’s curing method,” writes Chuck Stanion, “takes up to two weeks and reduces the weight of the briar from 4-9 percent, depending on the individual block, and his method cures primarily the smoke channel and tobacco chamber, providing flavorful briar that absorbs moisture, so it’s important to keep a J.T. Cooke pipe clean for that carefully developed system to do its job of providing a dry and effortless smoke.” <ref>Chuck Stanion, J. T. Cooke estate pipe description, https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/united-states/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=366182, accessed June 12, 2022. </ref> The curing process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the block of briar, and is done after the lathe work has been done and chamber bored but before the sandblasting. Cooke’s propriety process is done in two stages by first forcing the resins and tannins to expand and second apply a special solution to dissolve the resins and tannins. <ref>Stanion, “Master Blaster.”</ref> As J. T. explains to David M: | ||
<blockquote> I know guys like to age their briar. Some say for 2 or 3 years. I learned in my experiments with Barry [Levin] that there is a lot of stuff in briar, even the best briar . . . . So what I learned is that after I turn the pipes on the lathe, I put a dummy stem on them and I run them through a curing process, remove what residual tar and oils and sap is still in the wood, I leach that stuff out and then I dry the wood. Most cutters do an admirable job, because it’s a competitive industry like anything else, they do a great job of cleaning the wood as best they can. But they are cleaning 50 or 100 blocks at a time. And there is no way they can get all the stuff out. Plus, they are trying to get some stuff out of a big hunk of wood. I am trying to get the sap out of the turned pipe so it is a smaller process. The difference in a pre-cured block of wood and a post-cured block of wood is that I can drop the weight between the two between 6 and 9%. When I started actually weighing and charting the whole thing, I knew I was getting stuff out but it blew my mind that there was so much stuff in even the best block of wood. And it’s important because you want the block to be able to breathe. If you have a dry block that still has sap in it and over the years, the sap polymerizes. Once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it and it sets up like epoxy in the pores. The pipe will be heavy, not particularly absorbent. <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> </blockquote> | <blockquote> I know guys like to age their briar. Some say for 2 or 3 years. I learned in my experiments with Barry [Levin] that there is a lot of stuff in briar, even the best briar . . . . So what I learned is that after I turn the pipes on the lathe, I put a dummy stem on them and I run them through a curing process, remove what residual tar and oils and sap is still in the wood, I leach that stuff out and then I dry the wood. Most cutters do an admirable job, because it’s a competitive industry like anything else, they do a great job of cleaning the wood as best they can. But they are cleaning 50 or 100 blocks at a time. And there is no way they can get all the stuff out. Plus, they are trying to get some stuff out of a big hunk of wood. I am trying to get the sap out of the turned pipe so it is a smaller process. The difference in a pre-cured block of wood and a post-cured block of wood is that I can drop the weight between the two between 6 and 9%. When I started actually weighing and charting the whole thing, I knew I was getting stuff out but it blew my mind that there was so much stuff in even the best block of wood. And it’s important because you want the block to be able to breathe. If you have a dry block that still has sap in it and over the years, the sap polymerizes. Once that happens, there is no way to get rid of it and it sets up like epoxy in the pores. The pipe will be heavy, not particularly absorbent. <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> </blockquote> | ||
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=== Blasting === | === Blasting === | ||
Cooke writes, “Five stage blasting began around 1999. It’s never a hard and fast rule; it all depends on what the briar needs.” <ref>Email from J. T. Cooke to Mark Irwin, January 3, 2022.</ref> In “Down this Blasted Path,” the short essay Cooke provides on his website, he details the stages:<blockquote>1. The first stage shows me the over-all grain pattern and how the growth rings are oriented. This is where most (not all) pipe labels stop. | [[File:C18 stummel and rodP&T2008 08.jpg|thumb|Hand-poured acrylic rod and stummel for a standing dublin]] | ||
Cooke writes, “Five stage blasting began around 1999. It’s never a hard and fast rule; it all depends on what the briar needs.” <ref>Email from J. T. Cooke to Mark Irwin, January 3, 2022.</ref> In “Down this Blasted Path,” the short essay Cooke provides on his website, he details the stages: | |||
[[File:C15 five stage blasting.jpg|left|thumb]] | |||
<blockquote>1. The first stage shows me the over-all grain pattern and how the growth rings are oriented. This is where most (not all) pipe labels stop. | |||
2. The second blast stage exposes and defines the hard and soft areas within the grain and ring patterns. | 2. The second blast stage exposes and defines the hard and soft areas within the grain and ring patterns. | ||
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4. The fourth blast stage gently but firmly re-establishes the criss boundaries already created by previous blasting. | 4. The fourth blast stage gently but firmly re-establishes the criss boundaries already created by previous blasting. | ||
5. The fifth and final stage gives final detail to all the tiny individual fibers of wood. <ref>J. T. Cooke, “Down This Blasted Path,” | 5. The fifth and final stage gives final detail to all the tiny individual fibers of wood. <ref>J. T. Cooke, “Down This Blasted Path,” http://www.cookepipes.com/About.aspx, accessed June 12, 2022.</ref></blockquote> | ||
=== Stems === | === Stems === | ||
Cooke has made his own hand-poured acrylic stem rod almost from the beginning of his work as a pipe maker. He works primarily with three colors: reproduction amber (his earliest), amber bark and black. He also, however, frequently uses ruby (a deep purple swirl) as well as creates custom color combinations. | Cooke has made his own hand-poured acrylic stem rod almost from the beginning of his work as a pipe maker. He works primarily with three colors: reproduction amber (his earliest), amber bark and black. He also, however, frequently uses ruby (a deep purple swirl) as well as creates custom color combinations. | ||
[[File:C16 P&T2008 stem rod.jpg|thumb|Cooke's hand-poured acrylic stem rod (courtesy ''Pipes & Tobaccos'' magazine)]] | |||
Even with J. T.’s standard colors, however, no two mixed-color stems will ever be alike, as the poured “colors can end up in all different locations and patterns on the stem.” <ref>Email from J. T. Cooke to Mark Irwin, June 11, 2022.</ref> The uniqueness of such pipes is thus further enhanced, often strikingly so. Because these are hand-poured acrylics, they require a little extra care. The buttons on his pipes can be chipped by hard clenching, so that most devotees prefer to cradle their Cooke pipes rather than clench them. | Even with J. T.’s standard colors, however, no two mixed-color stems will ever be alike, as the poured “colors can end up in all different locations and patterns on the stem.” <ref>Email from J. T. Cooke to Mark Irwin, June 11, 2022.</ref> The uniqueness of such pipes is thus further enhanced, often strikingly so. Because these are hand-poured acrylics, they require a little extra care. The buttons on his pipes can be chipped by hard clenching, so that most devotees prefer to cradle their Cooke pipes rather than clench them. | ||
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Cooke was born in Vermont in 1949 and has one sister (a retired university professor) and two grown children. <ref>In A Class All His Own.”</ref> His father was a biology teacher with exceptional DIY skills which the his son would inherit, later building his own house from scratch. <ref>“Tesla” and “In A Class All His Own.”</ref> As a child, J. T. experienced recurring high fevers from severe bouts of strep throat. In the interview with David M., he attributes his sickliness not only with developing his imagination but with giving him a certain existential outlook on life: “I had a certain appreciation for trying to enjoy every day because I never knew if it was going to be my last [which] gave me a certain amount of license to experiment and live life and pursue what I wanted to pursue, because nobody is guaranteed tomorrow.” <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> | Cooke was born in Vermont in 1949 and has one sister (a retired university professor) and two grown children. <ref>In A Class All His Own.”</ref> His father was a biology teacher with exceptional DIY skills which the his son would inherit, later building his own house from scratch. <ref>“Tesla” and “In A Class All His Own.”</ref> As a child, J. T. experienced recurring high fevers from severe bouts of strep throat. In the interview with David M., he attributes his sickliness not only with developing his imagination but with giving him a certain existential outlook on life: “I had a certain appreciation for trying to enjoy every day because I never knew if it was going to be my last [which] gave me a certain amount of license to experiment and live life and pursue what I wanted to pursue, because nobody is guaranteed tomorrow.” <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> | ||
In 1972, Cooke graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. <ref>Email to Mark Irwin, January 3, 2022.</ref> It is worth mentioning that this prestigious school, which has a steep 27% acceptance rate, includes alumni like David Burne of the Talking Heads, actor James Franco, authors Chris Van Allsburg and Brian Selznick (both Caldecott Medalists), and film maker Gus Van Sant among others. <ref | In 1972, Cooke graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. <ref>Email to Mark Irwin, January 3, 2022.</ref> It is worth mentioning that this prestigious school, which has a steep 27% acceptance rate, includes alumni like David Burne of the Talking Heads, actor James Franco, authors Chris Van Allsburg and Brian Selznick (both Caldecott Medalists), and film maker Gus Van Sant among others. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_School_of_Design</ref> Cooke is undoubtedly RISD’s only artisan pipe-maker. | ||
[[File:Hot Rod Chubby Dublin.jpg|thumb|J.T.'s chubby dublin with a custom-color "Hot Rod" stem]] | |||
On graduation, Cooke took a job with television station WCAX as its Art Director, where he worked through the mid-seventies. He decided he wanted to stop smoking cigarettes and his wife Deb bought him a carve-it-yourself pipe kit. “After I made the first one,” he recalls, “I knew that I finally found something that I was totally captivated with.” <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> A year or two later, he took a job at The Briar Workshop working for Elliott Nachwalter and Jorg Jemelka. <ref>Stanion, “Tesla.”</ref> The Briar Workshop laid the groundwork for American artisan pipe making and included Danish designer pipe maker Finn Meyan Andersen and Cooke’s good friend Brad Pohlmann. <ref>“Briar Workshop,” ''Pipedia,'' [[Briar Workshop|https://pipedia.org/wiki/Briar_Workshop]], accessed June 13, 2022.</ref> | On graduation, Cooke took a job with television station WCAX as its Art Director, where he worked through the mid-seventies. He decided he wanted to stop smoking cigarettes and his wife Deb bought him a carve-it-yourself pipe kit. “After I made the first one,” he recalls, “I knew that I finally found something that I was totally captivated with.” <ref>“In A Class All His Own.”</ref> A year or two later, he took a job at The Briar Workshop working for Elliott Nachwalter and Jorg Jemelka. <ref>Stanion, “Tesla.”</ref> The Briar Workshop laid the groundwork for American artisan pipe making and included Danish designer pipe maker Finn Meyan Andersen and Cooke’s good friend Brad Pohlmann. <ref>“Briar Workshop,” ''Pipedia,'' [[Briar Workshop|https://pipedia.org/wiki/Briar_Workshop]], accessed June 13, 2022.</ref> | ||
When the Briar Workshop relocated to Florida a few years later, Cooke remained in Vermont to make his own pipes. Not long afterwards he met Barry Levin of Levin Pipes International (LPI), located in Craftsbury, Vermont, who is widely regarded as the founding father of the estate pipe market in the US. While LPI sold some of Cooke’s first pipes, the company was more important in providing him the opportunity to restore and study thousands of pipes, laying the foundation for his understanding of airflow, engineering and design language. <ref>Stanion, “Tesla.”</ref> | When the Briar Workshop relocated to Florida a few years later, Cooke remained in Vermont to make his own pipes. Not long afterwards he met Barry Levin of Levin Pipes International (LPI), located in Craftsbury, Vermont, who is widely regarded as the founding father of the estate pipe market in the US. While LPI sold some of Cooke’s first pipes, the company was more important in providing him the opportunity to restore and study thousands of pipes, laying the foundation for his understanding of airflow, engineering and design language. <ref>Stanion, “Tesla.”</ref> | ||
After Levin’s untimely death, J. T. continued restoring pipes on his own. The repetitive operations involved and sheer amount of work led to severe carpal tunnel syndrome. “I came very close to losing my pipe making career,” he recalled. His fans and friends in the hobby, knowing of his plight, took up a fund and, unbeknownst to Cooke, collected enough money to allow him to have the operations he needed in January of 2000, which didn’t cure the problem. Knowing he would have to make a change, J. T. gave up restorations in favor of full-time pipe making. <ref>Chuck Stanion, “Master Blaster,” ''Pipes & Tobaccos,'' Spring 2008, 14-19.</ref> | After Levin’s untimely death, J. T. continued restoring pipes on his own. The repetitive operations involved and sheer amount of work led to severe carpal tunnel syndrome. “I came very close to losing my pipe making career,” he recalled. His fans and friends in the hobby, knowing of his plight, took up a fund and, unbeknownst to Cooke, collected enough money to allow him to have the operations he needed in January of 2000, which didn’t cure the problem. Knowing he would have to make a change, J. T. gave up restorations in favor of full-time pipe making. <ref>Chuck Stanion, “Master Blaster,” ''Pipes & Tobaccos,'' Spring 2008, 14-19.</ref> | ||
[[File:C17 P&T2008 01.jpg|thumb|At the blasting cabinet in 2008 (courtesy ''P&T'')]] | |||
While Cooke’s earliest sandblasts involved a two-stage sandblasting process, as his career has progressed the blasting has evolved to three and then four or five stages, depending on the density of the wood and size of the bowl. Since the 1990’s, J. T. has supported many pipe shows by taking a table and always has enjoyed talking to attendees and working with collectors. Listening to his customers has led him to develop certain shapes like his classic bent bulldog. In 2010, working with Rich Esserman, Cooke utilized the lines of old Dunhill magnums and made his own style of Magnum bents and billiards. <ref>Rich Esserman, email to Doctor of Pipes, March 19, 2022.</ref> | While Cooke’s earliest sandblasts involved a two-stage sandblasting process, as his career has progressed the blasting has evolved to three and then four or five stages, depending on the density of the wood and size of the bowl. Since the 1990’s, J. T. has supported many pipe shows by taking a table and always has enjoyed talking to attendees and working with collectors. Listening to his customers has led him to develop certain shapes like his classic bent bulldog. In 2010, working with Rich Esserman, Cooke utilized the lines of old Dunhill magnums and made his own style of Magnum bents and billiards. <ref>Rich Esserman, email to Doctor of Pipes, March 19, 2022.</ref> | ||
== Achievement and Legacy == | == Achievement and Legacy == | ||
[[File:C20 P&T2008 03.jpg|left|thumb|Inside Cooke's blasting cabinet (courtesy ''P&T'')]] | |||
Cooke’s sandblasting and stem work have occasionally been misunderstood, the former because because the buttons are perceived too boxy or uncomfortable and the latter because it is somehow not true sandblasting but a kind of rustication highlighted by sandblasting. As for the stems, Erwin Van Hove in the French ''Pipe Mag'' in 2003 said “Cooke is . . . famous for his comfortable stems.” <ref>Erwin Van Hove, “Go West!,” reprinted in ''Pipes & Tobaccos,'' Spring 2004, 14-18.</ref> | Cooke’s sandblasting and stem work have occasionally been misunderstood, the former because because the buttons are perceived too boxy or uncomfortable and the latter because it is somehow not true sandblasting but a kind of rustication highlighted by sandblasting. As for the stems, Erwin Van Hove in the French ''Pipe Mag'' in 2003 said “Cooke is . . . famous for his comfortable stems.” <ref>Erwin Van Hove, “Go West!,” reprinted in ''Pipes & Tobaccos,'' Spring 2004, 14-18.</ref> | ||
“I know there are people out there who earnestly believe these pipes get carved at some stage in the process,” J. T. told Chuck Stanion. “I want to be clear about this: A carving tool never comes near one of these pipes. . . . This is sandblasting pure and simple.” <ref>Stanion, “Master Blaster.”</ref> Doctor of Pipes Fred Hanna addresses Cooke’s sandblasting in a widely-circulated article originally appearing in the NASPC's ''Pipe Collector'':<blockquote>Some few collectors believe that Jim Cooke’s sandblasted pipes are actually ‘sand carved.’ Some have interpreted this as implying that Jim’s method has deteriorated the sandblasting art into a form of rustication that is then gone over or highlighted with sandblasting. This is misleading and possibly denigrates and negates Jim’s excellent work, which I believe is simply the best sandblasting ever done anywhere, at any time. | “I know there are people out there who earnestly believe these pipes get carved at some stage in the process,” J. T. told Chuck Stanion. “I want to be clear about this: A carving tool never comes near one of these pipes. . . . This is sandblasting pure and simple.” <ref>Stanion, “Master Blaster.”</ref> Doctor of Pipes Fred Hanna addresses Cooke’s sandblasting in a widely-circulated article originally appearing in the NASPC's ''Pipe Collector'':<blockquote>Some few collectors believe that Jim Cooke’s sandblasted pipes are actually ‘sand carved.’ Some have interpreted this as implying that Jim’s method has deteriorated the sandblasting art into a form of rustication that is then gone over or highlighted with sandblasting. This is misleading and possibly denigrates and negates Jim’s excellent work, which I believe is simply the best sandblasting ever done anywhere, at any time. | ||
Actually, the belief is quite puzzling in many ways. When one thinks about it, all sandblasted pipes are ‘sand carved’ to some degree and in some way. That is why the blasting is done! In making a single pipe, Jim told me that he spends from twelve to fifteen hours on sandblasting alone, quite in addition to all the other time-consuming steps that go into that pipe. Does this make his sandblasts somehow different than most others? Of course it does! Jim’s three-stage method seems to consistently bring out more detail, depth and definition, in my opinion, than anyone. That is why his pipes are so damned much in demand. Jim Cooke is the ‘Bo Nordh of the Blast.’ Jim does not create false graining patterns with his technique. In fact, he told me that his first pass is done specifically to expose the grain patterns, which he further exposes and details in his follow steps. <ref>''The Perfect Smoke,'' 146.</ref></blockquote>Cooke has undoubtedly been the catalyst in popularizing blasting so that the once lowly and “bastard son” of briar pipes is now seen on equal terms with smooth-finished pipes and by many smokers even preferred. | Actually, the belief is quite puzzling in many ways. When one thinks about it, all sandblasted pipes are ‘sand carved’ to some degree and in some way. That is why the blasting is done! In making a single pipe, Jim told me that he spends from twelve to fifteen hours on sandblasting alone, quite in addition to all the other time-consuming steps that go into that pipe. Does this make his sandblasts somehow different than most others? Of course it does! Jim’s three-stage method seems to consistently bring out more detail, depth and definition, in my opinion, than anyone. That is why his pipes are so damned much in demand. Jim Cooke is the ‘Bo Nordh of the Blast.’ Jim does not create false graining patterns with his technique. In fact, he told me that his first pass is done specifically to expose the grain patterns, which he further exposes and details in his follow steps. <ref>''The Perfect Smoke,'' 146.</ref></blockquote> | ||
[[File:C21 P&T2008 02.jpg|thumb|Second pass in the blasting cabinet (courtesy ''P&T'')]] | |||
Cooke has undoubtedly been the catalyst in popularizing blasting so that the once lowly and “bastard son” of briar pipes is now seen on equal terms with smooth-finished pipes and by many smokers even preferred. | |||
== Bibliography == | == Bibliography == | ||
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—. “The Tesla of Pipe Sandblasting,” Smokingpipes.com, ''The Daily Reader,'' August 3, 2018, accessed January 4, 2021. | —. “The Tesla of Pipe Sandblasting,” Smokingpipes.com, ''The Daily Reader,'' August 3, 2018, accessed January 4, 2021. | ||
== Contact Information == | |||
J. T. Cooke | J. T. Cooke | ||