Yves Bäcksteiner

Yves Bäcksteiner was born in Switzerland and lives in Basel. He started smoking a pipe at the beginning of 2013 and was so enthusiastic about it that he made his first models in May of the same year. He writes the following:

Yves Bäcksteiner

The official Black Opal pipe has a real black opal on the shank. The briar is contrast bleached. The diameter of the bowl is 7.5 cm and the chamber is 18mm x 20 mm. The airhole is asymmetrically drilled and it has an asymmetrical shank. It has a buttonless, ebonite stem.

The second Black Opal rated pipe has the sea star rustication with the briar finished with five different colors. The shank is made of a pencil bamboo with polycarbonate extensions and pearls.

Inside the shank is a titanium tube to strengthen the thin shank. The tube ends as a tenon for the buttonless ebonite mouthpiece.

Hi,
I am Yves Bäcksteiner, aka Backstoner. I was born and raised in Switzerland. As a kid I was always fascinated by small details, proportions, and the flow of lines in objects and nature. But when I grew up, I lost this special interest.

Then in 2007 I started studying to be a Bespoke Shoe Maker. My eye for proportions, lines, and color schemes were awakened! I love when things are deeply harmonious and speak from your heart, this I found in my shoe making. After many years of study in Bespoke shoe making, I decided to open my own studio.

Then in 2013 I started to explore pipe smoking. I fell in love with all the beautiful shapes! My thirst for new pipes was giant , but I could not afford new pipes. So I started to refurbish estate pipes. I studied how they were made, what materials were used and where I could obtain these materials.

Ergo, my first pipe of Bog oak was born. A “simple” square poker. At this point there was no holding back for me, and I started making pipes.

In the beginning, I didn’t even own a lathe, so I made all pipes freehand, with the tenon inclusive because premade mouth pieces are not for me.

My first pipe show was the Speyer Pipe Show in Germany. Here I showed my first ten pipes to a live audience. While at the Speyer Show, I met a special pipe maker, by the name of Wolfsteiner, whose pipe stamp was Tarok Briar. I had seen his work online and was amazed by the virtuosity in the shapes and his surface skills. I went to his table with sweating hands to ask him if I could touch his pipes and take a closer look at them.

I was blown away by his work, and shyly asked him, “How the hell do you do this and manage to get these results?” He had a really bad day and at this point he lifted his head and told me a super short answer, “ I draw in 3 D” Nothing more. I was so perplexed, I just said thanks, and left.

His words followed me, and burned in my head, and in my mind. “ How can this be?” “How can I break the shape rules?” This was a difficult process for me and I had many sleepless nights, contemplating his words.

Well, awhile later I was experimenting with a squat bull dog shape and I remembered seeing pipes of German pipemakers who had been bleaching their briar pipes. I wanted to make this, so I started experimenting with some chemicals. Well, this went wrong! The pipe was not white, it was black!

So, what should I do with this pipe? And I started playing with different rustications and the Archetype of the Sea Star Pipe was born! The process to make this surface was so time consuming, that I only made 25 pieces of this pipe. But this shape, I loved and it was burned onto my heart.

I also began to experiment with other shapes, and even smooth surfaces, completely crazy, I know because a wise man once said, sandpaper sucks!

At the time I was hyper creative, I create with other pipemakers the name Freemind pipes, to find an enclosure for all the new shapes and styles we was using. My stamp during my pipe making time was always a simple big Y letter, for Yves. There is one special pipe that I made that I decided to give a special black opal grading. I considered this my masterpiece. In retrospect, I feel there were two more pipes that deserved this special grading. Three pipes, I consider my masterpieces.

I made around plus or minus 200 pipes from 2013-2020. I met amazing and wonderful people during this time. I want to thank,

• Steffen Müller
• Uwe Maier
• Mr. Wallenstein
• Michail Revyaigin

As well as all the other pipe makers who inspired me in my work, who gifted me their input and knowledge. The biggest thanks goes to Christian Wolfsteiner who I always saw as my mentor and the kindest pipe maker that I have ever known.

Rest in peace, my friend

By 2020 I was completely ready to stop pipe making because, there are now new creative ways for me.

Markings and Stamp:

• Allways a simple Y letter stamp.
• In the first year hand engraved date letters.
• One Pipe also marked as a Black opal grade with a single real opal at the Stem.

• Pipe examples, courtesy Yves Bäcksteiner
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Contact Information

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063886920271