Von Erck: Difference between revisions

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In an article, called [[Go West]], which originally appeared in the French Pipe Mag, Erwin Van Hove has this to say about Lee von Erck: "Lee is a fascinating personality. He is a solitary individual with ascetic looks and a sense of humor as dry as a dry martini. Without doubt he is one of the most distinctive American carvers. His work does not leave one indifferent. One either loves his very organic shapes, inspired he says by the nature that surrounds his workshop in Michigan, or one profoundly dislikes his bizarre and rustic pipes. Anyway, collectors of small pipes should beware ! Lee loves big bowls. Also noteworthy is that Lee has perfected a method, kept quite secret, of oil curing, which means that the wood is treated with a mixture of oils to chase away the tannins and other impurities. The result is a pipe that produces a pleasant and typical flavor from the first puffs onward. The molded ebonite stems Lee uses, undergo a lot of modifications. As for the finishes, few smooth pipes, but lots of partially or completely rusticated ones with a very surprising appearance. Lee is said to rusticate with a dentist’s drill ! Just recently von Erck has presented a series of pipes which are sand blasted to offer a wonderful, bee hive effect : the morel finish, an impressive illustration of his craftsmanship. In short, Lee manages to produce an American pipe that does not have its counterpart in Europe."

The sudden interest in these pipes is a bit unexpected as their past marketbase has been targeted predominately at mid-America. Lee has been making pipes for just 15 years.