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Keresaspa: Difference between revisions
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In 2015, he decided to start seriously researching the craft of pipemaking, and to collect the materials needed to experiment with pipemaking for himself. Over the course of the year, he gathered the materials he needed, and found a workshop that would rent him a lathe to use for a few hours a week. In 2016, he made his first pipe. | In 2015, he decided to start seriously researching the craft of pipemaking, and to collect the materials needed to experiment with pipemaking for himself. Over the course of the year, he gathered the materials he needed, and found a workshop that would rent him a lathe to use for a few hours a week. In 2016, he made his first pipe. | ||
[[File:Keresaspas first pipe.jpg|left|thumb|The first pipe made by Keresaspa, which he now keeps as part of his own private collection.]] | [[File:Keresaspas first pipe.jpg|left|thumb|The first pipe made by Keresaspa, which he now keeps as part of his own private collection.]] | ||
[[File:Keresaspa first briar pipe.JPG|left|thumb|The first briar pipe made by Keresaspa, which he keeps in his personal collection and in regular rotation as a favorite smoker. Image courtesy Keresaspa.]] | |||
Keresaspa’s education in pipemaking came from reading as many articles on the subject as he could find, from magazines, books, and pipemaking forums on the internet. He also studied interviews with pipemakers and videos that showed these artisans and factory carvers demonstrating how pipes are made. | |||
Using this information, he experimented with making his first pipes, concentrating first on their functional properties. These pipes were made for his own use, meaning Keresaspa was able to create several stems for the same stummel, making minor adjustments to the diameter of the draught hole or the funneling of the airway, before testing out how they affected the smoking qualities of the pipe. Keresaspa would also sometimes experiment with drilling and re-drilling the draught holes of his stummels, combining them with his variously measured stems, in order to discover the ideal combination of the two. To this day, Keresaspa considers the stem to be the most important part of the pipe, meaning he will spend several days only doing stem work until he is satisfied with the outcome. | |||
In terms of influences, Keresaspa remains fascinated by the precise engineering behind the ‘perfect smoker.’ Therefore, a major influence upon Keresaspa’s pipes are the experiments he has undertaken in order to fine-tune the smoking characteristics of a pipe. In addition to this, Keresaspa asks his customers who own high-end artisan pipes to send him lists of their measurements, so that he has more variables to test out for himself. Keresaspa is also a great admirer of the aesthetic styles of many of the masters of Scandinavian and Japanese pipemaking, citing [[Ivarsson, Sixten|Sixten]] and [[Ivarsson, Lars|Lars Ivarsson]], [[Nordh|Bo Nordh]], [[Jørn Micke]], [[Poul Ilsted Bech|Poul Ilsted]], [[Chonowitsch, Jess|Jess Chonowitsch]], [[Gotoh|Kei ‘Ichi Gotoh]], and [[Tokutomi, Hiroyuki|Hiroyuki Tokutomi]] as inspirations. However, Keresaspa also remains fond of classical English-French shapes, especially the functionalist simplicity of the humble billiard. | In terms of influences, Keresaspa remains fascinated by the precise engineering behind the ‘perfect smoker.’ Therefore, a major influence upon Keresaspa’s pipes are the experiments he has undertaken in order to fine-tune the smoking characteristics of a pipe. In addition to this, Keresaspa asks his customers who own high-end artisan pipes to send him lists of their measurements, so that he has more variables to test out for himself. Keresaspa is also a great admirer of the aesthetic styles of many of the masters of Scandinavian and Japanese pipemaking, citing [[Ivarsson, Sixten|Sixten]] and [[Ivarsson, Lars|Lars Ivarsson]], [[Nordh|Bo Nordh]], [[Jørn Micke]], [[Poul Ilsted Bech|Poul Ilsted]], [[Chonowitsch, Jess|Jess Chonowitsch]], [[Gotoh|Kei ‘Ichi Gotoh]], and [[Tokutomi, Hiroyuki|Hiroyuki Tokutomi]] as inspirations. However, Keresaspa also remains fond of classical English-French shapes, especially the functionalist simplicity of the humble billiard. | ||
[[File:Keresaspa blowfishes.png|left|thumb|A selection of blowfish-style pipes inspired by Lars Ivarsson. Created from images courtesy Keresaspa.]] | [[File:Keresaspa blowfishes.png|left|thumb|A selection of blowfish-style pipes inspired by Lars Ivarsson. Created from images courtesy Keresaspa.]] | ||
[[File:KeresaspaPersianColumnStem.jpg|thumb|225x225px|A Keresaspa pipe stem modeled on the columns of the ancient Persian Achaemenid empire. Image courtesy Keresaspa.]] | |||
Other sources of inspiration for Keresaspa include a variety of man-made and natural objects, including architecture, as might be expected. One example has been Achaemenid columns, known in the Western world as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_column Persian or Persepolitan columns], which inspired Kersaspa in the shaping and flaring of some of his pipe stems. | Other sources of inspiration for Keresaspa include a variety of man-made and natural objects, including architecture, as might be expected. One example has been Achaemenid columns, known in the Western world as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_column Persian, or Persepolitan, columns], which inspired Kersaspa in the shaping and flaring of some of his pipe stems. | ||
[[File:Keresaspa billiards.png|thumb|A selection of Keresaspa briar billiards utilizing various materials, including wild and Buddha bamboo, ebonite, and Bakelite. Created from images courtesy Keresaspa. ]] | [[File:Keresaspa billiards.png|thumb|A selection of Keresaspa briar billiards utilizing various materials, including wild and Buddha bamboo, ebonite, and Bakelite. Created from images courtesy Keresaspa. ]] | ||
In terms of the construction of his pipes, Kerasaspa follows one of two approaches. If he is making a classical shape, everything is planned in advance. If a line is supposed to be flat, it must be exactly level; if a line is supposed to be tapered, it must follow an even decline. Contrary to what a pipe smoker may imagine, the most traditional and common shapes are often the hardest to perfect. For free-hand or free-style shapes, Keresaspa closely studies the works of the aforementioned masters, taking cues from their lines and figures as he first begins to shape the bowl, before taking the design off into directions of his own preference, towards those chosen by the briar’s grain, or following the subtle suggestions of his other materials, such as a piece of bamboo. | In terms of the construction of his pipes, Kerasaspa follows one of two approaches. If he is making a classical shape, everything is planned in advance. If a line is supposed to be flat, it must be exactly level; if a line is supposed to be tapered, it must follow an even decline. Contrary to what a pipe smoker may imagine, the most traditional and common shapes are often the hardest to perfect. For free-hand or free-style shapes, Keresaspa closely studies the works of the aforementioned masters, taking cues from their lines and figures as he first begins to shape the bowl, before taking the design off into directions of his own preference, towards those chosen by the briar’s grain, or following the subtle suggestions of his other materials, such as a piece of bamboo. | ||
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Due to his exacting standards and focus on precision, Keresaspa produces around 30 pipes per year at present. | Due to his exacting standards and focus on precision, Keresaspa produces around 30 pipes per year at present. | ||
== Grading and Dating == | |||
=== Grades of Keresaspa Pipes === | |||
Keresaspa pipes have three main grades. In descending order, these are: | |||
* '''Orb of Ishtar''' (smooth pipes only); Flawless, uniform straight or bird's-eye grain with an even tone. | |||
* '''Orb of Shamash'''; For smooth pipes, excellent grain with less uniform patterning or tone than the preceding grade; also used for the very best sandblasted pipes. | |||
* '''Orb of Seen'''; For smooth pipes, very good grain with less uniform patterning or tone (such as minor knots) than the preceding grade; also used for standard rusticated or sandblasted pipes. | |||
Keresaspa also has a fourth grade reserved for only the most exceptional pipes, called '''Keresaspa and the Azi-Dahak'''. | |||
=== Dating Keresaspa Pipes === | |||
Keresaspa pipes are stamped with four digits indicating the year that they were made. However, Keresaspa uses the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire#Culture Old Persian] Mithraic calendar, which is different to the Gregorian calendar many pipe smokers are used to. For example, the Gregorian year 2023 is the Mithraic year 7761. The date stamp on a Keresaspa pipe is followed by its serial number. | |||
== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||