From the seventies onward, one sure sign that a Danish artisan stood atop the pipe carving pantheon, was being referred to in conversation by only a first name; “Sixten” didn’t require the addition of a surname in order for the reference to be understood. With the thunderous emergence of American talent onto the world stage in the early 2000’s, there’s little surprise that ‘Jeff’, ‘Todd’, ‘Jodi’, ‘Alex’, or ‘Brad’ became one word allusions as well. Unlike some of his peers, Brad’s early career never saw the advantages of being able to go on a semi-sabbatical from the more pressing concerns of workaday life, take a few years to concentrate solely on his craft, and (Voilà!) leave his first CPCC with laurel leaves trailing in his wake. Ultimately, however, an artisan’s work reflects a totality of their journey, and mastery of tangential skills, such as becoming a tool & die maker (which in turn allows Brad to craft pipe making tools to more exacting specifications than are available in the general marketplace), play an essential role in the beauty and precision that have become hallmarks of the Pohlmann pipe.

Brad’s ‘magnificent obsession’ with details and precision has long been the subject of tales told around the community campfire; if an artisan handcrafts his work with tolerances measured within hundredths of a millimeter, you’re either discussing a Japanese etching master working on the nib of a multi-thousand dollar fountain pen, or Brad Pohlmann. That being said, what truly elevates a Pohlmann pipe above the crowd is a shape born from countless hours of contemplation, a cerebral shaping and reshaping until intent coalesces into a concrete mental diagram. Once the physical work has begun, the previously mentioned contemplation can often pale in comparison to Brad’s continuous, work-in-process evaluations. The oft-heard phrase “The man’s his own toughest critic” truly applies to Brad; the master will appraise, question, take pause, and reassess his work right up till the final sanding.

While his arduous work process and near impossibly high standards must (surely) take its toll on Brad, the resulting presentations are both truly amazing, as well as proof that the right artist’s obsession can equate a treasured possession.

Bear Graves