PME Tuscan

[Sasquatch]

Anybody worked with much of the PME Tuscan briar yet? I ordered a block with my last batch of briar, and it is definitely nice looking stuff.

I would say it works just a touch easier than the Algerian, and seems to be more uniform in color and texture, being overall slightly less dense feeling. The grain is showing really well with no stain and at a 180 grit sand, so I'm thinking the stuff is going to impress. Only minor black spots in the entire block - no pits really.

I've been humming and hawing lately, trying to decide on whether I am better off buying Cirta blocks in a large size at something like 25 bucks and "finding" a good bit to work with, and wasting a fairly significant amount (for an average sized pipe) or ordering the better grained tassilli blocks (at around 40 bucks for a medium). I've had Cirta blocks that wound up being every bit as good as a Tassili, and a few that were kind of eccentric for grain and wound up being lesser grade pipes, visually.

Anyway, your thoughts on the Tuscan vs the Algerian are appreciated. I'm thinking that particularly for a guy like me who is not selling 400 dollar pipes, a 50 dollar piece of briar is maybe overkill for most projects!

I'll post some pics of the Tuscan pipe when it's done.

[Sasquatch]

Here's the pipe - just about done. I feel that this briar is softer than the Algerian - it scratches more easily and was more difficult/finicky to finish. The grain is wonderful though, and the solidity of the piece was 100%.








The pipe shape was inspired by a bent Falcon, one of the ugly/cool denizens of the pipe realm.

[bikedoctor]

Hey Sas,
I like.

[TRS]

I like it too; rawther elegantly curved....

Also, I used to not like cumberland so much; the more I see it on your pipes, the more it's growing on me. It well suits the 'rustic' freehand look....

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for the comps. Been using cumberland because every single commission I've done save one, in the last two months, the clients have been excited about cumberland. It's also a little easier to bend than the ebonite, and on a short fat stem I thought it might work better.

But it looks like I'm the only guy dumb enough to buy a 50 dollar block of plateaux? LOL