Chris Askwith as well as morta questions.

[tarheel7734]

I am in the process of planning my 7 bent bulldog pipes and I am talking to Chris Askwith. I might have him make 2 pipes. One morta and one briar. I am not familiar with either morta or with Askwith pipe. How is a morta pipe to smoke? How does it different from briar, olive wood, and meerschaum? What are the qualities of Askwith pipes? How do they compare to other high end Brittish makers such as Ferndown. Northern Briars, Dunhill, Ashton?

 

[Ocelot55]

I've found morta to be extremely light, hard, and porous. It gets hot when smoked, hotter than briar, and doesn't seem to impart much at all in the way of flavor to the tobacco you're smoking. This said, you definitely want to buy any morta pipe from a maker familiar with the material as it can shrink and expand if not properly treated. Chris has been working with morta for a long time, so I think he is perfect for the job.

As for your question concerning the quality of an Askwith pipe, if I may be so bold, Chris's work is head and shoulders above any of those English makers you've mentioned. Dunhill and Ashton aren't near the quality they used to be, and while Ian Walker and Les Wood make beautiful pipes (I think Les cuts a better looking bent bulldog than anyone) they are not engineered to the standards of most newer artisans. In short, Chris makes a quality product.

 

[tarheel7734]

Thanks for the replies. I was hoping I would get these answers.

 

[fishnbanjo]

Were I to have a pipe made from Chris I would be happy with either a briar or a Morta from him, I own one briar and 2 of his Morta pipes. I think the best made bulldog shape made in the classic sense today comes from Michael Lindner (top pipe).

 

[mgtarheel]

I own 5 of Chris' pipes. 2 are morta, 1 briar, and 2 are strawberry. They are some of the best pipes I own and Chris is great to work with. I like morta because they are neutral and add no flavor.

 

[tarheel7734]

Thanks for all the replies. I have a Northern briars on order which will be done in December and I will get an Askwith morta in January.

 

[mgtarheel]

If you decide you like morta after you get yours from Chris the next carver that I would look at is Davorin

 

[riff raff]

If you decide you like morta after you get yours from Chris the next carver that I would look at is Davorin

The President of the New Orleans Pipe club is the US distributor for Davorin pipes. His morta pipes are amazing!

I have owned all of those you mentioned, save, Northern Briars and find my lone Chris Askwith to be head-and-shoulders above all of the others.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I've found morta to be extremely light, hard, and porous. It gets hot when smoked, hotter than briar, and doesn't seem to impart much at all in the way of flavor to the tobacco you're smoking. This said, you definitely want to buy any morta pipe from a maker familiar with the material as it can shrink and expand if not properly treated. Chris has been working with morta for a long time, so I think he is perfect for the job.

As for your question concerning the quality of an Askwith pipe, if I may be so bold, Chris's work is head and shoulders above any of those English makers you've mentioned. Dunhill and Ashton aren't near the quality they used to be, and while Ian Walker and Les Wood make beautiful pipes (I think Les cuts a better looking bent bulldog than anyone) they are not engineered to the standards of most newer artisans. In short, Chris makes a quality product.

I agree Askwith makes a top shelf product but not sure about your comment concerning Ian and Les.

 

[Ocelot55]

I've found morta to be extremely light, hard, and porous. It gets hot when smoked, hotter than briar, and doesn't seem to impart much at all in the way of flavor to the tobacco you're smoking. This said, you definitely want to buy any morta pipe from a maker familiar with the material as it can shrink and expand if not properly treated. Chris has been working with morta for a long time, so I think he is perfect for the job.

As for your question concerning the quality of an Askwith pipe, if I may be so bold, Chris's work is head and shoulders above any of those English makers you've mentioned. Dunhill and Ashton aren't near the quality they used to be, and while Ian Walker and Les Wood make beautiful pipes (I think Les cuts a better looking bent bulldog than anyone) they are not engineered to the standards of most newer artisans. In short, Chris makes a quality product.

I agree Askwith makes a top shelf product but not sure about your comment concerning Ian and Les.

Les and Ian are both fantastic carvers, but they come from the "olde guard" of makers who didn't give a lot of thought to airflow and engineering other than making sure the draft hole was centered. The high grade Danes, Eastern Europeans, and American carvers in the past 10 years or so have really delved into the minutia of what makes a good smoking pipe and altered their designs to match. This typically means a deep cut slot, wider draft holes, ramping airways, chamfering tenons, and in extreme cases, polishing the interior airway to an absurd level of smoothness. Does all this work really pay off? The answer is: definitely maybe!

At the end of the day, there are certain variables carvers are simply unable to account for. I've got a Ferndown with beautiful silverwork. Les' silverwork is the best around, and that's why I bought the pipe, but the draw is constricted and the stem very thick. I can make the pipe smoke just fine but I have to adjust my method and be careful about moisture accumulation and packing technique. Those problems seem to be consistent with both brands of pipes. Of course YMMV.

 

[Hiram-2011]

I own two of Chris's pipes, a morta bulldog and a strawberry pot. His skill is tremendous. Two of my better smoking pipes, I do have a Dunhill & Ashton in my rotation. The two I have are beautiful pipes that smoke as good as they look. I would not hesitate to get another pipe from Chris.