Bonaquisti (Paul Bonacquisti)

Bonaquisti is the name of the handmade briar pipes made at Paul Bonacquisti's one-man workshop in upstate New York. The "Bonaquisti" spelling of the surname is used on the marks and in the brand's domain name; commercial records citing the maker's name show the form "Bonacquisti," both referring to the same workshop. The scale is that of a workshop, not a factory: according to the maker's own estimate given in the late 1990s, 150-200 pieces a year. There is no solid data on production volume for later years.

From Woodworking to Pipes

Bonacquisti grew up in North Greenbush, near Albany, in a family that made its living from lumber and cabinetry work; he learned the craft in his father's workshop. In 1984, together with his brother John, he set up his own commercial woodworking firm. Pipemaking was added on top of this foundation as a hobby: first came experiments with pre-drilled blocks, then drilling and shaping plateau blocks himself, and finally fitting the mouthpiece himself.

The year the pursuit was taken seriously is considered to be 1994. Bonacquisti developed his technique largely on his own, though he received guidance from two experienced American makers: Mark Tinsky and John Eells. The brand's official debut, however, was in 1996. That year he took part in the Ohio Pipe Collectors show in Columbus and the C.O.R.P.S. show in Richmond, winning the "Best Pipe Maker in Expo" award at the latter.

Material and Size

The workshop's main raw material is plateau briar blocks sourced from Greece. The wood is dried not in a kiln but outdoors, left to the elements; the blocks rest on shelves for at least a year, often longer. No oil or similar filler is applied inside the chamber; instead a thin carbon lining is applied, whose function is covered under carbon coating. Mouthpieces are predominantly lucite (acrylic), with vulcanite used on some pieces — see mouthpiece materials.

The brand's pipes are considered larger than average, and chamber walls are kept thick; small sizes remain the exception. The shape repertoire draws on English and Italian classics: billiard, apple, poker, large-bent bodies, and long-shanked forms.

Surfaces and Marks

Three surface names are the brand's best-known trait: Lustro for the polished smooth surface, Ruvido for the hand-carved surface, and Sabbia for the sandblasted surface. The difference between these processes is explained under surface treatments. Estate sale records also show the name "Rustica"; whether this name relates to the three main surfaces as a separate series or a later relabeling is unclear.

Early marks show the brand name on the shank, a single digit giving the year of manufacture (5 for 1995, 6 for 1996), and the phrase "HAND MADE"; a white "B" is stamped on the mouthpiece. On pipes made after June 1997 this phrase takes the form "made by hand," and the surface name is also added to the mark. This distinction is considered a practical clue for roughly dating a given piece.

In the mid-2000s, Bonacquisti and his brother John founded a tobacconist business called Park-Lane in Clifton Park; sources give the founding date variously as late 2005 or 2006.