Glen Ben Freehand Pipes

Glen Ben Freehand Pipes is one of three pipe lines carrying Richard Baggenstos's signature; the other two are named Jean Alexis and White Dog. Of the three, Glen Ben is the most open to free form. What year the line began, which city the workshop is located in, and whether production continues today cannot be determined from the records; by contrast, how the work is carried out is described in detail. It is noted that Baggenstos does not earn his living from pipemaking, and does not work to commission or from ready-made drafts. This explains both why the line stays small in volume and why every piece comes into being by the maker's own decision.

Method of Making and Approach to Shape

Glen Ben bowls are cut from briar plateau blocks whose edges retain their natural bark. The bowl is not shaped on a wood lathe but on a grinding wheel and with carving knives. The same maker's Jean Alexis line, being lathe-based, counts as handmade, while Glen Ben falls fully into the freehand class. The line never enters the classic shape repertoire; every piece finds its own form according to the grain flow of the block at hand. Records indicate that a single pipe takes fifteen to eighteen working hours to reach finished form.

Material, Surface, and Details

Stems are entirely ebonite; acrylic is not used in the line. The great majority of surfaces, reportedly nine out of ten, are finished smooth. Sandblasting is applied to only a small number of pieces, and this decision comes less from an aesthetic pursuit than from the condition of the block: bodies carrying more than one flaw, or a large one, are sandblasted, while single small flaws are considered part of the natural material and left in place. It is specifically noted that no putty (kit) is used on the bodies. Surface colors range from a warm natural tone to contrasting black, red, light orange, and dark brown stains.

The tobacco chamber is left unlined, so the quality of the bowl surface can be checked by the buyer's own eye. It is also noted that lining is applied on request. Glen Bens drilled for a 9mm filter make up less than two percent of the line; the maker is said to find the unfiltered pipe more practical both in use and in maintenance.

Stamp and Grading

A Glen Ben's grade is read from a single digit next to the brand name on the underside of the shank. The scale runs from zero to nine, and two criteria determine the grade: grain quality and the flawlessness of the body. The same scale applies to the maker's other lines as well; the number is thus a mark that places the piece within the workshop's own internal ranking. A reader wishing to see the difference between the lines can compare with the lathe-based Jean Alexis Handmade Pipes entry.

The surface ratios, working time, the share of filtered pieces, and the zero-to-nine scale all rest on a single source; these figures have not been independently confirmed.