23 February 2003

Tim Fuller: Glorious Freehands


 

I met Tim Fuller over an auction at ebay, at which I was selling a Preben Holm Crown. Beginning from emails about the auction itself, our correspondence began to cover various topics, including pipe making. Tim had just started making his first pipes, and his first pipes were maybe like many other first pipes. And then something changed. Tim developed a sense of style and adventure.

I've now smoked some of his earliest pipes (from a few months ago) and his latest pipes. The latest ones are something else! Tim decidely goes into an extreme freehand. I call the one below, Hammer. Note the extreme V's in the pipe, from top of bowl to bottom, from start of shank to its end. Certainly the neck is among the most narrow I've seen, but thus far it is breaking in as easily as any pipe that I've ever smoked.
 

The Fuller hammer

 
Considering the extreme flares of Hammer, the next one is more modest. Even so, the top of the bowl is particularly craggy, and it, too, has a very pleasing flare extending from the shank. And all this is only from a few months of experience! One wonders where Tim's style is going to take him. I'm only happy that I'll probably be in a position to find out.
 
Fuller freehand

 
At present, Tim isn't selling any of his (large?) stockpile of pipes, but I suspect that day will come. It'll be a good opportunity for anyone to get a quality freehand at a good price before his abilities become better known.  


 
My Tim Fuller pipe pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14   |   TCFuller Pipes site

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