Baldo Baldi Tobacco Pipes: Grade B

The Pipes
Baldo Baldi Pipes: Grade B

"Perfect and inspired beauty. A work of art that is a testimony to the elegance of pure and clean curves." A Baldi collector.

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Quick guide to Baldi's Grading System (Left-Right : Low-High)
000	00	0	1	2	3	B	BB	BBB	1 Crown	2 Crown	3 Crown

Baldo Baldi, an architect by education, has been making some of the world's most spectacular pipes in tiny workshop close to his house in the center of Genova for over 40 years.

He uses extremely old and well seasoned briar from Liguria, in Italy, and Province, in southern France.

The B. Baldi pipes are as hand made as imaginable. Most of the work is done with files and sandpaper. It takes Baldo anywhere from one day to months to make a pipe, depending on the complexity of the design. To get a glimpse of how Baldo makes his pipes, have a look at the Baldo Workshop.

The Baldi pipes are stamped B. Baldi, preceded (or followed) by the symbol of a pipe, with smoke coming out of it. In addition, each pipe carries one of Baldi's 12 grades.

Pipe Code:	BB060	Price:	CHF 2,000.00 Convert
Shape:	Freeform Dublin	Weight:	60g / 2-1/8 oz
Chamber ų: 22mm -- Chamber Depth: 45mm -- Wall Thickness: 13mm -- Cleaner Passes? Yes
An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.




COMMENT: You might be wondering why I decided to go for "Freeform Dublin" as opposed to "Freeform Bell', since the pipe does look more like a Bell than a Dublin, considering the pronounced difference in diameter between the bowl top and base. Well, I consider the "Bell" to be a kind of Freeform Dublin, since, as such, the Bell is not a recognized, classic shape, and so I thought it would be more accurate to stick to the Dublin as the basic shape. Of course, Baldo added a few special touches that make the pipe as unique as a Freehand. First of all, the beautifully rounded, tapered bowl is complemented by a tapered, SQUARE shank, and later, a mouthpiece of the same shape. Baldo, I think, did an absolutely wonderful job with the shaping of the part of the pipe where the bowl and shank meet. The edges are so well defined, without compromising the fluid, smooth transition from the bowl to the shank (or from the shank to the bowl, if you so prefer). The handcut Cumberland mouthpiece is fabulous, and I see it as an integral part of the overall shape design. Another very elegant touch is the shape of the bowl top, and to see exactly what I mean you need to examine the first picture, from left, in the second row. As you can see, the bowl is not round at the top; the part overlooking the shank is slightly pointed, and the top, in general, is convex. The grain is a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL combination of Flame Grain and incredible Bird's Eye. The grain on the shank is surprisingly almost identical to the grain on and around the bowl, with Flame Grain on the sides, and Bird's Eye on the shank top and base. Due to the flat base of the entire pipe, it can rest on a flat surface with no support.

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Pipe Code:	BB061	Price:	CHF 2,000.00 Convert
Shape:	Freeform Canadian	Weight:	58g / 2-1/32 oz
Chamber ų: 22mm -- Chamber Depth: 43mm -- Wall Thickness: 12-18mm -- Cleaner Passes? Yes
An alternative way to view all the pictures of this pipe is: The SlideShow.




COMMENT: If you knew how much I like the Canadian shape, you could imagine how excited I was when I first laid my eyes on this beauty of a pipe. Of course, describing it with the simple term "Freeform Canadian" is a serious understatement, but I believe, it is as accurate a definition as possible. Let me delve deeper into the reasons. I hope you and I would at least agree that the pipe does have the "body" of a classic Canadian, with the oval, flat, long shank, combined with the short tapered mouthpiece. In my book, that should suffice to call the pipe a Canadian. Now, and once we add the bowl into the equation (an important part, indeed!), then the whole idea of the Canadian becomes questionable. I have given the bowl shape a lot of thought, and I can't think of any similarities that it shares with any recognized shapes. In fact, had the body of the pipe been different, it would have automatically earned the term "Freehand". The bowl, as you can hopefully realize through the pictures, is oval, with very thick walls all around; indeed, the bowl diameter is 45mm x 56mm (1.77 x 2.21 inches) The shank and mouthpiece, considered as one unit, are tapered, all the way through, starting at the bowl-shank joint at a height of 17mm (0.67") and going down to 4.5mm (0.18") at the bit, before the button (and the button is 7.5mm/0.30" high). The grain is most definitely the cherry on top of a home-baked cake. The grain is very consistent, with wonderfully tight "veins" all around the bowl and one third of the shank. The rest of the pipe, mainly the bowl top and two-thirds of the shank, is nothing but magnificent Bird's Eye. This should be a highly desirable piece whether you're after a unique Baldi, an elegant freeform interpretation of the Canadian, a rare combination of shape and grain, etc.