Gerardo Papalia is an artisan who, going beyond the study of standard pipe shapes- which he, however, continues to produce- has created a new technique for the production of freehand shapes which highlight his sense of innovation and creativeness.The artisan does not leave anything to chance, but looks after every single detail of his handmade product, so that the pipe is not only an artistic object but also made for good smoking.
Actually, his work pivots on the harmony of the elements of the pipe, both artistic and functional.As the photos in the gallery show, the artisan prefers a light finish which enhances the grain and the flame 1; he tries out new solutions in order to create new colours; the polishing is made with carnauba wax, which creates a natural protection but does not bar the briar from breathing.Let us focus now on some other details which merit particular attention: the piercing of the stem is made with high precision in order to obtain holes between 3.5 and 4 mm wide; the hole in the bowl is perfectly aligned with the stem, so that the formation of sweat is prevented and the smoking can proceed without any impediment- the notorious “ripple/bubble/rumble effect”, main enemy of every pipe-smoker.For the mountpieces Papalia uses different materials, however he prefers ebonite or methacrylateThe ebonite is a material deriving from a vulcanized rubber, i.e. treated with sulphur; it is very smooth at the contact with teeth and repulsive to bacteria. However, the only drawback of this material is the tendency to progressively yellow when exposed to light, a fact due to the chemical reaction of sulphur.The methacrylate is a nobler kind of plexiglass, and, contrary to the ebonite, it does not yellow remaining bright. However, it is hard between teeth, and it depends on the artisan's ability to try to smooth this disadvantage.In Papalia's manufactures the gudgeon of the shank is seldom refined –that is to say it is not moulded within the whole shank, but added, so that greater thickness and drag is created. The gudgeon is made of nylon, in order to better slip into the hole of the stem and perfectly adhere to the walls.This is a summary of how Gerardo Papalia works, but pictures of his pipes surely are more expressive than the words said above.
