The briar listener: Romijn Pipes

Martin

Some years ago I did an interview with stone-cutter extraordinaire Martin Romijn, who makes pipe-accessories out of stone. Throughout the years we kept in touch and saw each other at meetings. It was at the end of 2016, beginning of 2017 that I learned that he also was making pipes. This piqued my interest because I know that Martin has a feeling and eye for lines and shapes. Something one can not learn. With his first pipes I had to laugh a bit, he treated the wood like stone but his style was undeniably unique. A bit further along the way his talent really began to show and his pipes became more refined. Always trying to show off the beautiful patterns of the briar just like he did with the fossils in the stone. Now I consider him one of the best if not the best pipe-maker in The Netherlands.

Martin’s workspace

So last month I paid him a visit. Martin still lives in the city of Leerdam and behind his house he has a shed where the magic happens. I have been at the work places of several pipe makers and where some are pure unadulterated chaos Martin absolutely has one of the tidiest. Everything is neatly and orderly arranged and the machinery looks reasonably clean. Talking about equipment, Martin has a wood turning lathe in stead of a metal turning one. It was a gift from his parents when they saw his pipe-making talent. Besides that he thinks he has more freedom shaping pipes on it. Also he has a sanding disc and a slack belt sander, which he took over from another pipe-maker (Vandaahl) who had stopped. Further you can find in his workplace a bandsaw, dremel, some hand work tools (files etc.) and a polishing machine. Last but not least on one of the shelves stands a laptop that powers a loudspeaker which blurts out non-stop music of the great Johnny Cash, one of Martin’s heroes.

Egg shaped pipe

When I asked how and where he did learn to carve and shape briar wood he answered that he is mainly a self taught pipe-maker. In previous years he refurbished quite a lot of estate pipes. Also because of his stonecutting day-job (and all the tampers, ash-trays, stands etc. he made) Martin has 25 years experience of shaping and modelling. At one point he started experimenting with some briar blocks and when it turned out he did pretty well it became more serious. Nowadays Martin uses briar from Italy and in the future he wants to try his hand at olive wood. His mouthpieces are made from ebonite and acryl and some have the craziest colours and patterns. But Martin makes sure that visually the stem goes together with the bowl.

Twisted Pickaxe

Martin has a pretty unique way of making pipes. Other pipe-makers decide what shape they want to make and begin. If a sandpit surfaces, well too bad, next one! But not Martin, this is what he has to say about his method: “I start with watching, studying, “reading” the briar. Every block has its own story. How does the grain go, what can you expect when you cut it in a certain angle etc. It can be that I have had the briar piece in my hands dozens of times before I know which pipe it hides. And even then, sometimes the wood has its own plan. When I come across a sandpit or another irregularity I have to adjust my plan to fit the briar. In such a case I always say that the briar speaks to me and that I should listen. This way you often get the most surprising and beautiful results.” I have to agree with Martin. All his pipes are showcases for the stunning grains they possess. Because of this he does not make shapes on request. It would be a waste of a piece of briar to make a pipe out of it which does not agree with the grain. When asked what is the most favourite pipe he ever made Martin hesitates. “That is a tricky one.. They are all my favourite. The process of making a pipe takes up lots of hours of hard labour. When you work that long on a piece you get attached to it. It is your design, your creation, born from your creative thoughts and moulded by your hands into something tangible. But if I really have to pick one it would be the Twisted Pickaxe. Recently made, beautiful organic shapes, stunning grain, a pickaxe but with a twist. My twist.”

Martin, when did you start smoking pipes? “30 years ago I began smoking pipes. My first one was a Tattoo pipe, made by Dutch pipe maker Gubbels/Big Ben. I saw it at someone and decided to also give it a try. I liked it and soon I bought a regular pipe to go with it, and another one, and another.. Well, you know how it goes.. Of course then also began the search for the finest tobaccos. A journey which never ends but which I enjoy to the max.” Ok, so what is your favourite tobacco? “Ehrrr… Can I name two? Esoterica Stonehaven and GL Pease Embarcadero. Oh! And Samuel Gawith Squadron Leader and hmmm.. Damn, there are so many delicious blends, hard to pick out one.”

What are your favourite pipes and why? “My collection is rather large, about 75 pipes. They all have something special, that can be their smoking qualities but also some have their own story that makes them special. I especially like to smoke Winslow pipes. Good smokers, nicely shaped, good open draw and handmade by a pipe-maker I admire very much. In 2018 I got to meet Poul Winslow himself at his home and saw how he worked in his workplace. Very special and informative! What an experience, I watched with growing admiration how he creates a stunning pipe with breakneck speed. Since then I like these wonderful pipes even more.”

Do you have any famous last words for the readers? “I hope to make pipes for many, many years. I hope my creations will find their way to the people who love them. That they will find owners who will experience delightful moments of relaxation and pleasure thanks to good tobacco and a pipe I worked on with love and dedication.” With that our conversation was over for the time being. Martin began working on one of his new creations while I sat back sipping a good whisky, smoking a pipe, listening to the soul-wrenching voice of Mr. Cash and watching the magic hands do their job on the immortal briar.

https://romijntampers.nl
https://www.facebook.com/romijntampers/
https://www.instagram.com/romijn_pipes_tampers/

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Stonecutter’s story

Martin Romijn

Martin Romijn

One of the modest people I know is Martin Romijn. I got to know him through the Dutch/Belgian Smokers Forum and while browsing his profile there I noticed he had a website. I clicked on the link and saw what his site was about. The guy makes pipe-accessories out of stone? Wood ok, relatively easy to work with, but stone?? And more, the level of craftsmanship was astonishing! I could not believe my eyes when I looked at the exquisitely made tampers, pipe-stands and ashtrays. But Martin is very modest, “I just cut away the rest of the stone and then I end up with something beautiful”. Anyway, fortunately Martin was willing to do an interview with me.

Rose ornament on gravestone

Rose ornament on gravestone

How long have you been a stonecutter and what do you precisely do in that profession?
I have been a stonecutter for over 18 years. Besides grave-stones I also make products for buildings like door sills, window-sills, kitchen- and tabletops, bathrooms and fireplaces. Back in the days I learned the old handicraft. The old techniques with hammer and chisel, the real carving of ornaments etc. but also the carving of characters. Besides carving I also possess the skills for sculpting.

Masonry logo made by Martin

Masonry logo made by Martin

What jobs did you have before you became a stonecutter and how did you come by this unusual profession?
After school I joined the Dutch Marine Corps for 4 years, then I worked in the security business but I wanted to do something with my hands. So I started working in a motorcycle-store where I did the maintenance of the bikes. Sadly the store went bankrupt and after a while of being unemployed I did a retraining to the profession of stonecutter. It turned out it suited me well and besides the standard education (which I went through pretty fast) I specialised myself with the help of a teacher in the old handicraft.

"Floating" pipe-stand

“Floating” pipe-stand

When and how the thought occurred to use your knowledge of the profession for the creation of ashtrays, tampers and pipe-stands?
After a knee operation (ripped cruciate ligament) I sat home for almost over a year. In that period I started making tampers. On the internet on several fora (then news groups like Alt.Smokers.Pipes (ASP)) I saw several tampers made from wood and synthetic materials. It occurred to me that I could make those out of stone. That is how the ball started rolling. I first showed my creations on a link on ASP, someone was so nice to host the pictures on his site. The feedback was so positive that I decided to go through with it. After that another acquaintance, who I knew through Smokersforums, created a website for me and I have been using that one since 2003. The pipe-stands came into existence later. I got the idea to let the pipe “float” by making a pipe-stand which only held the mouthpiece. The ashtrays were a logical next step.

crystalHow do you acquire your pieces of stone?
The pieces of stone I collected at my job when something beautiful came along. When a nice piece is left over I set it apart. Some stones like beautiful pieces of petrified wood I buy at the wholesaler. The best is that when you are busy carving the stone you stumble upon a stunning fossil or crystal.

IMG_20160705_193139Do you judge stone the same way a pipe-maker judges his briar? For example that you lay certain pieces aside from which you think to make a nice tamper.
I select pieces of stone based on their structure. Pieces with a special pattern or present fossils I lay aside. When I look at certain stones I already see a shape or I get an idea. But most of the times the piece develops from out of the stone self when I am working on it. I let the stone inspire me, in fact I “unwrap” the piece I am working on. It is already hidden in the stone.

RIMG0564Do you have one or several favourite species of stone to work with?
Belgian hardstone and Jura are my favourite stone-species because of the present fossils and crystals. Also they are not so difficult to work with because they are not extremely hard.

Pipe-stand with petrified wood

Pipe-stand with petrified wood

Do you let the stone decide what it is going to be or do you seek out a special piece if you for example want to make an ashtray?
For an ashtray I seek out good looking pieces, preferably with a nice fossil. Like I said before, some pieces have a certain shape or texture which inspire me. But there are so many different species of stones, each with their own characteristics. Some better suited for carving than others. For example, the petrified wood is extremely hard to work with but then I got the idea to use it as a base for my pipe-stands.

Stone-mason tools

Stone-mason tools

Which tools do you use?
Ehrr.. Several chisels, a hammer, diamond sanding-pads, polish-tools and elbow-grease.

SAMSUNGDescribe your method of working from a raw piece of stone to a finished product.
I prefer to work without a plan, I let the stone inspire me. That does not apply for every creation. The rough work like sawing and cutting I do in the masonry. The finishing and polishing I do at home in my shed and takes up most of the time. You begin to polish away the crude scratches. Less deep scratches emerge which you then polish away with a finer polish-tool. etc, etc. The stage where you accomplish the final high gloss demands a lot of patience and perseverance. Sometimes I just have stop in between because my fingers are getting crooked from all the polishing. Usually the time to fill up a pipe… It also happens in this stage of finishing that you notice a flaw in the stone you have not seen before. A crack in the material you often see after a lot of polishing. If I don’t rust it I apply some brute force on the material. And yes, then it sometimes happens that after hours of labour you can toss your creation in the garbage bin..

Multi pipe-stand

Multi pipe-stand

On which creation you are most proud and why?
Oww.. That is difficult.. The tamper with an ammonite fossil Neil Archer Roan has is one of the prettier ones. I also like the dragonwing tampers. As far as pipe-stands go I think the one Paul has (see on the left) turned out pretty well. A special shape, great appearance. The Onyx 7 and 8 also turned out well, they just develop in your hands, nice to see. Well, I have made so many pieces I like in those 10 years, the choice is difficult. It is a nice thought that on various places far from here they found a home and somebody likes them.

_MG_2402Can clients tell exactly what they want or do you always decide shape and material?
Of course I work to satisfy the wishes of the client. But I shall always add my own contribution to the piece, I like to be surprised by the stone. Often clients give me a rough idea where I can work with.

966870_260806967392333_1780273213_oDo you have plans for the future?
The future.. Well.. Making a living out of creating pieces from stone can’t be done. But I hope to spend more time on the making of my creations in the future. A bigger workshop in which I can make some statues would be nice. But for now, being busy in my shed, carving stone while enjoying a pipe, creating new things, I hope to do it for a long time.

Any last words?
It is great that through my tampers I have contact with people from all over the world. That on a show in Las Vegas is being talked about my work in a presentation, that my work has been in a Russian Magazine, that sort of things is really fun to hear. It is great that people seem to appreciate a piece of handiwork. I also like it that I continue an old handicraft in a time where a lot is done by machines. I hope to create things that will stand the test of time, that will still exist when I am long gone.

You can contact Martin through his website or directly by mail: mart.romijn@gmail.com

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