~ Fine Craftsmanship Never Burned So Well ~

www.highlanderpipes.com

KCE, Pipe Maker for over 10 years shown here with his pipe designs stored in digital format.

“I make my designs follow the movement of nature and hopefully capture the mystery of the deep imagination”

As a serious and professional pipe maker, who has made and sold many high-grade Briar pipes under the names of Great Dane and Highlander Pipes, KCE, born 1964 and pipe maker of German-Scandinavian and Irish descent, decided to venture into the realm of fantasy and make intriguing pipe designs of both beauty and function. His unusual dinosaur pipe now resides in the collection of a family member. As of the time of writing this,there is only one in existence --

“It is made from Mediterranean Plateux Briar with pearloid lucite stem, and stained with custom dyes, it is then finished with fine carnauba wax. 

Drillings are made with custom machined bits and tapered draft hole intersection points on both tenon and mortise. Most bowls exceed heat displacement expectations, as the wall thicknesses are well beyond the 1/4” minimum standard requirement.”

His fantasy pipes are all fully functional.
 

“All of the pipes I have made over the years have boasted one of the finest sm*kes available -- according to my customers. A few of these had Dunhill in their collections”

He occasionally takes custom orders from detailed drawings; however, these are quoted per project and must be prepaid before any work begins. There is practically no limit to what can be done with wood, according to KCE, excepting the placement of draft holes, and the relative size of the Briar; where pipes are concerned.

His earlier pipes were simple Danish Freehand style pipes with clever designs. Forging ahead, he made more and more unusual designs, capturing the imagination and delving deep into the land of fantasy.

KCE works along in his studio shop, brimming with tools of the craft, with briar dust everywhere. Every tool is in it’s place, and the workspace looks like a high-tech machine shop.

“The dust is just part of pipe making -- you can’t worry about all of it until the end of the day, but the smaller particles escape the best collection systems, and eventually build up as a light dust on everything. I have had it in my computer on the other side of my home -- That was a very unpopular eventuality”

KCE plans to post his other designs on this site, which is the first site featuring his work exclusively. His work was previously sold through ThePipeRoom.com

KCE currently lives in Delaware with his family.

Written by Barbara Lang

“Thanks Barbara, for writing -- KCE



Contact:

kcepipemaster (at) gmail (dot) com

My efforts with this website are to raise the interest in, of course, my hand carved Briar pipes. I have the fantasy pipes and the Danish Freehand pipes -- all of these are made from high quality Mediterranean Plateaux Briar with striking grain that you would expect from a high-grade pipe. Many of the stems I use are hand-cut; however, I often like a certain look of a perloid or tortois acrylic resin stem, or bakelite. Vulcanite stems are nice on the bite, but not too interesting to look at. I have also experimented with my own casting, and the effect is fantastic. The process requires the use of a pressurized tank to eliminate air in the casting during cure time.

Smoke rings are a fascination of mine, and a good, cool-smoking pipe will make nice rings without too much moisture holding them heavy in the air.

All of my drilling bits are custom fabricated on ends, to ensure precision and best contour. Special attention to draft hole junctures result in superior airflow and reduced moisture from condensation. Beauty should never sacrifice precise mechanics and we can all learn this lesson from nature.

Here you will find my Highlander Pipes, my Great Dane Pipes, wizard fantasy pipes and the very popular now, Gilazaura pipe! I hope you will enjoy!

Happy smoking-

-KCE