Pipes are made from a wide variety of materials from borosilicate glass to ceramic, metal and even silicone. Steve Mayersky creates his smoking accessories from exotic woods from around the world like Italian Olivewood, Brazilian Tigerwood, Brazilian Bocata, and Maine Spectra-Birch.
From his workshop in Springfield, Mass., Mayersky mills each palm-sized hand pipe into its basic shape, refines them with 2000 grit sandpaper and conditions them with wood bowl oil and wax to bring out their natural luster and beauty. Each pipe is fitted with a removable glass bowl that’s also locally made, and the airways are coated with a super durable coating of invisible glass for a smooth experience and easy cleaning.
Mayersky’s first pipes were whittled while on break at the smoke shop he worked at. His boss encouraged him to sell them in the store, and before long Steve purchased a lathe so that he could turn out the fancy wooden hand pipes in greater numbers to keep up with demand. Now there are a dozen different styles.
“It’s a very nostalgic and hippie thing,” Mayersky says of the wooden pipe’s appeal. “I thought it was going to be primarily 50 to 60 year olds buying them, but there are a lot of 20-somethings picking them up because they’re different. Everybody has glass, but these wooden pieces are totally unique.”
Steve’s Dank Pipes
413.251.9966
Website: stevesdankpipes.com
