Bennwik (Andreas Bennwik)

Bennwik is the one-man pipe workshop Swedish maker Andreas Bennwik produces under his own name. Bennwik, born in 1979, works as an illustrator by profession; per the introduction on his own website, he has been drawing for advertising agencies, book and music publishers, game companies, and magazines in Stockholm since 2001. His interest in pipes awoke in the mid-2000s, with the workshop taking shape toward the end of the decade as a self-taught pursuit.

The Character of the Pipes

Pieces from the workshop gather between small and medium size; large-volume bodies fall outside this output. Bodies are briar, mouthpieces ebonite. Added material for decoration is almost never seen; additions such as a bamboo shank section or a horn ferrule appear only in the rare cases the shape calls for it.

The shape repertoire stays close to classic molds. Bennwik's line is considered a measured balance struck between English proportions and the contemporary Danish sensibility. Smooth finish dominates his early work; a few rustic pieces were made, while sandblasting was never tried in those years. The range of surface treatments appears to have widened later: retailer catalogues also include sandblasted bodies, though no maker statement dating this shift could be found.