Briar Art (Brian Ruthenberg)

Briar Art is the name of the one-man bench American pipe master Brian Ruthenberg ran in Michigan. Ruthenberg's original trade was machining and tool-and-die work; the habit of working to tight tolerances later carried over into his pipe craftsmanship as well. The number of pipes coming out of his workshop north of Detroit was never high, yet the brand nonetheless became one of the recognised names in the American handmade pipe community in the 2000s.

Founding the Bench

Ruthenberg's first contact with the craft came through a ready-made pipemaking kit he obtained from American maker Mark Tinsky. His move into regular production followed a trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula; records indicate he obtained his first briar blocks there from Lee von Erck.

A significant portion of his technical knowledge came from an IRC chat channel that brought together pipemakers of the era; Ruthenberg has stated he received help in these years from Robert Vacher and Dale Adkins. He learned the hand-cut mouthpiece technique from Michael Lindner, and won second place in the amateur category of a carving competition at the pipe show held in Richmond. The bench was founded in 2001 as a part-time pursuit and turned into full-time work after 2005; until that date Ruthenberg made his living as a long-haul truck driver.