Syring

Syring is a one-man pipe signature bearing the name of Karl-Heinz Syring, from the northern German port city of Flensburg on the Danish border. The brand never became a factory, nor even a workshop with a regular schedule; the pipes it produced came out of the free hours found by a craftsman whose main occupation was repair work.

For this reason the Syring name is remembered in German pipe history not through large series, but through a body of individually reworked bowls of known number.

From Police Officer to the Bench

Records indicate Syring was born in Kiel in 1933 and started as a police officer in the same city in 1950; he retired in 1993 after forty-three years of service. His interest in pipes appeared in the middle of this career, in the early 1960s. In other words, Syring pursued pipes as a secondary occupation for most of his life and was only able to move into full-time craftsmanship after retirement.

His shop in Flensburg was both a small sales section and a repair workshop. His daily workload consisted of repair jobs such as stem replacement, crack repair and general maintenance; independent sources also describe Syring primarily as a Flensburg-based pipe repairman and maker. The pipes he carved himself waited for enthusiasts in a small section next to the shop's tobacco shelf. Records show total production at a minimum of 1,611 pipes, and these bowls have spread beyond Germany over time.