Vlasak (Martin's Pipes)

Vlasak is the name given to the pipes of Martin Vlasák, working in the Czech city of Brno; the trade name the master himself uses is Martin's Pipes Bohemia. Born, according to records, in 1962, the master works not in series but with pieces finished one by one. What sets the workshop apart from its Central European counterparts is that the master is known as much for his history in slow-smoking competitions as for his pipe-making.

Formation of the Workshop

Vlasák first took interest in pipes as a smoker, and moved into production during a period when ready-made models did not meet his expectations, carving the briar burls he bought entirely on his own. Dr. Josef Stanislav is cited as the person who guided him in this early period.

Pipe-making stayed a secondary pursuit for a long time; the master's main line of work was furniture manufacturing. Records state that when he was forced to close the furniture business he had run for a quarter century in 2014, he turned his production entirely toward pipes. This background in woodworking helps explain the workshop's emphasis on clean lines and surface.