Vollmer & Nilsson

Vollmer & Nilsson is the pipe workshop that Martin Vollmer and Anders Nilsson have run together in Malmö, Sweden, since 2001. Their differing surnames come from being half-brothers: Anders, carrying their shared father's name, is five years older than Martin, who carries his mother's name.

Since pipe-making is largely a one-person craft, two masters sharing a single stamp and not distinguishing which pipe came from whose hand is a rare arrangement in the craft; the S. Bang workshop in Denmark is a similar example.

A Style Anchored in Classic Molds

The workshop's formal language sets it apart from most of its contemporary Scandinavian masters. Instead of freeform, established molds such as billiard, cutty, and dublin, and measured variations on them, are preferred; the sharp-edged rim characteristic of early twentieth-century English and French pipes is the distinguishing detail of this style.

The briar blocks used are bought in from outside. Smooth, sandblasted, and rustic finishes are all pursued together as surface treatment; keeping a sandblasting machine in-house is unusual for a craft workshop of this scale. For decoration, besides silver, horn and various fine woods are used; the brothers do their own silverwork and hold their own silver hallmark registered in Sweden. Two preferences stand out in the interior work: the bowl is left unlined, and the smoke channel is drilled to 4 mm.