Wojtek Pastuch

Pipemaker

©Wojtek Pastuch

Crafting briar pipes

Wojtek has run a pipemaking atelier since 2011
He learned from Italian briar pipemaker Domenico “Mimmo” Romeo
He applies mechanical processing, wood carving, and manual material treatment

Pipemaking is not the most popular of crafts and in Poland there are just a few pipemakers. Katowice-born Wojtek Pastuch is one of the brightest stars of this rare profession having been in the craft since 2011. A true devotee of pipemaking, he is on a constant quest to level up his skills, collaborate with other artisans, and make better pipes. He uses a combination of many techniques from the fields of carpentry, metalworking, jewellery making, and other crafts to create his pipes; it’s a complex, thorough process. It was a meeting with the briar master Domenico “Mimmo” Romeo that inspired Wojtek to start his own pipemaking journey. He later trained with the Danish master Tom Eltang. Today Pastuch runs a successful brand and supplies masterly pipes to connoisseurs all over the world.

Interview

©Wojtek Pastuch

©Wojtek Pastuch

Why did you choose pipemaking as a profession?: From the age of 15, I was interested in pipes as an object; I smoked, collected, and restored pipes. This passion combined with my fascination for precise manual professions, such as watchmaking or jewellery, led me to pursue the craft,
Is your craft linked to Poland in any way?: There are very few craftsmen who make pipes in Poland. The city of Przemyśl has a long tradition of making pipes, and to this day there are several factories and small workshops, but this is an exception in our country. So it’s quite hard to say that my craft is connected to the country I live in.
How do you express traditions and innovations in your work?: The pipe is a very traditional item, artisanal craft pipes have been made in almost exactly the same way since the 1950s. Innovation for me is primarily the search for new forms, as well as the use of modern materials (carbon fibre, coloured titanium, polymer-stabilized materials).
How would you describe your craft?: In Polish, there is a very apt term for this type of profession "artistic craftsmanship" (or rzemiosło artystyczne). It means creating utilitarian items, giving them an additional aesthetic value. I love to design new pipes and the processing phase gives me satisfaction too.

Wojtek Pastuch is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2011