Goblins

Goblin #16
"Dhogott"

It's Halloween in summer... Dhogott turned out to be a good bit more complex, and a decided turn more sinister, than most of the other Goblins. If they are gleefully mischievous, this one is positively menacing. In many ways it echos some of the Talbert Briar Halloween pipes in its complexity of carving.

Dhogott also had a unique and unusual method of creation - the main structure of the shape was almost entirely shaped by sandblasting. I've got some very heavy, very abrasive grit here that I don't normally use because it's SO aggressive - It can tear through briar very quickly (and sandblasting gloves) and is prone to deform specific bowl shapes, so ordinarily I only use it for first stage, quick blasts to identify any briar flaws. I started with the basic "pitcher plant with claws" idea for the shape, but when I was doing the heavy-duty shaping of the block, it occurred to me to wonder if the blaster would not provide a quick way to do major stock removal, and then just as quickly I wondered what sort of shape might appear if I actually LET the harsh media shape the bowl features. A lot of the major bulges and lines and ripples on this pipe arose from that blasting - They are the naturally harder striations of wood through the block. I then tweaked and enhanced the natural ripples into the tendrils and claws of the final pipe. In this way, it's very close to a completely nature-derived design.

The side views offer a good look at the somewhat disturbingly alien shape. I purposefully chose an extremely dark, almost black, shade of green for the color, to add to the sense of menace. It was a lot of fun, really, and I enjoyed working on something meant to be genuinely unsettling again after so long away from the Halloween pipes.

My favorite view above - It's coming for you. I should also mention that, like the others, it has a horn stem handcut in St. Claude. This one is so dark it's nearly black, and looks like ebonite in the photos, but it does have some subtle streaks of horn coloring and grain in it, especially near the bit. In terms of practical usage, Dhogott has several nice traits - It passes a cleaner, of course, but is also quite lightweight and very comfortable to hold, despite the claws. The really funny part is that it's also a sitter - It will rest on its haunches, with the bowl leaning a bit backward.
Scary...

Length: 15.5cm

Bowl Height: 5.3cm

Chamber diameter: 2.3cm straight-walled

Chamber depth: 3.8cm

Weight: 70.5 grams

To Purchase: Just email me and request "Goblin #16"!