Lee Von Erck pipes are renown throughout the worldwide pipe smoking community. They are hand crafted, one at a time in Negaunee Township, Michigan. Lee has been making pipes for the past 20 years & is one of only two pipe makers, in the world, who oil cure their pipes. He uses a unique process that took him three years to develop. Oil curing means the pipe needs no breaking in and smokes sweet from the very 1st bowl.

When Lee creates a pipe, he strives for one that is eye catching, expresses the natural grain in the briar, feels good in the hand, and above all, smokes well. Each pipe is unique. Every pipe evolves based on the character of the briar itself. The personality of each particular piece of briar is what dictates, to Lee, how each piece will develop, and become a one-of-a-kind pipe.

The boring, shaping, and polishing of the pipes is done in his small shop in the Upper Michigan Peninsula. The pipes are then put through a lengthy oil-curing and drying process before he begins crafting the mouthpiece. The stem for each pipe is as unique and individual as that of the pipe it is created for. Lee Von Erck is such a perfectionist that his output, in a good year, is limited to 200 pipes. He absolutely refuses to compromise on quality. Either it is a top grade Lee Von Erck original or its firewood. There are no seconds or B grade Von Erck's. The final step in the lengthy process is to assign and stamp each pipe with its’ individual Serial number and nomenclature.

Lee in his workshop. (Photo Lana Engel)