Biography of Tom Richard Mehret
Tom Richard Mehret was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, and over the years has made a name for himself as a talented architect and pipe maker. Since January 2003, he has been crafting his own pipes, a craft that originated from his desire to create a pipe for himself. Working with wood in all its forms has always brought him great joy.
First Steps and Mentors
Mehret received his first block of briar and a mouthpiece from Karl-Heinz Syring, a pipe repairer and maker in Flensburg, to try out. This marked the beginning of his craftsmanship, where he used drills, files, and sandpaper. Early on, he came into contact with Rainer Barbi, who shared valuable tips and tricks to improve his pipe-making skills. Through numerous visits to Barbi’s workshop, Mehret learned various techniques and skills from working with the raw material to achieving the perfect finish.
Network and Development
In the early years, he also closely interacted with other pipe makers like Cornelius Mänz, Reiner Thilo, and Paul Becker, which helped him to continually improve and refine his pipes. The active exchange with these colleagues remains a significant benefit for all involved to this day.
Pipe Manufacturing Process
The production of his pipes involves selecting the briar, assessing the grain, as well as shaping and designing. Mehret cuts the blocks with a band saw, sands by hand with a grinder, uses various sanding machines, and finishes the surface manually. Between sanding stages, he applies contrast staining two to three times and completes the pipes with a finish stain, oil, and wax. Minor flaws in the wood are intensively worked on to rusticate or sandblast the pipes. In some of his creations, he uses exotic woods as decoratio, horn, or bamboo to enhance the character of the pipe. A beautiful mouthpiece is essential for the perfect completion of a fine pipe, which is why all his mouthpieces are handcrafted.
Innovation with Bog Oak
Since the beginning of 2005, he has also been producing pipes from bog oak (Morta), a fossilised wood approximately 4000-9000 years old. The smoking qualities of these pipes are outstanding, and in combination with other woods such as boxwood or other exotic woods, a Morta pipe achieves perfect harmony.
