This unique feature for Beden Pipes puts a focus on the world famous German master pipe manufacturer, Rainer Barbi – lovingly called «Rainman» by pipe aficionados in China. We asked Mr. Willi Albrecht to tell some great stories about himself.

Willi Albrecht has been a constant in the European pipe scene for decades. He was in the forefront in the late 90s when the early internet was just taking off in Europe. He had his own forum dedicated to pipes for a long time and posted a ton of great posts. His name is well known to many European pipe collectors and his contribution to the community is held in great reverence. He’s also a master pipe photographer. Today’s special guest is Willi who had a very personal relationship with the great Rainer Barbi, who died sadly in 2011. The following article was written by Willi when Rainman was still alive.

Who is Rainer «Rainman» BarbiRainer Barbi was born 1948 in Hanover, Germany and lived in the little village of Worth, near Hamburg. He graduated from law school in 1975 and chose to create his own pipe workshop. In the same year, he opened a stand at the Frankfurt International Fair. For years Rainman was the only pipe maker with the balls to go it alone at these trade events, selling his handmade pipes all by himself.

Becoming a Pipe MakerHe had taken to pipe smoking in 1970 on a whim, when he had caught a cold. But factory pipes from the big known brands just didn’t do it for him. On top of that, as a broke student there was no way he could afford the exquisite freehand artisan pipes made by the likes of Anne Julie or Jorgen L. Things generally start out simple, so he simply took a block of wood and carved his very first «handmade pipe» pipe in his own kitchen. He excitedly exhibited his first effort to a local pipe dealer. That dealer set up a booth at a consumer show and requested Rainer to perform some live demonstrations on how to make pipes for the crowd and it was a big hit. Fast forward a couple of years, and Rainman had a tough choice to make: Pursue a career as a lawyer or become a full-time pipe builder. He couldn’t do either. We all know how that ended!

Inspiration & InfluencesAbout this time those wild and fanciful Danish pipe shapes were becoming very popular, and giving the classic English styles a real run for their money. All of a sudden, there were pipes made expressly for lefties, stems with ergonomic grips, loads of different designs that just seemed to appear out of nowhere. But Rainman didn’t just go on the bandwagon. He remained faithful to his own vision. His sole objective was to achieve the highest degree of precision in pipe building.

Transitioning to the Business Side and Sourcing MaterialsUpon establishing his studio, he started at once looking for lumber mills in the Mediterranean and decided to make a trip to Greece to personally select his raw materials. Near Athens he met Anastasios Varelas, a sawmill owner who spent a year and a half teaching him the profound mysteries of briar wood: how to grade the quality, cut it appropriately, and handle the high-heat curing process.

Why the Right Wood is ImportantAnastasios taught me that no one country has a monopoly on the ‘best’ wood,» Rainman used to say. «There’s great briar all over the Mediterranean, you just know what to look for. Briar is essentially two things. First there’s the structural timber. It’s incredibly dense and it doesn’t actually absorb the moisture when you’re smoking. Imagine it as the skeleton. Then the filler in the middle layers, flesh surrounding the skeleton. It’s porous, like a sponge, so only this filler wood can absorb up the moisture. «So the deal is, the more filler wood a block has, compared to structural wood, the better the pipe is gonna smoke.»

Standards for Quality of WoodFor Rainer, the ability to grade wood was a make-or-break for the creation of one-off artisan pipes. He looked at four main criterions:

How swiftly the briar burl was growing.

The briar soil conditions.

How well the wood soaks up moisture when you smoke.

The grain pattern, the fault rate, these tell you how rare a block is yet they don’t always screw up the basic quality.The actual size of the briar block was one item that affected things, but was not an absolute deal breaker.

Hunting the Best BriarIn those days Rainman was always on the hustle, looking for the greatest briar on the Côte d’Azur, Calabria, Liguria, Sardinia, Corsica (where you could still find the last 73-year-old Coupeur).

The Importance of the StemAnd as for stems, Rainer only employed vulcanite, and yes, they were all hand-cut. He used the nicest ebonite he could get, from the «New York Hamburger Gummi-Waaren Compagnie.» He did not fool about with the mouthpiece, he considered it the essential link between the smoker and the pipe. «The stem is a huge part of the design on one hand,» he said. The stummel and stem are a package deal, they have to flow together fluidly so the whole thing appears harmonious, elegant and nicely made. You can’t look at them as two separate things. In contrast, the stem is what physically links the pipe to the smoker. Whether you genuinely want to smoke a pipe has a lot to do with the way the mouthpiece is constructed. He also enjoyed employing rare, exotic timbers and Irish buffalo horn for ornamental rings and embellishments.

Rainman’s Philosophy & CraftRainer’s best instructor was Mother Nature. His goal was to see the original raw contour of the wood and bring it out. «Frankly, I don’t think there is a great deal of difference between the work of the famous master pipe makers,» he remarked. «Sure, they each have their own individual stamps, but in terms of their passion and how they interpret a high-end pipe, it’s pretty much the same. All these masters are driven by the same thing: the struggle with nature, the pursuit of perfect harmony in design, the aspiration for total perfection. We all want the same thing. A deep connection to what we are doing and to pour every ounce of our breath and soul into these natural materials.»

The Passion of Pipe Making»This isn’t just some fun little story,» Rainman once said. «When I was younger I figured I’d retire by 45. But now I know that creating pipes is another me. It is my child, my life forever, my new life. How could I even think of quitting? Plus, there is nothing better than standing at the sanding disk with a half-finished pipe in my hands feeling like this is the time I am going to make the ultimate, flawlessly straight grained, immaculate, beautifully designed pipe!»

Rainman’s Pipe Grading SystemRainer ordered his pipes from top level to the fundamentals with the following notation: CC, CB, CA, BC, BB, BA, AC, AB, AA, C, B, A, A0, A1, A2, A3, etc.

Rainer Barbi died May 23, 2011 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. Gone far too soon. Pipe enthusiasts everyplace miss him terribly, and we will always be thankful for the truly gorgeous pipes this German artisan left for us to enjoy.