SMOOTH FREEHAND SMOKING PIPE KIT. Manfred Hortig was born on 02.23.1951 in Lüchfeld, near Neuruppin, in Germany. After graduating from high school, he learned auto mechanic and then he studied cultural sciences after passing his military service. By the end of the GDR he worked in various cultural fields and during this time he was enjoyed smoking pipes. Later on, he changed his career and was trained as a surveyor and worked in this profession. His retirement was carried out in 2012, since then he runs this so called “hobby”. He shapes the majority of his pipes almost exclusively on the grinding wheel, the belt sander and hand with the Dremel and tons of sandpaper. He rarely uses the lathe. This technique he has maintained from the outset, since they correspond with my definition of “handmade pipes”. After his retirement, he starts making his own handmade smoking pipes in a professional way by using his great designs, high quality materials and subsequently he combines these elements with his graceful taste to carve some very interesting pipes. So far, he designed, carved and finished about 200-250 of these little “art” pipes and his artworks have been highly appreciated by the friends, smokers and other pipe makers. This of course a kind of joy and job together for him. In the case of materials, he uses mainly briar, but also bog oak, olive wood and ebony for the mouthpiece. Most of his pipes are engineered with 9 mm filter system but he is also carves the smoking pipe with out filter. As a result of one of his other hobbies – painting and graphic – he makes for each pipe an exact “drawing” that can be done on request. He is also able to prepare the flyer from the whole process (from beginning to the end) as an extra artwork.