Moretti

In 1968, Igino Moretti founded the Moretti Recanati brand in Recanati, Italy. It was later renamed and simplified to Moretti in 2004 and joined the AD year mark in September 2009.
Recanati is a small town full of humanities. In addition to gathering poets, writers and other artistic and literary figures, the development of pipe art is also booming. Recanati is also a distribution center for pipe factories. The tradition of making pipes in the town began in 1850. Among them is a pipe factory called Hully Briar, which had about 50 pipe masters in the early 20th century, which was quite large at the time, and Hully's chief was Mr. Igino Moretti. (Today Moretti's workshop is located across the street from the former residence of the former Italian writer Ciacomo Leopardi.)
During the Great Depression in 1950, the survival of Hully Douchang was affected. So Mr. Igino Moretti was forced to switch jobs to become a train driver, but Mr. Moretti still could not forget his passion for pipes. He often struggled between being a train driver or regaining his status as a trainer, but there is no problem. Troubled Mr. Moretti for too long, he finally founded his own brand---Moretti Recanati in 1968.
At first, in addition to making pipes of its own brand, Moretti also received many OEM orders from well-known brands in order to maintain the livelihood of the workshop. This situation continued until Igino Moretti's son-in-law Marco Biagini took over the brand. Marco believes that Moretti is already a mature brand, and it is enough to support the operation of the studio at present. There is no need to be busy with foundry work, and the output will be reduced and the focus will be on the exquisite own brand of pipes. So he set up a website to display and sell his own pipes. Marco will spend a whole year concentrating on creating, and then sell the results of the whole year every autumn. He sells his own pipes independently, not through middlemen. It is to make the pipe business more simplistic and reduce the pressure of mass production, so he has more time to devote himself to pipe creation and personal leisure. (After the police retired, Marco’s favorite leisure activity was fishing, so the pipe sticks he made in his spare time are like buoys tied to a fishing line)
Marco uses Calabrian heather from Italy and has a very rich stock of heather, which has been air-dried for 10-15 years by Air-Cured. Marco’s requirements for heather are very strict. He will directly discard the defective wood. Therefore, the pipes he makes are mainly smooth pipes, and only less than 5% are etched pipes. He hardly makes sprays unless it is requested by the customer. Sand bucket.
Marco is also one of the very few masters in the world who can use Bog Oak to create pipes. Because these bog oaks are 4000~6000 years old, they are equally expensive except for the rare ones. If they are not skilled, they will usually be masters. Will not use such precious materials. Marco does not use lathe fixtures to make pipes. He is accustomed to let the wood go with the drill, even if it is a flue or a cigarette holder. These techniques will be seen in some Nordic manual bucket masters, but Marco is considered a different kind of Italian bucket master. Because this method is dangerous and very difficult, the stability and strength of the hand must be unmistakable in order to drill a perfect bowl and flue, otherwise it will damage the wood and even cause personal danger. Why Marco chooses Such a laborious method of making pipes? This is related to the "principle of simplicity" he admired. He believes that only by using fewer standard tools can the beauty of pipe craftsmanship be presented. Therefore, Marco's pipes always have a charming simplicity.
The pipe manufacturing process of Moretti, from selecting heather to end dyeing and polishing, is done by Marco himself. This process reduces Moretti's production capacity. Generally, Italian handmade brands will ask helpers and several craftsmen to participate in the production of more pipes. , The pipes produced are so-called mass-produced manual pipes. Marco never pretends to hand others, so he can maintain his consistent quality and is closer to the original intention of his creation. The fans can also perceive the character of the fighter from the pipe. In addition, Marco is also one of the few Italian masters who can make pipes in his own name (the pipes are engraved with personal stamps, because the general Italian brand is done by different craftsmen, so they rarely leave marks directly on the bucket), A senior fighter in his many years of fighting career, in addition to the original 絣 brand, can leave his mark on the work is a proud thing.
The collection of high-end pipes named Marco Biagini is very small, only about 50~80 pipes per year. Among them, some of the Freehand pipes of the size of the giant are unforgettable. You will never see larger and larger pipes in the world. Amazing pipe! Critic Mr. Joseph Hornsby also wrote an article in the North American authoritative publication Pipe Collector, and the founder of Pfeifenbox, Mr. Martin Farrent, also gave a high evaluation of Marco's high-end pipes.
Marco has his unique insistence on the design of stomata. Marco will strive to be unobstructed. After precise testing, Marco especially emphasizes: "A good pipe must be easy to clean after use. Unsmooth corners cannot be hidden in the road, and experienced masters must not ignore this.” In addition, Marco will deliberately leave rough drilling marks on the inner wall of the bucket. This process is very subverting the tradition and its purpose is to help. Users accumulate carbon layer (Cake) faster. And every finished pipe will add Teflon to the mortise core of the cigarette holder to make the mouth easier to remove. Such consideration of details shows Marco's dedication to pipes.
Marco has a unique view of heather, and is at odds with most Danish fighters who follow traditional fights. He believes that wood with good texture does not necessarily mean that heather is good, and he never modifies trachoma, even at higher levels ; It is not his carelessness but because he thinks that trachoma is also part of the heath. There is no need to adapt the pipe shape to avoid the inconspicuous little trachoma, unless the trachoma has already constituted a flaw, and the flawed wood does not need to be cut to avoid it. Sand, burn it as firewood!
Marco is a gentleman with both sensibility and rationality. People who have been with him will definitely be fascinated by his modest smile. When meeting him for the first time, he will greet "My Friend" as kindly as an old friend, plus he is hearty His smile shows full affinity and charm. His attitude towards others is always kind, and his mind is delicate and full of wisdom. Marco Duoqiu has a simple attitude towards life. He is happy to share this philosophy of life. These personalities are directly reflected in his pipe works. From his pipes, he gives a natural and unpretentious impression. Marco’s pipes have no exaggerated appearance. , And there is no gorgeous decoration. I will be surprised by the simplicity and cleanness of Marco’s pipes. His works have a non-staining Natural appearance, and the interior of the bucket exudes a light and corny aroma of heather. And this philosophy of making a bucket is Moretti's workshop has remained unchanged for more than 40 years. Style is too important for an artist, or even a pipe creator, only after seeing Marco's work did he understand what "style" means.
Fortunately, he became acquainted with Marco Biagini in May 2009. He is an Italian handmade pipe maker. Although his pipe brand Moretti is not familiar to the Chinese, his works are fascinated by others. Talking with him, feels cordial and passionate about work. He loves family and life and advocates nature. After he married Mr. Moretti's only daughter, he naturally inherited the family business. Recanati (http://encarta.msn.com/map_701528938/Recanati.html) is a place near the Adriatic Sea in eastern Italy. In the south of Venice, most of the early works are Moretti Recanati to commemorate the birthplace. The husband independently creates handmade products, and also for quality maintenance, to increase time with family and like fishing, so the collections collected recently are only marked by Moretti. According to it, the last level in the grading is more than Emblem. The difference is that the production of the materials is quite difficult and cumbersome. I can’t make 4 buckets at most in a year. I hope I will be lucky enough to collect it again in the future! However, when I received his work from Italy, I was really surprised by his carefulness. I carefully and slowly unpacked the outer layer of kraft paper (which is environmentally friendly) to keep it intact, and then unpacked the box. What is printed in my eyes is a bunch of environmentally friendly bubble dragons, and then slowly put everything inside. Take out all of the pipes. Seriously, when each one is taken apart to look at it, I really love it, and it’s so beautiful! You can feel the heart and love of friends from afar and their works, and each one is also autographed Yes! I have already posted it on the blog, welcome to appreciate and exchange opinions, as the saying goes, the work itself can talk!This article by CrabHao (Zhang Shi-hao) has been automatically translated from chinese to english. As automatic translations are full of errors the original version can be found in Talk:Moretti.
== Gallery ==
Moretti Pipe01.jpg|Courtesy Marco Moretti
Moretti Pipe02.jpg|Courtesy Marco Moretti
Moretti Pipe03.jpg|Courtesy Marco Moretti
Moretti Pipe04.jpg|Courtesy Marco Moretti
Moretti01.jpg|Example and details, courtesy Doug Valitchka
Moretti05.jpg|Example and details, courtesy Doug Valitchka
== Articles about Pipe Moretti ==
=== Pipe Moretti: The Pipe and the Pipe Maker, Both Italian Gems, by Joseph Hornsby ===
My name is Joseph Hornsby, and I have been a pipe smoker and collector since 1997. I am a veteran police officer in Greenville, South Carolina, presently working as a Forensic Technician. One day, I was dispatched to a residential burglary and met a man who would expose me to a true pipe artisan and a real gentleman, Mr. Marco Biagini.
"Well, sir, I have processed all areas that I believe were conducive and suitable to retaining fingerprints. I will take the collected fingerprints and run them through A.F.I.S. for any possible matches," I said. The stately, gray-haired gentleman thanked me and continued puffing on his pipe. "Sir, if I may compliment you on your beautiful pipe, beautiful grain." The gentleman's eyes lit up upon hearing my comment. "Are you a pipe smoker, young man?" I proceeded to tell him that I was, and suddenly, before we knew it, we had been chatting about the wonders and pleasures of the pipe and pipe smoking.
"What kind of pipe are you smoking," he asked. "Well, I have quite an assortment, from low grades to high grades, but I have developed a real fondness for Italian handmades." The gentleman asked if I had ever smoked a Moretti. "Smoked a Moretti? No, sir, I'm afraid I've not been exposed to those pipes." "You are missing a real treat, wonderful smokers, beautiful grain, that's what I'm smoking now." "May I ask where you obtained it from"? The gentleman replied that he had been given the light-stained Canadian by his daughter. "Well, sir, I'm going to have to find out more about Moretti Pipes." We said our farewells, and off I went to yet another call, not forgetting the brief pleasantries shared.
The following day, I began looking online for information on Moretti pipes. As it turned out, there it was, as easy as one could hope for: www.pipemoretti.com. As I browsed the website and read the history of PIPE MORETTI, I found that I kept looking at the various pipes offered for sale and was quite pleased with some of the prices. Some of the pipes started at 52 EURO, which is approximately $56.00. I decided to send Marco Biagini an e-mail and commend him on his site and the pipes he offered for sale.
As it turned out, Marco is a former police officer, or "Carabiniere," who began making pipes in 1983 after his father-in-law, Mr. Igino Moretti, was no longer able to maintain the business alone. Marco and I immediately hit it off, with repeated e-mails back and forth. I found Marco to be a true gentleman and a sincerely honest man who was kind and friendly, referring to everyone as "friend." After looking and asking repeated questions of Marco, I finally narrowed my choice down to four pipes and asked Marco to provide his opinion as to the grain of each. Marco was inquisitive as to my likes and preferences in pipes. I eventually decided on a bent billiard and placed the order on Feb. 28.
Marco and I continued to chat while I eagerly awaited the newest member of my pipe family. On March 10th, after running the mail carrier down, I finally had the package in hand. The pipe was far more beautiful than the picture indicated, and the feel was excellent. Much to my surprise, Marco had also enclosed one of his carved briar tampers.
The next day, after rubbing a little maple syrup on the inside of the bowl, I packed "Blondie," as she is affectionately called, with Caledonian Highland Cream from AC Peterson. WOW! I was amazed at just how well the pipe smoked and how little lighting I needed to keep the tobacco burning at a nice, cool, dry smoke. My wife, Aimee, as she always does whenever I obtain a new pipe, asked what I thought. Upon seeing my smile, she simply said, "That good, huh?" And yes, it was that good and even better.
So I had to learn more about Marco and Pipe Moretti, since obviously Marco had gained a fan and friend for life. I asked Marco how many pipes he produces a year. With an average of 1,000, Marco says that most of his pipes are smooth, natural finishes. Marco uses only Calabrian briar because, in his opinion, the briar is the most resistant to heat. Marco says that he allows his briar to dry naturally between 10-12 years and sometimes as along as 15 years. Marco says that most of his mouthpieces are pre-formed, but he does make some by hand on occasions. Marco inserts a briar dot in each mouthpiece, a symbol of Moretti Pipes.
Marco does smoke a pipe on occasion but finds that he usually smokes cigars and cigarettes. Marco says that he enjoys making all shapes of pipes but most enjoys making the Dublin, Rhodesian and prince. Marco says that it usually takes between 5 to 12 hours on average to produce a new pipe. All his pipes are finished with 1200 sandpaper. Marco believes that the quality of the briar and the individual attention given to a pipe are what produces a quality smoke. Marco doesn't believe in filling flaws, preferring to leave sand pits and other minor flaws visible. Marco says, and I quote, "A beautiful woman is beautiful even if she has flaws, as is briar with its sand pits." Marco's pipes run from the $56 I mentioned up to $800 for some straight-grain horns I have viewed. Marco makes a lot of really large pipes. All his pipes are simply stamped "Moretti" and below that "Recanati."
Marco is still assisted on occasions by his father-in-law, Igino, who is now 73 years old. Marco says that a piece of briar with too many flaws is simply discarded instead of being blasted or rusticated. Marco prefers to sell to pipe smokers and collectors more so than dealers, though he and his family do run a retail shop in Recanati, Italy that carries his pipes. As Marco says, "I make all pipes with the same care because I want the best for my friends." Marco Biagini and his wife, Emanuela are charming, accommodating people who know no strangers and treat everyone as though they are life-long friends.
I often believe that the character of a pipe maker is evident in his or her work. Marco's character is reflected in the care and love he places in each pipe, making and sending them to friends yet to meet and friends never met, but nonetheless to friends.This article was originally published in The Pipe Collector, the North American Society of Pipe Collectors newsletter NASP, and is used here by permission. It's a great orginazation--consider becoming a member.
=== More on Moretti, by Fred Hanna === 
I found myself nodding in agreement throughout the entire article on Moretti pipes, recently written by Joseph Hornsby in the Pipe Collector. I have owned and smoked many Moretti pipes since my introduction to them in 1999, and I have been consistently pleased with the workmanship and quality that pipe maker Marco Biagini provides at very reasonable prices. In addition to such details as air curing his Calabrian briar for 10 or more years, making 1000 pipes per year, and other particulars noted so well by Mr. Hornsby, there are a few more points that I would like to add.
Marco has told me that he likes to buy as many magnum-sized blocks as he can afford. This amounts to approximately 100 per year. He loves to make gigantic pipes, and these are readily observable on his website, www.pipemoretti.com. Many of these end up being rusticated or partially rusticated due to flaws in the briar, and Marco sells these pipes for the remarkably low price of $60 (give or take) on his website. In my experience, there is no better deal for magnum- sized or rusticated pipes anywhere. Although the cost of shipping from Italy must be figured into the cost, these pipes remain highly reasonable.
There are a few more details that I would like to mention. Marco's stems are Lucite, but he will make a vulcanite bit for a pipe if asked. Marco seems to be very concerned with making sure that his pipes pass the pipe-cleaner test, especially in recent years. I have had several magnum-sized Moretti deep bents that take a pipe cleaner effortlessly, without any twists or turns. Marco has told me that he considers this to be a very important aspect of pipe making, and I couldn't agree more. I have noticed that some $1000+ brands do not attend closely to the pipe- cleaner test, and many such pipes allow a cleaner to pass only with contortions and gymnastics. There's no excuse for this oversight in pipe making.
A curious aspect of Moretti pipes is the surface of the inner walls of the tobacco chamber. Marco does not sand these to any great extent, and one will find the inner walls to be quite rough. This gives the illusion of lack of detail and finish and may turn off some American collectors. However, this is deliberate. I asked Marco about this, and he says that he considers a rough surface to be ideal for forming a cake sooner rather than later. Interestingly, I have owned some pipes whose inner walls were so smooth that accumulating a cake was difficult in these pipes. I am not a great believer in forming a thick cake, but I do believe that at least some cake seems to be important in breaking in a pipe. There are many perspectives on this point. Whatever the case, most of us have come to expect smooth, carefully sanded or coated surfaces in our tobacco chambers, and Marco challenges us to reconsider this view. As far as I am concerned, after I smoke my Moretti pipes a few times, the chamber walls are no longer visible anyway.
Marco is very careful to drill the draft hole, or air hole, of a pipe centered and flush with the bottom of the bowl. Once again, this is not always the case with all pipes from major brands, even with some far more expensive high grades. Marco also does not believe in wide tobacco chambers--that is, chambers with great diameter. Most of Marco's chambers measure right around .875 inches. Lou Zisholz made some interesting comments on this point in the last issue of the Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris in the context of Dunhill and BBB magnums. Specifically, Lou told us that chambers too wide in diameter tend to provide a poor smoke. For the most part, I agree with Lou, although I want to experiment with this a bit further. Nevertheless, Marco Biagini has told me that a chamber with a diameter of 13/16 to 14/16 inches makes for a better smoke. We can debate the pros and cons of this point, and there are many. However, the point here is that this is the reason why you will not normally see a wide, huge tobacco chamber, even in a Moretti magnum, although there are exceptions. Having said that, the bottoms of Marco's chambers are nicely shaped and promote the combustion of tobacco all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
Marco, to my knowledge, does not use putty or other fills. However, you will see sandpits in many of his pipes. If sandpits bother you, then carefully inspect Moretti pipes before you buy, for there can be quite a few in some pieces. We all know that Italian makers are not as concerned with removing sandpits as much as are the Danish makers. Marco does not try to hide sandpits, but he does not charge much for them either. Thus, one can get some very well-grained, all-smooth pieces with a few pits for as low as $100. Cleaner pieces with great grain cost more, of course.
Speaking of grain, Marco produces many nicely grained pipes. I currently own 2 Moretti magnums with incredibly tight straight grain all around the bowls. If these were Castellos, they would cost well over $2500. Similarly, I recently owned a spectacular, truly gigantic Moretti with 360 degrees of tight, dense birdseye on a pipe nearly free of sandpits. It is always quite a spectacle to see a pipe rim displaying that striking sunburst, radial grain pattern typical of the ultra-rare 360 birdseye pipe. But on this Moretti, the sunburst, radial grain pattern was on a rim nearly 4 inches in length, and the bird's-eye was plastered all around a pipe nearly 4 inches high! One look at this piece and one instantly recognizes the great skill possessed by its maker.
It is worth noting that Marco has the admirable quality of being open to feedback from his customers. I know that he has followed the advice of Tarek Manadily and Tony Soderman, and he has also patiently listened to some of my own minor suggestions as well. In closing, if I seem enthusiastic about Moretti pipes, it is because I am indeed. If the reader is interested, Marco has some amazing pipes on his website, and, like Mr. Hornsby, I encourage pipe smokers to check them out.
== Contact information ==
<revive zone="7" align="right" caption="An excellent selection of Moretti pipes is available at Pipedia Underwriter, lepipe.it" />
 Vicolo dell’Olmo
 7 – 62019 Recanati (MC)
 ITALY
 
 Tel. +39-0717570063
 Fax +39-0717572459
 Email: mailto:marco@pipemoretti.com
 Website: http://www.pipemoretti.com/
== References ==
Category: Pipe makers by nationality
Category: Italy