Ron Smith

Ranz Freehands is the brand name of pipe maker Ron Smith who resides and works at his home in the Smoky Mountain area of East Tennessee. He started making pipes in 2015. In his own words: 
Following retirement I took advantage of Tennessee's offer to take college courses for free and signed up for courses at Walters State Community College. Art courses. Never had them in college or grad school. I thought it would help make me a well rounded individual. It didn't , but it was a great way to pass time in the company of twenty year olds, many of whom were tremendously talented, and learn some things about photography, other forms of art which and led me sculpture classes. After exposure to the wonders of soapstone, that the prof said, "Do whatever . . .", and that connection between pipes and art kicked in. I ordered some briar and stems off ebay, bought a hand drill and dremel and did my thing. The results were predictable, they were, from an artistic point of view, an elevated form of crap. But, they did smoke and some folks liked them. So I picked up more tools, supplies and tried to get better educated.
Thus began a string of visits to real pipe makers and their shops. First stop, a day with Tim West. Great guy, good teacher and exposure to even more expensive power tools and strange concepts like sanding wheels and sand paper. Two stints at the Chicago pipe making seminar with Lee von Ertz, Mike Buttera and Rex Poggenpohl among others  (the second one for me being remedial pipe making), and, a session with David Huber and John Inge before the Raleigh show followed.
Perhaps the most helpful sessions were visits to shops of some of my favorite makers and the opportunity to watch them work. Scott Klein, Robert Blackwell, Jessie Jones, Manfred Hortig, Steffen Mueller, Uwe Maier, Roger Wallenstein have been gracious in allowing visits. To my mind these are some of the best in the business and all of them are just great human beings.  Jessie, in particular, is a great teacher and has a wonderful way of explaining mechanics and methods.
Which brings me to my pipes. After ten or so years of making them, I am pleased with the quality of the smoke; they function as they should, which is a product of input and suggestions from makers and my consumers. In terms of design, let's face it, I'm not making "high end" pieces. Like the pipes themselves, as a maker I'm still a work in progress and evolving as I go along. I love the daily experiments with shaping and finishing and learning in the process.
I think there are two prime factors which get folks to buy a pipe : looks and price. I try to deliver on both of those. I want to do pieces which are cognizable as pipes, but which are playful in their shapes, textures and colors. Whenever possible I try to bring out the wonderful patterns of grain in the briar and on my smooth pieces, create a nice shiny finish which is pleasant to your touch. Color is another choice I enjoy showcasing. No knock on the traditional black, brown, tan and occasional green. I use them frequently. But, sometimes a change is in order when it can be done in beautiful and creative manners. That, of course, is your call. One other consideration is that pipes are not strictly a "guy thing" as more women are coming into our population.  Nor are pipes any longer the exclusive lair of old guys. Indeed, it's the younger guys who are driving the market and the tastes
Textures are a matter of choice. When the briar does not display nice grain, I consider alternatives such as blasting, rusticating or other treatments. One of those is the driftwood finish developed by Roger Wallenstein. In some ways it creates grain patterns similar to blasting, although what comes out is not always predictable. It allows novel uses of brighter colors or for stone like finishes. It also provides a pipe which will change in appearance over time as some colors tend to fade which brings out the interesting patterns of grain.
I keep my prices low, not because I ever wanted to create "budget" pipes, but because, growing up as a poor boy, I want keep them affordable. Many of us grew up and enjoying budget priced pipes, but admiring pieces with different styles or higher craftsmanship which commanded much higher prices than we could conveniently pay. I do my best to combine style with an easily affordable hand made pipe and do so in several ways which do not compromise value. I primarily use ebauchon briar of high quality which I import and buy in bulk. I use pre-molded stems and usually delrin tenons. Perhaps most importantly, I do not need to rely on my time as a factor in price. I'm retired and this is a hobby. And, I'm not a "name" in pipe world .( Hell, Ranz isn't even my name, but I thought it looked better than Ron's Pipes or Smith Freehands. Sounds about the same and still provided a degree of anonymity which after my work life I relish.)
I've had some makers and sellers suggest that price reflects the value you attach to your work. Some say that my prices are too low for the materials, skill and time I put into it. I don't disagree as a general matter. There are folks who make a living off pipe sales and their craftsmanship and the quality of their work fully justifies the prices they command. I'm not there. The sales are enough to pay for the hobby, my time is well spent doing what I enjoy but the payoff is not so much the dollars, yen and euros; it's the smiles and the feedback. It's hard to beat the feeling I get when after a sale I can watch a guy light up and enjoy the pipe I made or get a nice note about the experience.
 
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=== Contact information: ===
 Website: https://www.ranzpipes.com/
 Social Media:
 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008188929806
 https://www.instagram.com/ronsmithpipes/
 Email: Ranzfreehands@gmail.com
Category:Pipe makers by nationality
Category:United States