Asikyan Yerevan

Half-bent Apple

The half-bent apple: a round bowl with a moderate curve

A half-bent apple sits between a straight apple and a full bent. Asikyan 392/24 is the measured example: 140 mm, 47 g.

· Yerevan

Where it comes from

“Half-bent” is factory English for a shank that turns part way home — not a nose-warmer, not a full Oom-Paul curve. Houses used it on apples, billiards and brandies alike. The idea is comfort without the compact look of a full bent. There is no single inventor. It is a degree of bend, written on the shape name so a buyer could order from a list.

Asikyan Half-bent Apple 392/24, Art rusticated
Half-bent Apple 392/24 · Art rusticated

The specification

392/24 is the half-bent apple on this site, and it has a card: 140 mm long, 47 g, chamber 20 × 42 mm, bowl 49 mm high, 42 mm outside. Art rusticated, colored acrylic stem. The chamber is deeper than 423/24’s straight apple (42 mm against 35 mm). The bowl is a little taller. That is the measured difference, not a catalogue average.

How it smokes in the hand

The moderate bend takes weight off the teeth compared with 423/24 and leaves more length than 356/23’s fuller curve. If you like a round bowl and want a quiet bit without a full hang, this is the Asikyan plate to look at first.

From the cabinet

Pipes in this note

Asikyan Half-bent Apple 392/24, Art rusticated, handmade in Yerevan
392/24

Half-bent Apple

Art rusticated · 47 g · 140 mm

Also in the notes

Read further

Material

Algerian briar, and how Levon reads a block

Why Asikyan pipes start with Algerian briar — sometimes Italian — and how the shape is chosen from the wood, not forced onto it.

The mark

How to read an Asikyan serial

The stamp reads Armenia · Asikyan · Hand Made, then the serial. The first three digits are the count; the last two are the year. From 116/21 the stem also carries AL.

Finish

The smooth finish: when the grain is left to speak

Levon Asikyan leaves a pipe smooth when birdseye or straight grain is worth keeping. Stain in thin passes, a quiet sheen — never a plastic gloss.