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I mean, does this look right? http://i698.photobucket.com/albums/vv347/Sasquatchman1/jan2011/20th001.jpg It doesn't quite look wrong. This finish is seen on many pipes. Deeper contrast is beautiful on straight/flame grain and dense bird eyes, but it would appear messy and fragmented on a block with...

ToddJohnson wrote:... Pipemaking is not an academic pursuit.

Yeah, the secret is how to make your customers hell-bent on pipe-collecting academic pursuit.

I did it on two meershaum pipes, both bent. The first was easily straightened and as easily disintegrated into some pitiable splinters when the drill bit took its plunge, after which I made a bit from scratch. The second was straightened, had its Y-slot opened with a file, and was bent back. Everthi...

Quality varies among manufacturers. The two batches I've tried are both from Chinese suppliers. One is total crap. The other is at least equal to the lucite bits on most factory pipes. I guess the best ABS is made in the US. Assuming you get from those manufacturers, it's certainly serviceable as fa...

Can someone please describe 'tongue bite'? ... Search youtube for pipesmoking videos and those mad puffers will prove tongue bite is not an issue for all smokers. I've also seen someone puff like a steam engine with no harm whatsoever to the tongue. I always think it'd be lucky to be one of them. C...

I would suggest searching the forums for some more basic information before trying to get at the more specific questions. It sounds like you probably need a broader base before the answers you're seeking will actually be useful. Read all the FAQ's and the "Stickies," and that should give ...

Alan L wrote:On the contrary, I drill all my stems freehand with a cordless drill and a set of 6" bits...

Damn, I thought I was the pistol drill crack shot
Pipes made in any way other than this should be forbiddden to bear the word handmade.

If you are drilling with a hand drill rather than a drill press, the above pictured spade bits can make the chamber rather messy and can be dangerous. I'd suggest forstner bit + modified S&D bit. http://img.bmlink.com/big/trade//20093/09031611025336.jpg This is a forstner bit. It's designed to b...

Porous woods make wonderful smokers because they absorb any moisture that might collect - olive is similar. Wonderful smoke! But olive can also discolour as it "sucks" on pipe juice. Nice info. I've been interested in olive, both for its beauty and the said flavor. This makes it more appe...

It's Mimmo ebauchon. The Mimmo blocks I have are uniformly high quality - white, dense and nearly flawless. This is the first I rusticated (for fun, not to cover anything), so I'm concerned whether the blotches are related to the finish. Anyway, it is probably quite porous. Strange thing is, this pi...

This is something weird. The pipe you see below "developed" some dark blotches after some time of use. The stummel is unstained, only a spit coat of shellac. I do not touch the shank when holding it. At first I thought it was just some smudge, but later surprisedly found that the blotches ...

I've tried jujube wood and African blackwood. Jujube is basically softwood and I had to make the bit quite thick and still be very tender with my jaws. It's not fit for clench. I won't try any soft wood again. African blackwood is super hard wood, kind of close to acrylic. The difference is that it ...

I won't say this pipe is beautiful, but it's interesting, particularly the "carburetor", which I happen to have also fancied. These things bring good fun to the site (hopefully also to you as the maker)...well, at least it's more creative than the hackneyed marijuana joke.

I've noticed that airhole size in the bit is more variable than in the stummel. 4mm is very good for the stummel in my limited experience, and at 3mm or less there is a tendency to clog. But the different airway sizes in the bit which I've reacently comparison-smoked led me to rethink the consistenc...

Rad, just because YOU don't like the taste of burning epoxy... doesn't mean everybody doesn't... That's a perfect way to blend pipesmoking with glue sniffing! :lol: For an outside filling, most industrial glue based putty might be ok if class and grade is not the concern. But inside the chamber...W...

I tried it on a bad-tasting pipe. Since it was bad to start with, I didn't mind all the warping and cracking, and boiled it for 15 hours with more than 10 changes of water. Not a further bit of pink tint could be extracted during the last severl hours of boiling. Then it was microwave dried, after w...

If it's sanded to higher grit before staining, you may try wiping the stummel with alcohol and let dry before staining. Alcohol roughens up the surface a bit and takes away grease. After staining, particularly heavy staining, I wipe the stummel with a cloth that has been wetted and wrung. Both wring...

Those machines are way too cool and canons to mosquitoes. I'll just get a hand-held electric engraver and enjoy "cutting" a stamp. I guess it could be as much fun (and labor) as making pipes.

Watching a video of Viprati pipes, I saw this futuristic tool for zapping the signature on the shank. Takes less than a second. Really cool! Have you seen this stuff? Is it laser?

It's close to the end of this video, after the pipe has been finished.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTcxNzAxMTMy.html

Hello, Rhino. It's all owing to this fabulous site. You can learn about all the techniques necessary for making good pipes here, and the presence of the established pros is a true bonus. Surf on your celphone and it's perfect bedtime reading. I'm very glad to post more pipes here, whether for sale o...