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I was just thinking if there was some secret sauce being shared it couldn't hurt to ask, as others might benefit from hearing it as well. When I first started making pipes, I was obsessed with learning the secrets behind good finishes. I saw all this stuff in the finishing section of the forum and ...

Yeah, the finish isn't very good on it's own. However, I think if you did a craggy rustication then gave it the wire-brush treatment, that could add some excellent depth to the texture!

But check that out! No micro-texture!!!!!

It's pretty funny, every time I see these thread titles I have my answer before I even read anything else! Definitely go with Steve Norse at Vermont Freehand!

Woah, do you really send it in all caps like that? Personally I'm of the you-like-it-you-buy-it mentality. I don't have the time or the will to go back and re-work a finished pipe to fit the customers' preferences. Either they're buying a pipe with me in it, or they're buying a pipe from someone else.

You may find that you learn almost all the techniques you need by making a good straight billiard and then duplicating it 10 times. The rest of the skills and techniques can be learned on a bent billiard. Umm.... no? I come from a rather different perspective here, as I have never made a billiard a...

Finishes will eat your soul!

If you want to try some durable finish techniques, experiment with various hardening oils. They take quite a while to dry, and you need several coats, but they can be far more durable than even shellac.

Strangely enough I've pondered this question deeply Lemon, as I like taking pipes backpacking too. Obviously you don't want pencil shanked/thin walled pipes. You want something durable, but that isn't really a big limit. You Probably would like a sandblast too, cus' you're bound to badly ding a smoo...

There's only so much you can do in this regard- Bruce is right in a sense, established carvers have standards which they uphold, customers buying their pipes can trust that everything will be done correctly. For carvers starting out this is an issue, but if you make everything well, it shouldn't tak...

Is that titanium? It's 6262 Aluminum, damn easy to machine but, still has a medium Rockwell hardness. Alright, well if you're trying to maintain the Nate King school of pipe thought, you would use Aluminum 7075 T6, it would give the pipe a more authentic flavor. Alternatively, you could try Titaniu...

Is that titanium?

Yeah, Chris kicked ass on this pipe.

Keep it down man! I'm trying to sleep now!

Sheesh guys! All I was saying is you can't simplify artistic/craftsmanship progression this simply! But yes Wayne, I can be a douche-bag!

So I've already made a few ballerina blowfish, I guess I'm better than Bo?

Yeah, I've been going crazier than usual in the shop. It looks like I'll hit my 15 pipe mark for Chicago though!

Micro mesh grits don't match up very well with standard grits, but if you're using MM 2400 before you use tripoli, you're going backwards. Tripoli is something like 400 (or possibly 600, I don't recall) grit. Using that after your MM pad (let's just call it 1000 grit) means you just scratched the s...

(Your PM about whether or not you should wear your black shoes or your brown ones to your high school prom next week, definitely yes. Just relax and show the girl a good time, OK? We all know first-ever dates are kinda traumatic) Thanks Uncle George! I know you aren't long for the world, so I try t...

I dont have a problem with faux sandblasts if people advertise them as such. Tommi is perfectly honest about how he does it, as such I find it amazing and respect it. I just think there's an integrity issue when people lie about what something is. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, I don't know.

I use: 220 320 400 Undercoat 600 800 1000 topcoat Finish 1000 grit goes really really fast. I just use it to clean up all the contrast, even out the coat etc. Buffing right on the briar for a final finish is going to give you a texture. You need something to fill in the micro-pore space of the wood ...