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I fancy having a crack at some rustication for some of my handfinished pipes that are a little bland grain wise.

Perfect chance to try out some new rustication tools too, can't seem to find pictures of any beyond the standard nail style. So thought it would be a good idea to start thread where we can post pictures of different tools we come across, partly for my own benefit of course but in the long term it will be helpful for new makers since rustication is a great finish to begin with.

Spindle gouge and 6mm drill bit complements of Blakemar briars
I think he has a vid somewhere

So while it doesn't have the same randomness or sharpness of a pipe chewed up by a nail tool, I've done a rustication on a couple pipes that I really like the look and feel of - here's a shot of the one I finished yesterday:



That's basically just dimples cut fairly evenly but with some variation across the whole surface (no original surface remaining) with a Dremel 190 cutting tip (I like to dig in harder where there are grain lines/rings), followed by a Dremel 108 to individually scoop out each dimple - depending on how you angle it and how you approach the pipe, you can get sort of a honeycomb effect or just make deeper/sharper holes. Then I hit it with a few types of wire brushes chucked in my drill press at 500 RPM - and with this step more or less time/pressure and consistent vs. changing directions can yield somewhat different effects, from "burned and shredded flesh" to "chili pepper you'll regret eating"

I don't have any end results to show, but, rustication with a standard nail tool followed by blasting can produce some interesting results. As always, the briar itself has a big say in what one winds up with.

I went through a brief period where I was using a small needle gun. It wasn't bad, but I was never truly happy with the results. Might be worth some R&D if you don't mind the strain it puts on your hands from all the vibration.