Finishing end of shank

For discussion of the drilling and shaping of the stummel.
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Walldepartment
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Finishing end of shank

Post by Walldepartment »

Do you guys sand and finish the ends of your shank as you do the rest of your pipe, or do you just leave it naked wood? And on the same note, do you polish up the shank end of your stems?
The Smoking Yeti
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by The Smoking Yeti »

The shank face is a bit tricky- if you try to hard to sand it, the fit wont be flush, for me, I try to get as clean a surface on the lathe as possible and call it good- there may be better methods out there however. The same goes for the shank-face of the stem- I get it clean as possible using the lathe parting tool. I know some folks such as Lars Ivarsson will go so far as to do an inlay which is only visible when the stem is removeable- which is totally awesome, but un-necessary, especially as a beginner. He does it as a personal trademark, and because he just feels like showing us all how much more bad-ass he is. :lol:

Cheers!

Yeti
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d.huber
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by d.huber »

Walldepartment wrote:Do you guys sand and finish the ends of your shank as you do the rest of your pipe, or do you just leave it naked wood? And on the same note, do you polish up the shank end of your stems?
This is easier on the stem than on the pipe, especially if it's not a flush-fit stem. I polish the stem face while it's still on the lathe before I've drilled.

The shank face is tricky, like Yeti said. I think it looks best if the shank face matches the look of the rest of the pipe, but you do run the risk of screwing up the fit with a flush-fit stem.
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wdteipen
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by wdteipen »

Yes, I recently started polishing the shank and stem face on my pipes.
Wayne Teipen
Teipen Handmade Briar Pipes
http://www.teipenpipes.com
The Smoking Yeti
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by The Smoking Yeti »

wdteipen wrote:Yes, I recently started polishing the shank and stem face on my pipes.
What's your technique?
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wdteipen
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by wdteipen »

It would be easier to do a video. Maybe sometime soon.

I do it all while they are chucked up in the lathe. For the stem, I turn the tenon then drill and countersink the airway. After that I use 220, 320, 400, 800, 1200, 3000 grit sandpaper on the face and tenon lightly but enough to remove all tool marks and careful not to angle the face while it's spinning in the lathe. The next step is the key: take your red tripoli bar and apply it directly to the tenon and stem face while it's spinning in the lathe. Next, tear off about a 3" x 3" piece of soft paper towel and fold it into a small square (thick enough that you won't burn your fingers) and press it onto the tenon and stem face (still spinning.) Next do the same thing with white compound. Next do the same with tan compound. Lastly, and it's important to do this step last so you don't round your stem edges, turn the outer diameter of your stem. Depending on the stem style, I will do some shaping and polishing of part of the stem too.

Follow a similar process on your shank end.

If your tool marks aren't very deep you can start at higher grits so you are less likely to mess up your face.
Wayne Teipen
Teipen Handmade Briar Pipes
http://www.teipenpipes.com
pipedreamer
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Re: Finishing end of shank

Post by pipedreamer »

got it.You are one precise pipe maker.Thanks.
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