That guy made that...

[JMG]

Micah said something in another thread being encouraged by the fact that he is able to look at a pipe and tell who had made it. I would have to agree that is very cool to be able to look at a buttload of pipes and say "X made that one, and Y made that one, etc." simply by looking at them. Each carvers' style is literally etched into each piece and even though the shape, materials, etc. can change drastically there tends to be "something" overarching that ties the pipe to its maker.

I look forward to the day when someone looks at one of my pipes and says "John Michael made that" (and hopefully that will carry with it good connotations.) As for now, I can't see any one defining quality or common thread in my work that would cause someone to think I had made any one pipe. So, I'm curious if any of you guys ever had that moment where you realized that defining quality/look/style about your work that made it "yours"?

I'm about to head back overseas for the next three years and won't get to make any pipes at that time. So I have a good long while before I get to that point, if ever, but just curious about it.

[Sasquatch]

I think eventually what happens is that you use the same materials and designs over and over again, and they work for you, so they keep showing up.

Another thing that people fail to consider is tooling - if you shape on a 12" wheel your pipes will be just a little different than if you shape on a 6" wheel or a belt. So each pipe maker has certain tendencies that he probably doesn't even realize, and they come straight from the fact that he uses a #6 pillar file for something that another guy uses a folded emery board for, you know?

We all have little aesthetic or functional touches that we do that separate (for good or bad) or pipes. I don't cut my stems exactly the same shape as Rad. Nate's blasting setup is a little different than either of the Micahs.... so we all wind up showing slightly different.

Nate King just cut a "Warhorse" shape, a direct copy of Micah Cryder's pipe, and I'm going to cut one too - it will be interesting to see if people can say at that stage "This is THAT guy's pipe" when we are all ostensibly working the same shape.

Left alone and to our own resources, I think most of us have certain preferences in shape and style and those just keep showing up over time, so part of this is simply that you have a certain number of pipes out there with whatever particular charm or proportions or whatever.

Another nother side of this is that it's probably going to be harder and harder to make a recognizeably so-and-so because there's suddenly a VERY large number of so-and-sos and everyone is kind of copying everyone else!

Best thing to do is not worry about it one little bit. Make pipes when you can, make 'em as good as you can.

[caskwith]

I think eventually what happens is that you use the same materials and designs over and over again, and they work for you, so they keep showing up.

Another thing that people fail to consider is tooling - if you shape on a 12" wheel your pipes will be just a little different than if you shape on a 6" wheel or a belt. So each pipe maker has certain tendencies that he probably doesn't even realize, and they come straight from the fact that he uses a #6 pillar file for something that another guy uses a folded emery board for, you know?

We all have little aesthetic or functional touches that we do that separate (for good or bad) or pipes. I don't cut my stems exactly the same shape as Rad. Nate's blasting setup is a little different than either of the Micahs.... so we all wind up showing slightly different.

Nate King just cut a "Warhorse" shape, a direct copy of Micah Cryder's pipe, and I'm going to cut one too - it will be interesting to see if people can say at that stage "This is THAT guy's pipe" when we are all ostensibly working the same shape.

Left alone and to our own resources, I think most of us have certain preferences in shape and style and those just keep showing up over time, so part of this is simply that you have a certain number of pipes out there with whatever particular charm or proportions or whatever.

Another nother side of this is that it's probably going to be harder and harder to make a recognizeably so-and-so because there's suddenly a VERY large number of so-and-sos and everyone is kind of copying everyone else!

Best thing to do is not worry about it one little bit. Make pipes when you can, make 'em as good as you can.

This is pretty much what I was getting at in a recent thread, how certain makers shapes and techniques are influenced by the tools they use though I was mainly talking about disc vs belt vs hand tools.

[PremalChheda]

Micah said something in another thread being encouraged by the fact that he is able to look at a pipe and tell who had made it. I would have to agree that is very cool to be able to look at a buttload of pipes and say "X made that one, and Y made that one, etc." simply by looking at them. Each carvers' style is literally etched into each piece and even though the shape, materials, etc. can change drastically there tends to be "something" overarching that ties the pipe to its maker.

I look forward to the day when someone looks at one of my pipes and says "John Michael made that" (and hopefully that will carry with it good connotations.) As for now, I can't see any one defining quality or common thread in my work that would cause someone to think I had made any one pipe. So, I'm curious if any of you guys ever had that moment where you realized that defining quality/look/style about your work that made it "yours"?

I'm about to head back overseas for the next three years and won't get to make any pipes at that time. So I have a good long while before I get to that point, if ever, but just curious about it.

I have not had a defining moment in the look/style yet, plus the pipes with my name on it are made by multiple pipe makers, and the quality was a series of defining moments over the years.

Where are you going overseas? Why not just prep a bunch of stummels and stems so you can still work on pipes? Or you can order them from Steve Norse throughout your time overseas. All you would need is a trusty file, and some sandpaper. Keep your skills up.

[Oakbear]

I think the tools and material have a big impact, but there is also something about style and individual eye for aesthetic with a lot of carvers. Why pick x curve over y curve? Over time i think patterns and preferences emerge.

Combine them together and you can often pick out that something which identifies a carver.

Sometimes you can see a shop style too. Some Bang pipes are hard to tell whether it is Per of Ulf imho (some aren't), but they all look like Bang pipes.

[The Smoking Yeti]

Premal, I would argue that you and Jesse produce a fairly defined "Chheda" style. Not on every piece- I think every maker is going to have exceptions, especially when they experiment with something new- but overall you guys do have a distinctive aesthetic in your work.

I agree that there will be a lot of blending of styles between makers. On the flip-side though, there are certain makers who's work is so unique, and they've been doing it so long, anyone copying their shapes will fall so far short that it'll still be obvious said maker didn't make it. Gotoh is a carver who comes to mind here. He and Tokutomi both have incredibly unique styles.

Oakbear, your point about shop styles is really interesting, and spot on. S. Bang have been working together so long, that it only makes sense that their styles would merge.

[Ocelot55]

I think Chheda pipes have a very distinctive style and aesthetic to them. When I started working for Premal, one of my concerns was whether or not I could fully integrate into that aesthetic. It took a lot of deliberate work, but I think I'm getting there, even though some of my own personal preferences do creep through. The real trick for me has been maintaining my own distinct aesthetic for my own line of pipes. There are things I will do on a Chheda pipe that I won't do on a Jones pipe or maybe that I do a different way.

I will say that copying someone else's style can do wonders for your own. Sit down one day and really dissect what makes a certain maker's style unique and then try to emulate it. I'm sure George would have tons of insight into this as he has the challenge to make replacement stems for just about every high grade out there, and has to make them look like they came fresh from their respective shops.

As a side note, it is interesting to see influence carry through to another artisans work as well. For instance, just by looking at Nate and Micah's pipes I can see the Chheda influence. As they make more pipes their own style is becoming more dominant but you can certainly see the progression. Examples like this are everywhere: Benni and Lasse, Balleby and Erik Nielsen, Chheda and King, even Cannoy and Sandahl. We all influence each other. In many ways this is good, but it can also limit originality, but that is probably a topic for another time.

[Literaryworkshop]

It's like music. Sometimes you listen to a recording of, say, a classical instrumental piece, and if you're an attentive listener, you can often tell exactly who is playing the piece.

[LatakiaLover]

I'm sure George would have tons of insight into this as he has the challenge to make replacement stems for just about every high grade out there, and has to make them look like they came fresh from their respective shops.

The hard part is entirely psychological. As in, overcoming the urge/compulsion to do things the way you would do them for yourself and just copy what you see instead. The hand & tool skills part is routine once you've figured out how a carver did a certain thing. (Though that can be tough in the beginning... reverse engineering through experimentation takes time and imagination.)

[sandahlpipe]

I am absolutely flattered by being included on a list of someone who copies from a master. I try really hard to make nice pipes. That comment absolutely made my day. I know I'm not there yet in terms of an independent recognizable style, but when David visited my shop, I had a definite way of doing things that was different from David's. It was the first time I caught a glimpse into what it is that makes for a unique style. When I visited Walt's shop, I realized how much my aesthetic sensibility needs time to develop.