First "commission" :) stubby chubby brandy with tegus

[calsbeek]

2nd try at this shape.

A friend wanted a pipe he could fit in his pocket while fishing or skiing.
He's a bartender so the brandy shape seemed appropriate.
looking for honest criticism.
cheers

[baweaverpipes]

Looks like the lip button is rather thick and the mortise appears off-------see the third photo.

[PremalChheda]

Looks like the lip button is rather thick and the mortise appears off-------see the third photo.

What is a lip button?

[sparkyspipes]

It looks very nice!
As for the nit pick stuff, the bottom of the bowl seems to have a heat line from your chamber bit and the line shine on the top of the shank has a odd reflection with the light, is their a possible very small wow in the top of the shank? from side shot it dos not look like it but that light reflection is just odd. (maybe a double reflection from 2 light sources?
Like the others said the button is a little thick and your funnel looks like it still has file or sanding marks in it with the bottom lip of the funnel having a couple dark spots that normally is from nicking it with the file. to help with the airway fanning look, try and take a pipe cleaner, slightly heat up some white diamond and wipe the pipe cleaner across it, put it in a hand drill and insert it in the airway, slowly turn on drill and work back and forth to smooth it out and get a cleaner look. Be careful tho, some times the pipe cleaner can bend and go Craaaazy. lol
the mortise fit that was mentioned looks like you might have just ever so slightly rounded over the end of the shank edge which is very easy to do. (probably during buffing)
Your stain job looks GREAT! but the darker areas around the pipe and in the creases can be from over buffing areas. A little more high grit sanding means less buff time and can solve that problem.
the last pic really shows the light shine that follows that nice curve you did threw the shank and stem, Very attractive profile.
Again this is all nit pick stuff to watch out for on future pipes, this pipe Looks very nice and Ya got to be proud of this one!
Im a huge woodsman, hunter and fly fisherman and this pipe with shape and 1/4'sh bend looks like a perfect pipe for any out door activity.
keep the dust flying

[mightysmurf8201]

You have scratch marks on the bottom side of the shank, which means you need to concentrate on thoroughly sanding in the lower grits before moving onto the high grits. A good exercise to develop good sanding techniques is to apply dye to the entire pipe, and sand until it is all gone. Start this at 150 grit, give or take, and move on up doing it with every grit. This will help you get a feel for how much sanding is enough at each grit. It's easy to want to jump to the next grit prematurely to feel like you're making progress. Don't. Proper sanding takes time, but it's worth it.

[calsbeek]

thanks for the feedback so far.

I keep wondering...when you sand do you use really light pressure? I have a hard time getting base stain off with anything other than a pretty firm hand, which must leave me with deeper scratches than I can get with the next grit up.

[mightysmurf8201]

Every time you sand, you are essentially removing a layer off the surface, so a light touch won't do the trick. If you can't get the scratches out with the grit you are using, then you didn't sand enough with the previous grit because the scratches are most likely from 2 grits ago. What is the progression of grits that you use? It should look something like this, give or take: 80, 150, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000. Some people don't go that high, some people go much higher. How high you should go is a matter of personal taste, but I say go at least to 800.

[mightysmurf8201]

Also, to avoid clogging your higher grit sand paper, I usually wipe some of the dye off with some denatured alcohol. Fiebings dye tends to go on a bit thick, so this helps thin the layer a bit.

[calsbeek]

I usually do 150, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800 on the pipe
I've started going 800, 1000, 1500 but only on the stem

[mightysmurf8201]

I can tell you just from looking at it that those scratches will easily come out with about 30 seconds of 220 grit, probably faster. The point I'd like to emphasize is that 220 and 320 grit are absolutely critical to sand thoroughly, as these are the transition from shaping to smoothing, and mistakes at these points will show later on, not necessarily right away. They like to make themselves visible when you think you're done and you've started buffing, then they show up like an uninvited inlaw. That's why I recommend covering the whole stummel with dye to learn how to sand properly. This method doesn't lie because if you didn't sand it properly, the dye will show you.

[sparkyspipes]

one thing to remember on sandpaper, the cheaper stuff can have particles come loose and roll over under the sandpaper that can cause deep scratches, to get around that on lower git sandpaper (and cheaper cost for each pipe in consumables), I don't use them lol. I use a rasp and knives for shaping, file for smoothing, throw a stain on to see scratches and jump into sanding at 320, then 400,600,800,1000, 1500 then white diamond. I use 3M sandpaper normally

[PremalChheda]

Calsbek,

I think you are on the right track. Focus on one thing at a time. The major 2 thing to work on is fit & finish or shaping. Pick one of those and dial it in. Then work on the other.

[PremalChheda]

Another way you can insure that you remove all scratches is to buff between grits. This will clearly show you where scratches are without getting a bunch of stained briar dust all over the place including your lungs. The downside to this is that you will imbed the grease and buffing grit into the pours a little. However, the benefit does outweigh the drawback. Also, you can wet and heat the surface between grits to raise the grain. For stems, the buffing between grits really helps too.

[calsbeek]

I'm so flattered to get so much thoughtful feedback from such a talented group.
thanks everyone.

Premal, your suggestion to buff between grits is great. I've never heard this before. On the stem, could one just remove the greese/grit with alcohol before moving on to the next grit?
cheers
Ryan

[PremalChheda]

I'm so flattered to get so much thoughtful feedback from such a talented group.
thanks everyone.

Premal, your suggestion to buff between grits is great. I've never heard this before. On the stem, could one just remove the greese/grit with alcohol before moving on to the next grit?
cheers
Ryan

Yes, you can remove the grease with alcohol or just dry wipe it.

[scotties22]

I have a very thinned out brown stain that I keep on hand just to show the scratches after I sand with 180. It is the powdered stuff that Pimo sells (it's actually from my first pipe). The stuff is see-through it is so thin and leaves just enough color to make the scratches pop.

Anywho...I sand at 180, apply my scratch coat, sand at 220, apply again (just to be sure all scratches are gone), resand at 220 and then I proceed with my finishing process. Not only do I get all the scratches out, but doubling up on 220 sure helps with a nice finish.

[e Markle]

You've done some good work on this pipe, but you have a few basic things that need to be addressed. Your drilling is off. Bruce mentioned the face of the shank/mortise drilling, and that is throwing the stem out at an odd angle. Also, your chamber doesn't meet the air hole correctly. It is off-center, the chamber isn't deep enough (I could be wrong on that - it may just be a function of this last point) and the air hole doesn't go as far as it should. As others have mentioned, there are other issues (most notably with the button), but the engineering is the crucial component. Until your internals are solid, your pipe making cannot progress. The good news is, that's pretty easy to correct/learn - it just takes more practice. Go make more!