Rad Davis collector's tribute

[LatakiaLover]

This was sent to me by a collector of Rad Davis pipes who had come across a pre-date-stamp specimen (meaning VERY early production), and though not up to the standard of Rad's latter work, was meaningful and significant because of that.

After a while he got to thinking about a shorter, more streamlined Author-ish stem for it, and decided as long as the original would remain untouched and invisibly "switchable" with the new one, I should give it a go. To update the pipe with a stem closer to what Rad might put on it today if he was still carving.

I agreed it was a wonderful idea, and here we are.

.

[UnderShade]

Great job George!

[n80]

Wow. Any special technique for bending a stem that thick?

[LatakiaLover]

Wow. Any special technique for bending a stem that thick?

It's an entirely different process than normal. There's a third step: shape, bend, then shape some more. Because the length of the top line is longer than the bottom line, the first shape shouldn't be (can't be if you want a good result) symmetric, either. You must anticipate where the "extra" material and "missing" material will be, and shape accordingly.

Definitely a PITA, but not doing it gets you this:

[n80]

Makes sense. Thanks.

[RickB]

Wow. Any special technique for bending a stem that thick?

It's an entirely different process than normal. There's a third step: shape, bend, then shape some more. Because the length of the top line is longer than the bottom line, the first shape shouldn't be (can't be if you want a good result) symmetric, either. You must anticipate where the "extra" material and "missing" material will be, and shape accordingly.

So here's my question on this one - is there a trick to then finishing the bite zone after the shape/bend/shape procedure? The few times I've done this, my brain "gets" the different top line/bottom line shapes, but I have a hell of a time getting in tight and getting the underside of the stem's bite zone finished as well as the top - just less room to work, but maybe I need to be getting in there with narrower files/sanding sticks than I typically use? When I essentially finish the stem (less some buffing) before bending, it all comes out fine but obviously that's not really a choice for a bent taper that needs lines adjusted.
@n80, FWIW it also seems to help to heat things up more thoroughly and slowly that one normally would before trying to bend it.

[Doug535]

Hey Rick, I'm gonna give this a shot. Go ahead and prep your bite zone, polish to make sure no waves, dips etc. Then bend and correct lines while blending into the bite zone. I'm sure George will correct me if I'm wrong

[RickB]

Hey Rick, I'm gonna give this a shot. Go ahead and prep your bite zone, polish to make sure no waves, dips etc. Then bend and correct lines while blending into the bite zone. I'm sure George will correct me if I'm wrong

Seems like a reasonable approach - definitely one I'd considered but wasn't sure if it would be viable or if it'd be one of those things that looked kinked or obvious after the fact. I'd imagine one still ought to take expected taper into account and all that before bending when figuring out how those lines come out of the bite zone.
I don't do bent tapered stems terribly often - I've done... I think four(?) total at this point, so it might be a minute before I try this out

[Doug535]

Guess I should have said, this is how I do it.

[RickB]

Guess I should have said, this is how I do it.

Well then I'll give it a shot for sure next time. Thanks buddy!

[LatakiaLover]

Go ahead and prep your bite zone, polish to make sure no waves, dips etc. Then bend and correct lines while blending into the bite zone.

Yup.

To save TWO kinds of possible re-work, 1) finish the bite zone and button completely, meaning polish enough to see the gleam; and 2) protect that area with hockey tape when doing round two of heavy duty material removal after bending.

After everything is fully shaped, remove the tape only when ready to blend/merge the glassy with the rough... and do that CAREFULLY. An accidental flat spot or groove on the button that late in the game = serious no bueno. (Normally, a button is the last thing you bring to finish quality to dodge that bullet. Here, not finishing the button first will result in a major PITA if it proves to need more shaping/work after bending)