New pipe for me - PITH pipe

[achduliebe]

Here is the PITH pipe that I sent to Nick. This is pipe number 7 for me. I am fairly pleased with how it turned out, shapewise. The wood had some cosmetic issues in some places and initially the shank was not going to be so wide at the end. I attached the mesquite extension with the intent of the shank being narrower, well since I kept it kind of wide I ended up with a little gap on two corners. A gap that is, between the shank and extension. This pipe was a tremendous learning experience in itself. My main worry with this pipe was that my lack of pipemaking experience was not going to allow me to do this shape justice. I definately did not want to shame the history and beauty of the blowfish shape. Hopefully I did not do this. I will shut up for now, please let me know what you think.















Thanks for looking.

[KurtHuhn]

Uhm...

So when's the next PITH?

Nice one! The wood might have cooperated better, but I can't find anything major to complain about. The stem, right by the shank, seems slightly out of place (thick, perhaps), but it's not objectionable.

[custom300]

I really like what you've done with this pipe. The direction of the grain really adds a neat dimenision. I have a more symetrical orientation, so the way you put more weight on the right and narrows to the left is really different. Anyway, great job.

[achduliebe]

Thank you gents, I greatly appreciate it.

Kurt- I take it you are talking about the thinness between the outside of the shank and the stem on the one side. If so, yeah, I did not like that either it is very thin on that side. Next time I do this shape I will go about some things differently. By the way, I could not stand it anymore. I smoked the pipe you sent me today and man what a joy. What a wonderful pipe! Thanks again...and as for the PITH, I am up for another one anytime you guys have the time. Count me in.

[ArtGuy]

Good job man! What wood is the extention made of?

[achduliebe]

John thank you very much! I really appreciate the compliment.

The extension is mesquite. This was my first time working with it and I am definately going to work with it again. I was very surprised at how good it looked after it was polished up.

[Nick]

With Brian's approval, I wanted to share the review I gave this pipe. The pictures really don't do this pipe justice. The shape is just gorgeous. The review is kind of long, so here's the synopsis: Expect great things from this guy!

Pipemaker: Bryan…
Shape: Blowfish
Finish: Smooth
Stamping/Grading: None

OK, just a little advice here before we get into the review: Get a stamp. No, I mean right now. Pull out your phone book and call for a stamp. Even if you only give your pipes to friends, or maybe sell one or two, they need to be stamped. They are that good. So, what are you sitting there for? Go!

OK, back? Good.

Pre-smoke:
I am totally a shape guy. Some folks go for grain, others for finish. Me? I am a shape lover. For me to really want a pipe, need a pipe, the shape has to call out my name. Bryan, when I opened the sock - very nice touch by the way - the pipe jumped out and screamed my name. This is an extremely well executed blowfish shape. I was blown away. Totally. The pipe has the traditional asymmetric facets showing off the birds eye, and is done in the Bang boys' style with flat side panels tapering from the large facet to the smaller one. The side panels come together in an asymmetric angle, with the angle of the taper being more acute at the rear of the pipe. The continuity of the larger facet and the tapered side panel is very well done as the side panel intersects with the shank. There is a small bump at about 10 o'clock on the larger facet edge. Hardly noticeable, by looking at it, but very present as you run your finger along the edge of the large facet. This may be "nit picking," but if it were my pipe, I'd want to know. So I figure you'd be interested too.

The shank has the traditional expansion as it moves from bowl to stem and also shows the requisite hard line on the bottom. The shank is triangular in shape with the right and bottom facet being relatively flat and the left facet having a gently curve to its face. The transition from shank to bowl is very soft and organic, yet it retains strong definition through the sharp edge on the point of the triangle. The pipe has a shank extension of some exotic wood. If I had to guess I'd say it was bubinga. The extension is very will done save for two small gaps at the lower right and top corners of the triangular piece. These little faux pas stand out because they are the only significant flaws in a very well executed pipe.

The stem is a variation on the traditional Danish flared stem. It starts with a cylinder which is set into the shank extension. The small depression where the stem fits is a hair large and seems just a little off center. Again, this is a minor point and probably nit picking. The cylinder fades into a nice neat flair and then moves to a nice flat bit which expands in width as it moves toward the button. The finish work on the stem is very well done except on the very outside edges, where sanding/file marks are visible with the naked eye. The button is comfy, being neither to high nor to low. It is polished very well, and shows no sign of the tell tale scratching that can be seen on pipes where some one rushed through the buffing. The slot has an interesting shape, trumpeting very widely into a cats eye shape. I like it. The draw seems open enough. I think the drilling is 4 mm. Perhaps a hair less. The draft hole hits the bottom of the tobacco chamber dead center. Very well done. The drilling in the mortise is good and the tenon fits perfectly. There is perhaps a half millimeter between the mortise face and the end of the tenon. I prefer no gap at all, but this is certainly acceptable. The drilling in the shank and the shank extension was done separately, which I prefer as it avoids the groove cut out in the mortise that occurs when the angle of the mortise and draft hole are different. The pipe passes a pipe cleaner easily, but there is a slight hang up sometimes when the pipe cleaner leave the shank extension and enters the shank. Nothing really to worry about there.

The bowl is nicely drilled. The shape and size are perfectly acceptable, and suit the shape of the stummel well. There are no droplets of stain on the top of the tobacco chamber. It does look like the drill bit started to heat up near the bottom though. Again, more practice will cure this problem. Also, pin points of black stain are visible at the very bottom of the bowl. It always surprises me how porous briar really is. If this seems to be a continuing occurrence, a bowl coating may be advisable.

The finish is very smooth, with a matte-like quality to it. I can find no sanding marks on the stummel, and only small ones on the edge of the stem that I mentioned earlier. A bit more wax might give the pipe more shine, but perhaps the matte finish was the desired goal here. The black under staining is a bit inconsistent on the larger facet of the pipe. A little more work and practice in this area will, I'm sure, yield better results.

The briar itself has a number of issues. I haven't counted the number of flaws, but there are a bunch. For this exercise - the PITH - this is just fine. After all you are giving this pipe to some one at no cost and looking for technical critique. Were this a gift for a friend or for sale, this pipe would definitely be a candidate for rustication or preferable sandblasting. As it is, its fine, and my personal preference would be to see the flaws rather than have it sandblasted. But I'm sure I'm in the minority here.

The presentation was good. The nice heavy leather pouch with the briar cartouche is well done. This might be a bit expensive to produce if you start selling in earnest though. There is no nomenclature on the pipe. Once you get a stamp, and if you are willing given the pipe's nature, I would like to send it back to you for stamping. If its something you're not comfortable with due to the flaws in the briar and the testing nature of the pipe, that’s OK too. The logo on the cartouche looks a bit unprofessional, but I know from experience that "writing" with a dremel too is no easy feat. A little more work and practice and I'm sure it will be fine. Or perhaps this may be another operation where a stamp is the best tool for the job.

The smoke:
Packing was easy. The nice deep bowl accommodated a nice portion of Smokers Haven's Exotique. I think I may have over packed it because the draw was a little tight. Lighting was a chore, but that was due to the lovely breezy Ohio afternoon. Once lit, the pipe smoked like a champ. The draw was still a little tight, so I ran a cleaner through it, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. The layout of the bowl and draft hole is interesting, because while the pipe cleaner enters the bowl, it seems to stop, and not push all the way through. I think the drilling is a little low. But, a number of pipe makers drill their bowls this way intentionally, so this may be just as you intended it. At any rate, better low than high. The bowl stayed nice and cool throughout the smoke, despite a constant breeze. There was no acrid tang of tannins, so I believe the wood is well cured. The flavor was true if a bit muted. But I am also getting over a cold, so it may just be my taste buds are still under the weather.

The bowl lasted about 45 or 50 minutes. Having a few extra minutes before needing to return to my desk, and my boss having joined me for a pipe full, I loaded another half bowl. This time I think I got the packing a little better because the draw was much less tight. I still think the draft hole could be drilled wider, but this is a preference, and each maker has their own philosophy about draft hole width. The pipe remained cool and flavor true as I finished out the bowl.

The balance seemed a bit forward, but that's to be expected with so much briar in a pipe. This could be compensated with a bit more bend to the stem or perhaps even more bend in the shank. This however is more nit picking I think.

Post smoke:
All in all I am thrilled with this pipe. The shape is awesome. The blowfish is a difficult shape to make with its organic incongruities and requisite characteristics. If this is your first try at the shape, then you really nailed it. Great job. The shank extension gaps and minor lack of fluidity on the larger facet rim can be addressed in future iterations and one doesn't really notice them in this pipe unless one looks for them. The sanding/filing marks on the stem can be addressed as well. These three flaws hold this pipe back from being perfectly executed. The cylinder on the stem could be a tad narrower to my eye. Its width takes a bit away from the organic fluidity of the overall shape. I think I see why you kept the girth of the cylinder. Because cause the shank and bowl have such a "meaty" feel, a delicate stem may look out of place. Perhaps a bigger ring or flair - however one would term the ornamental flair on the stem - might make this seem more in balance.

The briar definitely needs attention. Perhaps this was just a bad piece out of the batch. We never really know until we cut into it, do we? If you're skimping on the quality of briar you buy, use up what you have and then buy higher quality. Your skills make such an investment worthwhile. Lars Ivarsson said, "A good pipe is 90 percent physics, 5 percent materials and 5 percent magic." I put a little more stock in the execution and physic portion of the equation, but you get the point. Mind the details. Take your time. This pipe kicks ass. You're head and shoulders above my skill level. I expect future pipes will continue to get better and better.

Nick

[ScoJo]

Carving a blowfish, hand cutting stems, and making shank extensions at pipe #7? You are making me feel like an underachiever! Nice job.

[achduliebe]

Thanks Scott, but I can not take credit for hand cutting stems. That stem is actually a heavily modified pre-formed stem. It was actually a very fat and long taper bit when I got my hands on it. I know one thing, I can't wait until I get my lathe running. That stem would have been a lot easier to produce had my lathe been setup.

[josh_ford]

Beautiful pipe! I really like the stain. The blowfish shape was done very well, IMO, it definitely seems very organic and is simply stunning. These PITH contributions are making mine look very poor, I'd better hit the workbench! Great work.

Josh

[achduliebe]

Hey Josh,

Thank you very much for your compliments, I really appreciate it.

[magruder]

Man, that is a killer pipe to be your 7th!
Really, it's a great pipe regardless of production number.
Nick hit a jackpot.
Much jealousy here
Best,
Steve

[bscofield]

Bryan, I have to admit that that is a fabulous pipe! I'm jealous that it's your sixth. Your execution has jumped leaps and bounds between this and your last pipe (not trying to say anything bad about your last pipe).

[achduliebe]

Thanks Steve and Ben, I really appreciate your gracious comments. I am definately learning more and more with every pipe. I would also like to think that I am honing my skills, hopefully that is so.

Thanks again guys, it does mean a great deal to hear these gracious comments.

[CTMachinist]

That is simply magnificent!!

I agree with Nick, if you don't already mark your work, start doing so.

There's nothing more frustrating than a beautiful piece of art, whether it's a pipe or a painting, without a maker's mark.

[achduliebe]

Thank you very much! Yeah, I do need to get a stamp. If I get my design hammered out I will get it ordered.

[sethile]

Wow Bryon, that is one amazingly beautiful pipe! I love the shape. I have not seen many blowfish to compare it with, but really love this one!

I would be very interested in hearing how you approached the shaping process. I find this shape and others with this level of complexity completely intimidating. I tried and failed at a Rhodesian for my #3. That should have been very simple by comparison to something like this. Keeping the curves and transitions symmetrical strikes me as extremely challenging.

You have significantly raised my expectations for what is possible from a new pipemaker. This is inspirational, but also a bit intimidating. I would never have guessed this was anyone's 7th pipe. After #3 I feel like I'm still hashing out the very basic mechanics, and only starting to be concerned about the aesthetics.

I learned a lot from the critiques too. This is an amazing forum. Thanks to all of you! Hope to work my way into having some sort of decent effort for a PITH submission at some point, but if I ever make anything like this I would have a heck of a time letting go of it!

By all means, get that stamp. It sure looks like it's time to start building your rep. If I owned this, I'd certainly want it proudly displayed with the maker's stamp. I'm really looking forward to seeing more from you Bryon!

[achduliebe]

Hey Scott,

Thanks for the compliments. As for how I approached this pipe, the idea really started when I squared this block up. I had been thinking for a couple of months that I wanted to try an assymetrical pipe (not neccessarily a blowfish). When I squared up this block the birdseye on the sides just popped out at me. So, I continued the squaring and saw that it had some nice graining coming across. So, I figured what the hay, I'll see what I can do with a blowfish. I really love the different variations of the blowfish, that I have seen by other pipe makers. So I kind of sketched out what I was going to shoot for on the sides of the block and then drilled the block. I started with roughly shaping out the stem and then started shaping out the large facet (or what I consider the top of the blowfish). After I had that roughed, I started tapering down the sides from the large facet (the top) down to the smaller facet (what I consider the bottom of the blowfish). After I had the taper to about what I wanted I worked out the transition between the stummel and shank. Oh, one part I left out was the shank extension. I epoxied this into place before I began shaping the pipe. I cleaned up the stummel/shank transition with a 1/4" round rasp, a chainsaw file, a handful of needle files and various grits of sandpaper. I must say though, I pretty much revisited every aspect of this pipe everytime I got back to refining the shape. What I mean, is everytime I shaped one part of the pipe I had to tweak every other area of the pipe. You know, to get the balance or shape I had in my mind.

One important thing that I think needs to be mentioned here. I did a lot of sitting and looking at this pipe between the times that I spent in the shop working on it. I know this might sound weird, but this pipe went to work with me everyday and set on my desk right in front of my UNIX terminal. If I had an idea at work pop in my head, I wanted to be able to grab the pipe and picture what was in my mind. I do this with about every pipe that I make. It helps me with the creative process. At night, if I decided to take a night off and not hit the shop I would take the pipe and just study it. I know it sounds cliche', but for me my pipemaking is not just when I am in the shop.

I hope some of this information will help.

Thanks again for the gracious compliments.

[BDP]

Hey Bryan,

Nice pipe- Lots of work, I'll bet. I have just finished shaping my first blowfish, and need to sandblast one side of it. Also just finishing my second bulldog- a 1/4 bent with a tapered diamond mouthpiece.

Keep up the good work- someone needs to give Gracik a run for his money!!

Brad

[achduliebe]

Thanks for the compliments Brad!

Can't wait to see pics of your new pipes.