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Back again with another pipe. Sure wish these things didn't take me so long to complete. Guess I'll get faster with time. And I'm learning a lot as I go so the time is well spent, I think. This one makes an even dozen! If I don't count the couple I totally screwed up and scrapped.
Any comments, and constructive criticism is more than welcome so I can get better at this!
This pipe is 5 7/8" long, bowl is 2" tall, tobacco chamber 3/4" diameter and approximately 1 5/8" deep. The shank extension is mahogany and the stem is ebonite. The briar has a very interesting grain structure, circular on one side of the bowl.
I’m new at all this but I personally really love this pipe.
That’s exactly the kind of pipe I would smoke. My favorite part is the flow on how the stem fits into the shank.
Is the pipe really 5 & 7/8 inches long? It didn’t appear that long in the photos.
Great job on every aspect of this pipe!
The ONLY part I would want differently (and you had no control over this) would be the circular grain on the side.
Other then that, Shape is wonderful, and the Waxing right down to the stem is amazing.
Yup! Its actually about 5 7/8, or close to that according to just laying it on a ruler. The "actual" measurement is 5.863" according to my digital caliper. Or just slightly under 5 7/8. I've found by keeping the length of the briar and the length of the stem fairly close to equal makes the pipe look smaller than it actually is.
A local tobacco shop has been bugging me for months to show then more of my pipes. I took one in for them to look at several months ago, and a shopper in the store made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Since then I was forced away from making any. When I get a couple more done I am planning to take them in to the shop and hopefully they will want to sell them for me! Anyway it will be worth the shot just to have some experienced pipe sellers look at my creations.
Thanks for your kind words, I really enjoyed making this one!
David
great pipe! I wish I'll be able to do such good looking pipes too! The grain is really rare and I love good looking grains which one could'nt see nearly every day...
How did you managed the shape of the stem? Is it premade or did you form it yourself? It's very nice too and I'm just doing a lot of experiments with vulcanit rods to make some unusal stems...
Also it seems to be a very pretty peace of briar - my second try endet in case of too much failures (spots and holes!) as testing object for rustications and stains... A nearly finished vulcano also shows some spots and I wonder if I got any usable block from Jaume Hom... Unfortunatly I read the thread about briar quality too late, but ther're still 4 blocks left to make some more attempts...
great pipe! I wish I'll be able to do such good looking pipes too! The grain is really rare and I love good looking grains which one could'nt see nearly every day...
How did you managed the shape of the stem?
Thanks Heinz, after looking at your first pipe, I have no doubt you will be to my level far sooner than it took me to get here.
I really like the grain, it is something much different and not seen all the time like you said. I think people will either love it or hate it.
The stem is from ebonite rod stock. I turned the round portion on the lathe and shaped the rest with files, sandpaper, and a lot of cussing!
bvartist...can you tell us what stain brand andcombination that you used...its a beautiful pipe and the material choices really go together kudos...bugsy
Just an interesting tidbit on that grain pattern, it is the point on a burl where a branch/trunk grew out. It is not an altogether unusual pattern. If you like it, rest assured you will come across it with semi-regularity.
bugsy wrote:bvartist...can you tell us what stain brand andcombination that you used...its a beautiful pipe and the material choices really go together kudos...bugsy
Bugsy,
The stain is Fiebing's Dark Brown Dye. I sanded the stummel to 1000 grit then put on a single coat of dye, lightly sanded again with 1000 then buffed with tripoli, white diamond and waxed. I was trying to higlight the grain pattern, but not so much as a contrast stain would do.
Tyler, thanks for the tidbit about the grain pattern. I figured thats what it was. As a relative new pipe carver I didn't know how often it would show up. Seen some mention of it here on other posts, but mostly on sandblasted pipes. I just wish I could have seen inside the block and knew it was there so I could have centered it on the side of the pipe. Its still an interesting pattern IMO.
Yes if you could only see where the grain lies before hand.
That pattern in the grain would have looked amazing if you could have placed it on the very bottom of the bowl!
Where is that link on briar blocks?
I'd love to read it.
Very nice pipe Dave! I've run into to the circular grain patern too. I like straight grain and birdseye better, but I find it all interesting as it reveals itself in the process. I'm still trying to learn how to take full advantage of that while shaping, or laying out shapes. So far I'm using ebauchons and have been surprised at how nice some of the grain is, but of course it is not at all consistant. Looking forward to using plateaux when my skills are worthy.
I like your stem on this. I've been limited to molded stems, but really excited about diving into a hand cut one soon. It makes all the difference, and really sets of this pipe nicely. I'd be interested in seeing what a less dramatic flare in the shank extension would look like-- maybe more of a ring, or even flush with the shank, but this treatment of yours is very nice, and works great with the bead in your stem.
I know what you mean about the time it takes to complete a pipe! I guess I don't mind that and just wish I had more time to devote to it.
Was looking at this again, Dave. Gosh is it ever apealing! Very nice shape, and I'm impressed with the symmetry of it, which I find especially challanging. Your flare on the shank extension has grown on me and now I can't see it any other way. It works great as a transition to your stem.
I'm amazed and encouraged that this is only your 12th pipe! You mentioned it takes you a lot of time to finish a pipe, and I'd say that has paid off in a beautiful creation. Looks like it will provide many an enjoyable smoke!
Ok, now I've got to go with a hand cut stem for the next one....
The dramatic flare on the shank extension was actually a result of a flaw in the briar. I had originally designed the shank to taper down from the stem/shank extension to the bowl and the shank extension would have had a less dramatic flare to follow the taper but a flaw prevented me from doing that. I had to make the shank straight to get around the flaw. I don't know if I'd try such a flare very often because its a pain to sand. But it turned out ok!
Maybe with experience it is possible to get good at predicting grain patterns, this one was not at all what I was expecting. Sometimes surprises are good!
Thanks to everybody for the encouragement, this forum is great, and a newbie at this has a great avenue for improvement.
