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My hesitations are mostly about bowl shank transitions respectively the draught hole / mortise lines and the finish of this part of the stem close to the lips. I just can’t sand / polish this part without some scratches remains.
And I have one question – what must be the deepness of the slot. I use a dremel 199 high speed cutter to trace out the slot and after I mostly finish the stem I open it with smaller conical dremel cutters like 106 engraving cutter. I am wondering if I bore the stem with tapered drill in two edges in proper angle and after this just sand out inside what must be the angle I must drill and how can I do this?
I am open for all your critics
Best
George
George, very nice work. I really really loved the last three. The shapes were very appealing. Nice job.
For your question about the slot. I use the dremel cutter and then needle files. I have been wanting to get the set of broaches from Woodcraft for opening up the slot. They look very interesting.
-Bryan
"You should never fight, but if you have to fight...fight dirty. Kick 'em in the groin, throw a rock at 'em"
achduliebe wrote:For your question about the slot. I use the dremel cutter and then needle files. I have been wanting to get the set of broaches from Woodcraft for opening up the slot. They look very interesting.
Hi
Thank you! What is this set of broaches? Can you provide a link or something like this? I don’t know what exactly you are talking about.
Verey nice buddy. I like the Rhodesian and the Asymetical. Nicely shaped. The shank seems a bit too thin on the volcano for the stem. hard to tell though. It just seems awkward in the pictures. The bowl is big and beefy, and the shank looks a bit delicate. An interesting juxtaposition.
2 peices of advice i can give you straight of the bat..sand the shank end smooth like the rest of the pipe it looks sloppy and draws down on the over all impression...also on your bent pipes it seems your draughthole is rather high wich is no goodeither make a shorter mortise or work the draghthole down so it meets the hole of the stem well...
Hi everyone
To Nick
Maybe the shank looks little thin in the pictures for the stem but it just extend the bowl shape. Of course this is in my opinion. And maybe the pics are a little distort.
geigerpipes wrote:sand the shank end smooth like the rest of the pipe it looks sloppy and draws down on the over all impression...
Yes this is always hard to do without changing the face of the mortise. This is the problem.
geigerpipes wrote:also on your bent pipes it seems your draughthole is rather high wich is no goodeither make a shorter mortise or work the draghthole down so it meets the hole of the stem well...
Again yes. This is my general problem. The pipes are very good smokers but when I try to clean without removing the stem the pipe cleaner doesn’t passes all the way to the bowl. (I am talking for this shape http://www.gbpipes.com/images/l1/index.htm) For me this is not a problem but it is not right. You say I must make the mortise short but if I drill it shorter I can’t drill the draught hole in the bottom of the chamber. In most cases the draught hole will come out under the chamber and the briar block will become firewood. I have a big box with pieces like this. So, do you thing if I change the angle I drill the mortise and from here the draught hole will come down the things will become right. Also what you have in mind to work the draught hole down? [/quote]
Thanks
Best George
For the first problem if you have a lathe get metal rods in different sizes to make small holders for the mortise hole and turn the shank end so it is 90 degrees to the mortise. if you have a sharp cutter sanding the shankend with 4-600 on a flat surface going in figure of eights should be sufficient...if you use a drillpress to drill get a 25mm frostener bit and sharpen it sufficiently to get a smooth surface use it before the mortise bit to get a nice smooth 90 degrees angle...
as for the second problem do you drill before shapeing or the other way around??
geigerpipes wrote:For the first problem if you have a lathe get metal rods in different sizes to make small holders for the mortise hole and turn the shank end so it is 90 degrees to the mortise. if you have a sharp cutter sanding the shankend with 4-600 on a flat surface going in figure of eights should be sufficient...if you use a drillpress to drill get a 25mm frostener bit and sharpen it sufficiently to get a smooth surface use it before the mortise bit to get a nice smooth 90 degrees angle...
as for the second problem do you drill before shapeing or the other way around??
No I do not have lathe here. I shape before drill. Shape and then drill holding the pipe by hand. Firs tobacco chamber then mortise, after this shape again and fit the mouthpiece and shape again by hand… after the pipe is almost ready I drill the draught hole. First centering with short small in diameter drill bit 1.5 or 2 mm and after this when I am sure for the direction open it to 4 mm or 4.2 depending of the shape.
For the mortise I use custom made tools similar to these combination mortise drill bir and shank shank-end square Pimo supplies but with little modifications. Anyway, I will try with figure of eights. Maybe this will help.
I agree with Love about mortide and the polished parts... Another thing is when you make a assymetrical pipe you have to cut the grain so the straight grains is followed by birds eyes, the edges must be sharp and no grain that is interfeering to the other side. My english is like a trashcan i will show a picture instead. Notice the sharp edge and the grain transform to birdseye vs straight grain, to make assym. pipes the grain has to be as well. The point of making it is just that, follow the grain. next pic. look at the shank how Bo Nordh has twisted it for a grain match to the rest of the pipe. last pic. a true beauty Hope you see my point.
Oh, yes I know this! Thanks for the pictures.
The truth is I absolutely have no plans to make something (or pipe) asymmetric when I start it. … you are right for the edges and for the grain of course. Actually I finish this pipe like an experiment it is drilled badly. Nothing more! Also this … things I made with the top of the bowl – they are not good. I post the pic for an opinion and now I have it:)
I pehaps judged you to hard about your work, you have sence for shapes and the visual parts of the pipe. The most important about a pipe is the interior, drillings must be perfect for gaining the airflow and reducing the moist. You have all the time in the world to make beautiful pipes so take the time to make the drillings as good as you can the end of the shank shiny like a slice of bacon in the sun, when you have such pipe in your hands and know you yourself made it it´s a very special feeling. All the efforts in making it right, blisters in your hands and hair loss after the nervous breakdown when making the perfect finish. It´s worth it all those backsides of making is erased from your memory when the pipe is ready shining in your hands. Sorry for being so hard on your work but it´s the only way for getting better. I remember my mentor Bengt carlson when i had stuggled like h-ll to make a perfect finish, i had choosen´to make a classical straight bulldog and i really succeded making the absolut finish not a single scratsh or fading stain. When i gave him the pipe he looked at it and weren´t showing any sign of feelings at all, i had worked for 1 year to gain a positive reaction from him nearly 100 pipes and nothing gained a high score. Now it just had to be now, i waited and after a long time he looked at me and said, - this classical shape of pipe is the most ugliest pipe i know of..... He didn´t say anything about the finish not a word, first i was angry with him for being such jerk and just pointed the bad things and what did that matter his own personal taste for shapes???? It soon come to me that he didn´t have to point out the absolut perfect finish or remark on the non existing scratches, he knew that i myself had reached the point that i didn´t need him to say that it was very good. So, just for having me on the edge he told me his personal taste for pipes. There was nothing else to say!!! He is the best of teachers and the hardest man to please, but it gave me the knowledge of work work. The best way for gaining good results is the hardest working way with patiens and a magnifier glass... Have a nice day!
Hi
Please do not thing I am wronged or something like this. I am not. And I am very thankful for this critics and talking. Here in Bulgaria I can’t find anyone who wants to teach me or something like. As far as I know in Bulgaria we are 2 - me and Georgi Todorov (Getz). He is very much more educated and creative then me. Anyway I do not have any mentor or teacher so this forum is the source for me and all pictures and written material I can find on the net. And if you do not provide critics I will be very disappointed. This forum is great. Thank you and thank you all!
I star carving pipes 2 years ago with 2 pre drilled blocks from MT 2-3 months later I purchased briar, rods and premolded stem and start to work. Soon I leave the premolded stems and now do not work with such materials. This is the short story. Many mistakes and many briar block with no chance to be pipes in my little workshop:)
So the hard critics is wanted!
I will share the results of shape modification and my progress with you soon.
Thanks
George
Ronny, man, I would be at wits end if i worked so hard and then had my mentor tell me somthing like that. Ouch! I'm glad you were able to take the criticism in the way you did. You make some awesome pipes bud.
You know, it is really cool that we can all get together here and chat about our craft. Most days i take it for granted that I'll hop on over here to see what's up, but its really a special thing, isn't it?
Bengt carlsson... I can never forget the first time I visited him and he inspected my pipes, tried to pull of a stem wich was hard in the shank from only having pimos tenon turner to work with and asked me "your supposed to be able to remove this right"
bouth me and ronny have a lot to credit this man who in my oppinion is very humble and higly talented...he was taught by Bo Nordh who told him on his first visit to come back after he had made at least 100 pipes before that he considered it a waste of time ...now that is harch but a surtain amount of thruth lies in the statement ...
George, to get back on topic try saving up for a trip to a pipemakers workshop you will learn 100 times more than browsing this page and others...
next pic. look at the shank how Bo Nordh has twisted it for a grain match to the rest of the pipe. 
last pic. a true beauty 
Hope you see my point.