New Pipe

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:43 am

So, I got this strange block of briar with my Mimmo shipment from Todd.

I personally think that Todd saw it in *his* batch and substituted it for one of my really, really good blocks, which I was legally entitled to.

Anyway, this block was a plateaux block, but it had some birdseye on one side and sort of a mixed grain on the other. It wasn't cut like all the other plateaux blocks in my batch, which is why I think Todd pulled the old switcheroo on me. Or else Mimmo has hired some Greeks.

It was about 10" long and skinny and had a large shallow V cut out of the middle of the bottom, so I had to dodge that when drawing the shape on the block. It was also huge (lot of wood/grain showing) on one side and very small on the other, so there was a very dramatic slant to the bark on the top.

Today, I decided to tackle it, and to gain full advantage of the length of the block, it had to be a bent shape.

So I made a 1/2 bent Liverpool:

There are more pics here:

http://raddavispipes.com/pipes.htm

What do you guys think?

Rad

souljer · Post by **souljer** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:51 am

Checked out the pix; I think it's great.

Sort of like a mini-churchwarden except the shank is long not the stem, which I think is better and the way they should be done. Of course long blocks are not economically practical so that doesn't happen often enough.

Wish I could afford it. Actually I really wish I could afford that beautiful Poker; a favorite shape of mine.

Btw, what makes it a Liverpool compared to a Canadian? And don't tell me "where it was born... "

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:23 am

Btw, what makes it a Liverpool compared to a Canadian?

A Canadian has an oval shank, and a Liverpool has a round shank, and both have taper bits.

According to: http://www.aspipes.org/shapes/canadfam.html

Rad

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:47 pm

That's a really nice pipe, Rad! I like long shanks. My youngest son (16 and high time he started pipe smoking)

has been after me for a churchwarden. I may see if I can appease him with something more like this, but then where would you ever get blocks like that on purpose?

baweaverpipes · Post by **baweaverpipes** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:05 am

Rad,
Super looking. I like long pipes!

Tano · Post by **Tano** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:18 am

Hi Rad,
Very nice pipe. Did you drill the tobacco chamber by chucking it on a lathe? If so, what kind of lathe allows that much clearance, or is this a shape first drill after?

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:48 am

Did you drill the tobacco chamber by chucking it on a lathe?

Hey Tano,

I drilled it on my drill press. Drilling the shank was the toughest part. I got it started on the drill press with a short bit, and then finished it with the block in the vise using a hand held drill with only about 1/4 inch left of the 6 inch bit to put in the chuck.

rad

souljer · Post by **souljer** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:28 am

RadDavis wrote:...finished it with the block in the vise using a hand held drill with only about 1/4 inch left of the 6 inch bit to put in the chuck.
rad

Awesome!!

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:50 pm

Rad,

That is a fantastic pipe...you sure pulled that one out of the block.

Great job!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 3:09 pm

And just what is the problem if Mimmo has had the wisdom to hire a few fellow countrymen from the cradle of Western civilization?

Cool looking pipe bud. Just wish it were longer. (Damn, I seem to hear that all the time.)

BDP · Post by **BDP** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 5:55 am

Rad,

Once again, living up to your name!!

Radical, Dude!
Brad

geigerpipes · Post by **geigerpipes** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:44 am

That is a loong cool smoke