Look at your work before you finish

[kkendall]

This is for those of us rookies out here that are looking to take our work to the next level. I did something that I think is going to help me (will some other guys too I would guess). I shaped a pipe yesterday to about the shape I was shooting for, but didn't complete it. I knew I still had some thinning to do on the stem, but wanted to call it a day.

Here is the point...
I took a couple of pics to study. I'm glad I did. As I was looking at them, I noticed several areas that I just couldn't "see" when I was working on it. So for the next several pipes, I think I will be taking pictures before I call them "done" so I can see if I really AM done!

Here are some of the things I noticed in the pics that just didn't get my attention when I was sanding (some of them I DID notice though - like thinning the stem behind the button, but some I didn't)

In the first pic,
* the stem needs to be thinner behind the button (no news there)
* the top of the stem has a slight hump toward the shank side
* the heel could have a better flow to the bottom of the bowl



In the next 2 pics,
* notice the dip right at the shank/stem junction (really showed up in the first pic - but didn't notice it at all till I saw that pic!)
* will need to thin the rest of the stem to the narrowest point seen at the junction
* bring in the sides of the shank so there isn't so much flare into the bowl
* the left side of the bowl needs to be trimmed down a bit more






Anyway - the whole point is - (at least for me) get a really good look at your work while it's in progress so you can assess the details and see what needs the attention.

[smokindawg]

Good idea and point Kim. I hadn't thought about a picture. I like the idea and as most know, after taking a picture of a pipe you finished, you tend to see things you could have changed to make the pipe better. So your idea makes perfect sense too.

With the one I just finished, I would work a while then set it down and do something else for a while. I'd then pick it up and hold it up and look at all sides, each time I was able to see something I had missed.

[Olivier]

Great post and a very good idea. With digital photography one could almost say it's for free and you can scrutinize your work from a different perspective. A picture speaks a thousand words and it will help a lot if the "wrong" words are spoken before it's too late. Strange how a pic highlites mistakes usually not visible to the eye. It's almost like getting somebody elses opinion on your work.

[Charl]

Great idea! I find that even just putting the pipe down for a day and then having a look again also helps. But taking photos really highlights the problem areas.