My "Chubby Prince!"

smokindawg · Post by **smokindawg** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:37 pm

Don't even go there!

As many of you know, I've been tooling up to make pipes myself and have been at it a while just to have all the tools I thought that I'd need. (Do we ever have all we really need?)

I've been working on a hand full of pipes and finally have one done and ready to show off or get critiqued, or just whatever you may want to say about it.

I started out trying to make an apple and ran into quite a flaw, so then had to cut the top down a bit. I wanted to call it a squashed apple, but still just didn't look like an apple shape.

Upon showing it to Kim Kendall he said it looked like a prince shape but that the shank was a bit thick. I liked the way the shank flows and wanted to keep it that way, so decided to call it my "Chubby Prince"

The stem is a premade blank that I faced and installed a delrin tenon. I also opened up the stem for a nice open draft and it passes a fluffy pipe cleaner with ease.

The grain looks great and I like the way the bottom of the pipe looks too. Anyway, here is my first pipe that I'd consider good enough to possibly sell.

I plan on taking it to the upcoming show to get some hands on Critique from a few pipe carvers and see what changes they would make.

Tell me what you think, and don't hold back.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:50 pm

The shape could be classified as a Ball or Tomato.

Very nice for a first. The bend to the stem seems to have a sharpish angle on the underside, rather than a continuous curve, but that could be just the photo.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:29 pm

My brain clicked with "Author":
http://www.aspipes.org/shapes/ball.html

The shank could be a hair shorter, and the bend a little steeper (but not by much!). Also, the stem bend a little smoother. Other than that, I think it's well proportioned and has a great staining job.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Jan 20, 2009 3:28 am

KurtHuhn wrote:My brain clicked with "Author"...

Yep, you're right - definately an "Author". I should have checked ASP.

android · Post by **android** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:16 pm

i agree with kurt, the staining is spot on. i like the shape and could echo the sharp angle comment on the bottom. overall, i'd be more than happy to light it up, good work!

FredS · Post by **FredS** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:43 pm

I like the pipe. Nice shape. But please don't ever post about your Chubby Little Prince again. I snicker every time I see the title and my family thinks I'm a bit batty.

wdteipen · Post by **wdteipen** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:22 am

Very nice work. I agree that the stain is spot on. Only two things I see that could be improved on. The first and most non subjective is that the bottom of the bowl where the shank meets the bowl needs to be rounded more to continue the shape of the bowl. I find this to be the most difficult part of shaping on rounded shapes like billiards, tomatoes, authors, etc. The second is perhaps more of a personal taste issue and that is that the shank and stem seem out of harmony. The overall length of the pipe is good but the shank seems too long and the stems seems too short. It makes the proportions less visually attractive. Kinda like a tall man with a big head and stubby arms. It just looks odd.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:19 am

wdteipen wrote:.... the shank and stem seem out of harmony. The overall length of the pipe is good but the shank seems too long and the stems seems too short. It makes the proportions less visually attractive. Kinda like a tall man with a big head and stubby arms. It just looks odd.

That has something to do with Kurt's "Golden Ratio", but I'm buggered if I can remember it.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:21 am

OMG, you had to bring that up, didn't you.....

(a + b) is to a as a is to b

It hurtz my brane to describe it - see the wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

Just remember the number 1.6, and you'll be in the right ballpark.

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:17 pm

KurtHuhn wrote:OMG, you had to bring that up, didn't you......

It goes back to that lengthy discussion elsewhere on the forum on the aesthetics in pipemaking. Many newcomers and mutts like myself overlook that ratio. The pipe will be technically fine, but that ratio feature is often its downfall, so to speak.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:41 pm

And some of us (ahem, me), even though we know about it, still have trouble implementing it.

wdteipen · Post by **wdteipen** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:21 am

KurtHuhn wrote:OMG, you had to bring that up, didn't you.....

(a + b) is to a as a is to b

It hurtz my brane to describe it - see the wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

Just remember the number 1.6, and you'll be in the right ballpark.

1 : 1.6183 to be exact.