Pipe #22 Ball

[wdteipen]

Here's my latest for critique:

[ToddJohnson]

A very pretty pipe. If I could offer a bit of criticism, it would be this: You've got a lovely quarter bent pipe with a half bent stem. This is something that seems to be very common in new makers' work.

It's not uncommon that I bend a stem three or perhaps four times before getting it "perfect." I actually like to see a stem just slightly underbent for a couple of reasons. To use something of a pictorial analogy, you can think of a beautiful woman standing on her tip-toes reaching for a book on a high shelf just beyond her grasp. It helps to carry the eye all the way through the piece and allows the viewer to participate in its creation in a small way.

Second, and more practically, a pipe always hangs a bit when clinched and underbending the stem a tad will actually make it more properly perpendicular when held between the teeth. Overbending a stem can cause the pipe to char at the back edge of the bowl.

Here's a small illustration of that point on a little sandblasted piece I did last week:




Todd

[wdteipen]

Thanks for the feedback, Todd. I know what you are saying. I bent it several times and the lesser bends didn't look right. I think the problem is actually in the shank. It's too straight. When I put a lesser bend in it, it made the line too straight. If I put more of a bend in the shank then it would have looked better with less bend in the stem. It's such a curvy pipe that, to my eyes, putting an exaggerated bend in the stem offset the unbalanced look of the straight shank. Does that make sense? Is there a better way to balance this design flaw?

The underbent stem on your (beautiful) pipe looks just that...underbent. It appears that if you clench it and just let it hang then the smoke is directed toward the roof of the mouth. On the other hand, if you don't clench but hold the pipe so that the smoke is directed to the back of the throat, it appears that the tobacco chamber is directed toward the smoker's face and smoke would be an issue. Please correct me if my observations are wrong. You've been doing this way longer than me. Thanks again for the feedback.

[KurtHuhn]

No, Todd is right, Wayne. A slight underbend will help the pipe hang "correctly", even if it looks out of whack unclenched. Think of it like this - there's a hell of a lot of space, relatively speaking, between your clenched teeth and the roof of your mouth. That's where the smoke is going to expand and the flavor will reach your palate. No matter how you bend the stem, the smoke is going to go in roughly the same direction - so you might as well have the pipe hanging so the top of the bowl is relatively horizontal, right? Besides, if the point is to enjoy the tobacco, why aim it like a sniper's projectile to the back of the throat. Aim it at the hard palate so you have a chance to ounce it around in your mouth and savor the flavor.

Besides, aiming at the back of the throat assumes that you're going to be inhaling the smoke, and very few folks actually do this.

[ToddJohnson]

It's such a curvy pipe that, to my eyes, putting an exaggerated bend in the stem offset the unbalanced look of the straight shank. Does that make sense? Is there a better way to balance this design flaw?

It makes sense, but I don't think it actually does anything other than make the pipe look like the stem is overbent. You can balance a shank that's not as bent as you would prefer by using a shorter stem. This allows you to achieve the same angle of bend in a shorter distance. The stem on this piece would probably benefit from being reduced by about an inch in length.

The underbent stem on your (beautiful) pipe looks just that...underbent. It appears that if you clench it and just let it hang then the smoke is directed toward the roof of the mouth. On the other hand, if you don't clench but hold the pipe so that the smoke is directed to the back of the throat, it appears that the tobacco chamber is directed toward the smoker's face and smoke would be an issue. Please correct me if my observations are wrong. You've been doing this way longer than me. Thanks again for the feedback.

I suspect you're probably over-thinking this. The real point here is that overbent pipes tend to look amateurish and that, generally speaking, it's better to underbend than overbend. I think Nanna's work tends to shed light on the principle I'm trying to illustrate. Here's an example of a piece that carries the eye all the way through the composition. The stem is not bent to be perpendicular to the bore of the chamber, but from a design and aesthetic standpoint, the pipe is thing of elegance and beauty.




Todd

[KurtHuhn]

I very rarely disagree with Todd. In fact almost never. But in this point, I do. I do not like that pipe. It looks underbent and the stem is amaturish despite the obvious skill involved in shaping the rest of the piece.

While I agree that underbent is preferable to overbent, this is an extreme example, and goes entirely too far in the other direction.

[RadDavis]

While the stem on Nanna's pipe might not suit everyone, it is hardly amateurish.

It is very elegant looking to my eye.

Rad

[wdteipen]

Thanks for the great input fellas.

[kbadkar]

Nanna reaches on her tip-toes to read Sixten's private diary, but misses grasping it by a fraction of a mm.?... creation?

Interesting, maybe, but sad that possibility didn't come to fruition.


I say, clench the pipe, get comfortable with it on dry runs, and see what bend is necessary to get the bowl where you want/need it.
Function before form.

[wdteipen]

I say, clench the pipe, get comfortable with it on dry runs, and see what bend is necessary to get the bowl where you want/need it.
Function before form.

That's actually how I approached the bend. I put a slight bend that would keep the bowl parallel but it felt like I was holding the pipe too high and it felt unnatural. This pipe is no clencher anyway so it really has to be held. When holding the pipe it felt better drooping a bit. I agree with Todd in that a shorter, underbent stem would resolve the issue. My gut told me this when I stuck the stem on there. In fact, I trimmed about a half inch off and couldn't go any farther. I should have just cut a new stem. My inexperience got in the way of listening to my instincts.

[Frank]

While I agree that underbent is preferable to overbent, this is an extreme example, and goes entirely too far in the other direction.

This would seem to be another area where even experienced pipemakers disagree, somewhat. I also feel that the Nanna pipe is a tad underbent, while Wayne's is somewhat overbent.

Besides, aiming at the back of the throat assumes that you're going to be inhaling the smoke, and very few folks actually do this.

I guess I'm one of those few. I need that hit of nicotine, but prefer the smoke aimed at the palate.

[KurtHuhn]

While the stem on Nanna's pipe might not suit everyone, it is hardly amaturish.

It is very elegant looking to my eye.

Rad

It just looks unfinished to me. But there's no accounting for taste.

I agree that underbent can add mystique to a pipe, but this is an extreme example, and I don't like it. That doesn't mean it's wrong, since obviously other folks *do* like it. *shrugs*

[KurtHuhn]

Besides, aiming at the back of the throat assumes that you're going to be inhaling the smoke, and very few folks actually do this.

I guess I'm one of those few. I need that hit of nicotine, but prefer the smoke aimed at the palate.

I also inhale select tobaccos - and I like it aimed at the roof of my mouth. But I get the impression, from talking to folks at the local tobacconists, that I'm in the minority.

It wouldn't surprise me to hear the opposite, however.

[souljer]

Hi,

I don't have time to write a lot so I'll just get to the points:

1) Todd is correct. A shorter and less bent stem would look better. I also find that less experienced designers tend to over do things like that. Both from an aesthetic point of view and sometimes from a functional design point of view. The less bent stems, to me, express a deeper understanding of "form & function". In the case of the pipes shown above, the less bent stem will allow the pipe to hang in the mouth at a better angle than a more bent stem. Start with a straight pipe and see how much that hangs down. Unless you are clamping it between you teeth it's not going to be sticking straight out.

2) You should not need to be inhaling tobacco smoke. You should avoid this if you can. If you feel you need a bigger hit, smoke a stronger tobacco. Most of the benefits from pipe & cigar smoking over cigarette is attributed to not inhaling. However I also believe that some of that is from not inhaling cigarette smoke in particular. Cigarette smoke contains paper smoke and paper is a whole other set of chemicals and materials that have nothing to do with tobacco.

[Frank]

2) You should not need to be inhaling tobacco smoke. You should avoid this if you can. If you feel you need a bigger hit, smoke a stronger tobacco. Most of the benefits from pipe & cigar smoking over cigarette is attributed to not inhaling. However I also believe that some of that is from not inhaling cigarette smoke in particular. Cigarette smoke contains paper smoke and paper is a whole other set of chemicals and materials that have nothing to do with tobacco.

I beg to differ. Although I smoked a pipe for a short period during the 70's, my main poison was cigarettes - up to two packs a day until a few years ago.

People smoke all kinds of stuff, be it tobacco or other stuff in various wrappings and/or smoking implements, for various reasons. My personal reason - I'm addicted to nicotine. I'm perfectly happy with the flavour and strength of flavour of my current choice of pipe tobacco. The benefit to me from smoking a pipe is that I smoke a hell of a lot less tobacco than if I were still smoking cigaretes.

Another side benefit is that I can hang around here and do a "Random" on you guys.

[souljer]

Okay. I'm not sure what you are "differing" about, but if you chose to inhale, it's your choice. What I also meant was that "raw" tobacco smoke is vastly different and better than ciggerette smoke.

I equate smoking or "a smoke" with other luxury, chemical indulgences like a beer, a bowl of ice cream, a cheeseburger. All considered okay in moderation. Now try having about two packs (40 units) of beers, or bowls of ice cream, or cheeseburgers a day for 30-40 years. You probably will not be feeling too healthy by then, assuming you're still alive. That much of anything would cause problems. I feel it's less about the thing itself, and more to do with the quantity or dose level. As I understand things, some of the addictive properties are a result of the paper chemistry and other additives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkTMx-1G0RQ) mixing with the nicotine in the smoke. I believe that consuming what is relatively raw tobacco leaf without extra chemicals mixed in, is a huge difference in a positive direction. That you're gaining control or restraint underscores my point. Something is different. That's a good thing.

Inhaling or not, if smoking a pipe is enabling you to cut back to a more reasonable level, then that's just another example of how great pipes are.

Good for you.

As for "randomizing", please. I was around back in the day as well. I'm not worried. We're already way off topic, there's no need to send us off into space.

[Charl]

Glad to hear there are more addicts here on the forum! I for one, can not for the life of me figure out why you would smoke but not inhale

[bscofield]

Ahem! thread pirates...

Here's an underbent stem that is probably easier to appreciate than the one Todd posted (although I personally LOVE the one Todd posted, and most of Nanna's pipes for that matter).

[KurtHuhn]

YES!!

On that pipe I heartily agree! The underbent stem contributes *significantly* to the flow and elegance of the piece.

[wdteipen]

Uh...yeah, that's a spectacular pipe. I've been browsing pipes paying attention to the bend in the stems and see what you are talking about. So slightly underbent it is from now on. Thanks for the great info guys. I could have gone years and not noticed that fine detail.