Dustless Pipemaking: Can it be done?

[Blackboot]

Hey Ya'll...it's me: the guy who started the legendary "Dunhill Wrapped In Leather" thread. Hope everybody is doing well, and making some nice pipes.

I still have not made my first pipe yet, but I'm starting to get some disposable cash coming in, so I think I'm going to do one soon. I'll probably buy a pre-drill kit from Tinsky, and take it from there.

The main problem is that I live in a bachelor apartment, and I really do not need dust flying around. I'm thinking of developing something I'll just call a "dust tent", which will look like a lightweight and portable and collapsible sandblasting cabinet. The sanding can be done inside it, in order to collect the dust.

I also came across something called the "Microplane" which is like a razor sharp type of surform. Here is the link to their products:
http://us.microplane.com/index.asp?Page ... Category=4

Do you think these products will be good for shaping and sanding the pipes? Maybe I can do most of it using these Microplane products, and then do the fine sanding inside my "dust tent".

I also heard that a sharp carving knife can be used, but maybe these microplane products will do it quicker?

BTW: I am in no way affiliated with this company.

[TRS]

If you're not using an electric sander of any type then the dust will be pretty localized; I don't know that you'd need to go to the trouble of having a 'tent'. Just thorough use of a shop vac.......

[kbadkar]

The microplane is good for hard cheeses and maybe soft pine, but I don't imagine those blades will last on briar. Files are the way to go. As BL pointed out, if you are no using anything electric for sanding/shaping, you shouldn't have dust flying all over the place. Just work on a table with a drop cloth.

[JHowell]

I've got something I use that might be of interest. I can't be arsed to go down in the basement and take a picture right now, but it's an open-top plywood box sized to hold furnace filters, 16X25 or so. The furnace filter sits horizontally inside the box, 10 inches or a foot down, held up by furring strips inside the box. 6 or 8 inches below the filter is a baffle with two duct fans pulling air down through the furnace filter and out an opening in the front. It's just tall enough to put the open surface where it pulls the dust from hand sanding down into the filter instead of letting it float up into my face. Tends to fill up with little bits of sandpaper and stuff, but over the years I've added a light, a rack for tools, a rack for pipes, a wooden cleat for supporting stems while filing.

Jack

[Sasquatch]

The other seriously wonderful piece of equipment in a shop is an ambient air cleaner. Basically a fancy version of what Jack is talking about, it's a turbine fan on the back end of a series of filter bags, all boxed up and pretty. Just runs with a low hum and cycles the air in the shop, taking out all the dust. Really a bonus if you are running lathes or saws or sanders and don't have 100% local collection rate.

[caskwith]

As tohers have said, only power sanding causes vast ammounts of dust, hand methods make a mess but it will stay around your working area and can easily be cleared with a shop vac or household vac. I know some have mentioned air filtration etc but I have an easier method called doors I have a door at either end of my workshop, open them both and the natural breeze clears the air in seconds.

[kbadkar]

Do you think these products will be good for shaping and sanding the pipes? Maybe I can do most of it using these Microplane products, and then do the fine sanding inside my "dust tent".

I also heard that a sharp carving knife can be used, but maybe these microplane products will do it quicker?

If you don't have a bandsaw, the best substitute for rough shaping is a good coping saw, which creates minimal dust - airborne and otherwise. Then for fine tuning, use files - a bit more dust, mostly not airborne. Then sandpaper, which is the dustiest of the operations, but again, it's minimal. Using a carving knife is harder than you think it should be.

[KurtHuhn]

I personally would not want to use a carving knife on a block of briar. It could be done, I'm sure, but would take an awful long time, and you'd need to keep resharpening your knives constantly. Also, a microplane existed in my shop for about 10 minutes before it went upstairs to be used in the kitchen for parmesan, romano, and nutmeg duty. Briar is simply too hard and dense for a microplane to be very efficient.

[TRS]

Also, a microplane existed in my shop for about 10 minutes before it went upstairs to be used in the kitchen for parmesan, romano, and nutmeg duty.

They also work wonders for zesting citrus and shredding ginger!

[Blackboot]

Thanks for the info, guys.....I guess I'll just drop the microplane idea.

I do have another question about the finishing process. I've read a lot of material on here, and have had the PIMO book for a while too, but I am still not clear on something. I would like to eliminate the need to acquire a buffing machine. My understanding is that Tripoli is used at the end, prior to the carnuba wax, in order to get rid of any subtle scratches on the stem. Can I use 0000 steel wool to do the job of the tripoli, and then lay a coat of paragon wax to protect everything? Would that be an adequate way of getting around the need for a buffing wheel?

[Sasquatch]

Not really, no.

You could sand to 1200 grit etc and hand apply paragon or whatever, but you'll never match a buffed finish. God I know I've tried, but having the oil-based abrasives in tripoli just beats everything else.

I buff on my drill press FWIW. That's not good for the press, I suppose, but I don't have a buffer and my lathe isn't big enough for the Bealle lathe-mount system.

[KurtHuhn]

They also work wonders for zesting citrus and shredding ginger!

You got that right! Zesting citrus used to be an exercise in frustration - but the microplane makes it so smooth and easy, it's not even funny. My wife actually looks forward to using it.

[KurtHuhn]

I do have another question about the finishing process. I've read a lot of material on here, and have had the PIMO book for a while too, but I am still not clear on something. I would like to eliminate the need to acquire a buffing machine. My understanding is that Tripoli is used at the end, prior to the carnuba wax, in order to get rid of any subtle scratches on the stem. Can I use 0000 steel wool to do the job of the tripoli, and then lay a coat of paragon wax to protect everything? Would that be an adequate way of getting around the need for a buffing wheel?

Well, buffing is used for a lot more than just getting fine scratches from the stem - it's also used on the wood as well, for the same purpose. And it's a fairly necessary last step in order to achieve a shine. So, no, it's not necessary. And yes, you could something else like steel wool or non-woven synthetic pads, but you're never going to achieve the same shine as if you spent a couple minutes with a buffing wheel.

For your personal use, and for your first few pipes, I wouldn't worry about the buffing wheel. But eventually you're going to want one. For a simple and inexpensive approach that a lot of folks use, find a small electric motor (1/4hp is fine) and get a couple buffing arbors and wheels. Works great and doesn't take up a lot of space.

[Frank]

I would like to eliminate the need to acquire a buffing machine. My understanding is that Tripoli is used at the end, prior to the carnuba wax, in order to get rid of any subtle scratches on the stem. Can I use 0000 steel wool to do the job of the tripoli, and then lay a coat of paragon wax to protect everything? Would that be an adequate way of getting around the need for a buffing wheel?

As a stopgap, if you're really trying to do things on the cheap, a hand drill with a small arbor and a 4" buffing wheel will give a reasonable finish, until you can afford a proper buffer. Just secure the hand drill in a vise or to a stable surface with a large hose clamp.

[daniel]

well i have to say, that sharp knives are probably the tools i mostly use in many pipes for shaping.
ih your knife is sharp as hell, and you take relatively small chips at a time, they won´t fly far.
mostly its my shirt and hair that are full of them chips rather than anything else...