From Stem to Stern

[Ironpenny]

Lots of firsts for me here!

First pipe that wasn't a kit. First extension. First handcut ebonite rod (whew, what a stink!). First delrin tenon.

I'd really appreciate some honest feedback.

Chris

[taharris]

I think you did a nice job.

Todd

[Ocelot55]

I agree with Todd. Shoot some of you guys really have talent.

[wdteipen]

That's a pretty good looking pipe. I'm curious about how you used a Delrin tenon on this pipe. It looks like a military style stem. Your button is a tad thick. The extension lines looks like it bulges just a hair. And, for the love of God, you guys need to sand out your tobacco chambers or coat your bowls. It's making my OCD twitchy. All in all it's a nice piece.

[Hudson]

That's a handsome pipe and most anybody would be proud to have it in their collection. Only suggestion I would make would be to have used unicorn horn for the extension.

[Ironpenny]

I think you did a nice job.

I agree with Todd. Shoot some of you guys really have talent.

Thanks, guys!

That's a pretty good looking pipe. I'm curious about how you used a Delrin tenon on this pipe. It looks like a military style stem. Your button is a tad thick. The extension lines looks like it bulges just a hair. And, for the love of God, you guys need to sand out your tobacco chambers or coat your bowls. It's making my OCD twitchy. All in all it's a nice piece.

The stem goes into a stepped mortise. Just enough room to give you the look of a buried stem, while still having the delrin tenon. As far as the button goes, I have to agree with you. I'm still trying to find a button shape that I'm satisfied with, to be honest. I tried a few different shapes on some test stems .. I'll get it eventually! The bulge in the extension is supposed to be there, but originally I had a bigger bell planned for the end. I blinked and had sanded it off .. I've been told that it's hard to glue the dust back on.

As far as the bowl coating is concerned, I like the concept and have been looking at a couple of recipes. Just haven't really decided on one yet. Seems to be kind of a polarizing discussion on whether to use them at all. But we're on the same side here .. it drives me nuts too.

That's a handsome pipe and most anybody would be proud to have it in their collection. Only suggestion I would make would be to have used unicorn horn for the extension.

I was all out of unicorn horn



Chris

[Growley]

I think it's a great looking pipe. Wayne already covered the two things that caught my eye, bit thickness and bulging extension, so I get to ignore that and focus on what I like about it.

I'm really starting to like this shape (long extension, long stem). At first, I didn't care for it, but I think that's because it was too different. Now I'm beginning to see it as a shape I'd personally like to try. I like that you left the natural plateaux on top. The bowl shape seems very nice. The color suits it. Overall I think it's a great pipe!

Nice Job.

Brian.

[SchmidtN]

My only critique is the stern is the back end... and the stem is too, isn't it? From back to back? I'm confused, but I'll admit that happens a lot when it comes to pipely thingies.

Which end is the front of the bowl again?[/troll]

[Sasquatch]

The stem is at the back of the front if you ask Wayne. (So don't. He's always confused about what the front of his elbow is.)


Bunch of good stuff on the pipe - now a guy just gets better and better at... well, all of it. Sharper delineations, thinner stems, a little more thought could go into angles of stem vs shank, and possibly proportion, but it's a handsome pipe nonetheless.

[The Smoking Yeti]

Aye to that.

When you first are starting out, its important to take all that critique, and especially in your case you gotta say "yeah a lot of stuff could be better... but it is still a pretty pipe!"

I like what your doing man! Listen to the details and keep trying, you've got some good stuff goin' on here!

[Ironpenny]

It's funny ... when I finished the pipe, I had a stack of things in my head that I personally didn't like about it. If I post my initial drawing, I'm sure everyone will get a laugh, because it didn't turn out AT ALL like I envisioned. I was so worried about drilling everything right, that I disregarded the things that I needed to do to make the pipe that I wanted. I'm sure this is pretty common, but it was a little frustrating because I had to switch gears and dream up a new shape. What I like though, is that a lot of the same things that I saw in the finished product have been mentioned here. Angle, thickness, etc.

When I was looking at the transition between shank and bowl, I tried to keep in mind something that Sas had said a couple of weeks ago about sharper lines vs. trying to have everything flow organically. The flowing lines are nice, and have their place, but pipes that really pop are ones that have unexpected angle shifts that just work. They blow your mind they are so good, but to get them, you have to think outside of the box. I knew I came a little ways from the pipe kits I've done, but not nearly as far as I need to go.

Practice, practice, practice always instills the boldness and knowledge required to succeed at anything in life and pipes are no different.

I very much appreciate the comments here. I do love the way the pipe turned out in the end despite it's flaws, and I'm going to smoke the sh#@ out of it, but it'll be with a beer and another piece of briar in my hands.



Chris

[e Markle]

Well first off, not using the Unicorn horn was a big mistake...

I agree with the above - nice pipe. Other than the stem, it just needs some tweaking. Bowl shank junctions should be tightened up, the line on the top of the shank appears to curve back down toward the stem, and the bowl should be canted (more?) with that bend in the stem.

The stem is too thick, the button is too big, and overall, the stem is too heavy for the pipe. But in all honesty, it's great for your first hand-cut stem. Make more!

[Ironpenny]

Well first off, not using the Unicorn horn was a big mistake...

I agree with the above - nice pipe. Other than the stem, it just needs some tweaking. Bowl shank junctions should be tightened up, the line on the top of the shank appears to curve back down toward the stem, and the bowl should be canted (more?) with that bend in the stem.

The stem is too thick, the button is too big, and overall, the stem is too heavy for the pipe. But in all honesty, it's great for your first hand-cut stem. Make more!

I'm on it!

[Sasquatch]

Bout six months ago, I took a man up past the bridge at Do Lung. He listened to eMarkle.

Heard he shot himself in the head.

[Ironpenny]

I'll keep that in mind.

[wdteipen]

The stem is at the back of the front if you ask Wayne. (So don't. He's always confused about what the front of his elbow is.)


Bunch of good stuff on the pipe - now a guy just gets better and better at... well, all of it. Sharper delineations, thinner stems, a little more thought could go into angles of stem vs shank, and possibly proportion, but it's a handsome pipe nonetheless.

It takes two left sides of your brain to be a great pipemaker. So, you're obviously at a diasadvantage.