reworking previous pipes

[notow1]

I recently went to the Chicago show and imposed on Mr Walt Cannoy and Tyler for opinions on 2 of My pipes. They told Me what should have been obvious to Me; more sanding, thinner stem, work on the button. I took Their advice and went back and applied it to the 10 pipes I had made and there was great improvement. I also look at the gallery and try to apply the advice given there. I look at My pipes and see where Mr Sasquatch would draw red lines and then remove material. My question is do other novice pipemakers use this forum and advice to improve what They have made or to help Them on future projects? I find that by going back and applying this advice I don't waste as much material and end up with better looking pipes. I need to add that I don't think Mr Cannoy likes purple pipes

[The Smoking Yeti]

That'd be the point of this forum

Cheers!

Yeti

[Sasquatch]

What becomes amazing/apparent is that the advice will be remarkably consistent from experienced pipe makers. When I was first getting critiques, I would ask one guy, get advice, and then ask someone else, and hey presto.... same advice! So it was like these guys all knew the same secret about how to make a pipe look good. And like you notow, when I made changes to the pipes in the directions of the critique.... they sold immediately. So there is a consistent, stable set of ideas about making a pipe look good, and once you start to understand and apply them, the pipes come out a lot better, but it takes all kinds of practice.

[RDPowell]

Being very new (rookie) to pipe carving myself I think I can say with agreement from most that the veteran carvers know what there talking about and their advice should be taken seriously. In just the little time I've been here I've learned a lot from them just from browsing the forum and reading critiques of others pipes and of course my (1) own.

[e Markle]

My question is do other novice pipemakers use this forum and advice to improve what They have made or to help Them on future projects? I find that by going back and applying this advice I don't waste as much material and end up with better looking pipes.

First off, you should post before and after pics. It would be neat to see that.

I think most guys prefer to just carry the advice to their next endeavor. It can be frustrating to have a work labeled "complete" in your mind and then go back and put more hours into it. That said, I think it certainly makes sense to use previous work as a launching point to hone your skill. I will say, down the road, it will make seeing your overall progress more difficult. To each his own.

[the rev]

I try and take the advice from one pipe and move on to the next. I don't like going back, and do like looking at the progress like Ernie said.

rev

[andrew]

I did both. I personally don't think there is as much value in fixing something you already carved. You lose continuity of the carving process, just get another block/stem and go at it again.

[Growley]

I try and take the advice from one pipe and move on to the next. I don't like going back, and do like looking at the progress like Ernie said.

rev

I'll second this. When I was getting started, I needed to keep a forward momentum. I was trying to build muscle memory and eye memory I guess. I needed to finish one, learn from it, and see if I could apply what I learned on the next. I ended up giving away a lot of pipes that could have been a lot better if I had spent time going back.

To each is own, and if you can make good use of going back, then it's totally worth it in my opinion.

[Literaryworkshop]

I already have a couple pipes that I've thought about going back to refine, but you know, I like to remember where I've come from.

I have quite a few of my early woodworking projects around the house. Some I know could have been done better, but I'm not going to try to change them now. Most of them function just fine, and they have value to me as my early work, however flawed.