Ist Briar pipe carved - becomes Bent Billiard (sort of!)

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

(This is the 2nd pipe I carved. This pipe has been re-shaped, see 1st reply to this topic!)

NOTE: this was written as a Work In Progress!

This is the second project pipe Paul (Larrysson Pipes) sent me and I have to say this one has me really excited yet at the same time more than a little daunted.

I have spent considerable time trying to see what sort of shape wants to emerge from this piece of wood whilst considering the shaping Paul has already done.

Something there is screaming Ramses, I get this because I wanted to be able to keep as much of the existing base Briar as possible.

I am probably over reaching my abilities here as I don't have the sort of equipment required for such detailed work but I would love to be able to pull it off.

Of course Paul was aiming for a simple Bent Billiard by the looks of things but as I say, I would like to keep more of the Briar intact if possible.

Me being me I wanted to make my own thing, so I ended up making this:


This is how it looked:









Well, Jim suggested a Cup & Saucer and I was quite intrigued by the idea but I really rather wanted to try to get a Ramses sort of thing from it so I could keep more of the base of the block intact.

I have opted for a truly home-grown shape and step outside of the norms, I really love some of the pipes that Downie carves, his take on radical variants of known shapes are nothing short of fabulous.

Now I aint a carver like him and I am far from experienced in working with Briar so my effort is a million miles away from work by experienced carvers but I am petty pleased with how it is going.

I have decided to go with a sort of cross between a Ramses and a Cup & Saucer, like I said, this is a completely home-grown shape and isn't meant to look like anything in particular other than the shape I saw in the wood, love or hate it, it's what it is.

Here's after just about 6 hours of filing, the shape is nearly there:



This is after about 2 hours of finishing off the filing and some rough sanding:



I still have a long ways to go but I am very pleased with it so far, will post again when I am finished.

Well here she is, I still can't get my camera to take good photo's and I'll be if I can't keep the darn thing from shaking, some of the photo's aint so great, I'll take better ones tomorrow in the daylight.



Alas the better pictures never happened as my camera fell victim to our younger daughters antics and is no longer amongst the living so to speak, being so skint we can't afford a new camera so I may not get better pictures up at all, sorry folks!

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

I decided I hated it and have opted to re-work it, due to my idiot actions I found I wasn't able to get the sort of bent Billiard shape I might have liked so have had to settle with a close as version.


This is the pipe after re-shaping and fine sanding

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

This is the pipe all waxed and shiny, aint she purdy.

[wmolaw]

This is the pipe all waxed and shiny, aint she purdy.

I think you absolutely made the right decision going back to the bent billiard.

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

I think you absolutely made the right decision going back to the bent billiard.

My thoughts entirely but you know what's scary, I actually really liked the shape I did to start with, not for long mind you but for that brief period of 'sanity' I actually liked it, I'm so horribly sad.

[The Smoking Yeti]

I think you absolutely made the right decision going back to the bent billiard.

My thoughts entirely but you know what's scary, I actually really liked the shape I did to start with, not for long mind you but for that brief period of 'sanity' I actually liked it, I'm so horribly sad.

I think we're all familiar- it's what happens when you spend so much time and are "so close" to the pipe you're making, you stop being objective.

I've done it many times- less these days I think...

Cheers!

Yeti

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

I think you absolutely made the right decision going back to the bent billiard.

My thoughts entirely but you know what's scary, I actually really liked the shape I did to start with, not for long mind you but for that brief period of 'sanity' I actually liked it, I'm so horribly sad.

I think we're all familiar- it's what happens when you spend so much time and are "so close" to the pipe you're making, you stop being objective.

I've done it many times- less these days I think...

Cheers!

Yeti

That's me screwed then Yeti, I'll always be doing more with my hands mate as machines are way out of my budget plus I have nowhere for them to go so I'll always be 'close' to my work as shaping will always be done with files and sandpaper, ah well, such is life eh. I'm hoping to get a pillar drill of course so I can drill the Briar myself but that's as far as I'll be going with machines, to be honest I prefer it that way, feels more 'personal' to me and I like that.

[Rodneywt1180b]

Very nice job, especially for a first pipe. I won't post my first or second here, I don't think I could take the heat if I did. The first is just butt ugly and the second I broke the shank while fitting the stem. I decided to continue anyway but it won't last long.
The same thing has already happened to me too. I left a huge chin on my second pipe and after living with the shape for a while decided to cut it back. Best decision I could have made with that pipe. I like the trimmed up version much better. I think it's beneficial to stop for a while then come back and have another look with fresh eyes.
Rodney

[Kirk Fitzgerald]

Hiya Rodney, thanks for your kindness, I can see there is a very interesting sense of humour on this site which is right up my alley to be honest but there is also a very strong sense of knowledge here too, not a dry dusty snooty sort of knowledge which exists out of reach to the 'new guys', a knowledge which is free flowing and welcoming, I don't think the guys & gals here would intentionally berate a person for their first pipe attempts, if I thought they might I certainly wouldn't have had the courage to post mine here. As kind as folk have been here to me regarding them I do realise I have a great deal to learn, I am pleased to a point with my efforts but I know I have yet to actually 'make' a pipe myself, hopefully this will come in time, we shall see.