Finishing end of shank
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Finishing end of shank
Do you guys sand and finish the ends of your shank as you do the rest of your pipe, or do you just leave it naked wood? And on the same note, do you polish up the shank end of your stems?
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Re: Finishing end of shank
The shank face is a bit tricky- if you try to hard to sand it, the fit wont be flush, for me, I try to get as clean a surface on the lathe as possible and call it good- there may be better methods out there however. The same goes for the shank-face of the stem- I get it clean as possible using the lathe parting tool. I know some folks such as Lars Ivarsson will go so far as to do an inlay which is only visible when the stem is removeable- which is totally awesome, but un-necessary, especially as a beginner. He does it as a personal trademark, and because he just feels like showing us all how much more bad-ass he is.
Cheers!
Yeti
Cheers!
Yeti
Re: Finishing end of shank
This is easier on the stem than on the pipe, especially if it's not a flush-fit stem. I polish the stem face while it's still on the lathe before I've drilled.Walldepartment wrote:Do you guys sand and finish the ends of your shank as you do the rest of your pipe, or do you just leave it naked wood? And on the same note, do you polish up the shank end of your stems?
The shank face is tricky, like Yeti said. I think it looks best if the shank face matches the look of the rest of the pipe, but you do run the risk of screwing up the fit with a flush-fit stem.
Re: Finishing end of shank
Yes, I recently started polishing the shank and stem face on my pipes.
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Re: Finishing end of shank
What's your technique?wdteipen wrote:Yes, I recently started polishing the shank and stem face on my pipes.
Re: Finishing end of shank
It would be easier to do a video. Maybe sometime soon.
I do it all while they are chucked up in the lathe. For the stem, I turn the tenon then drill and countersink the airway. After that I use 220, 320, 400, 800, 1200, 3000 grit sandpaper on the face and tenon lightly but enough to remove all tool marks and careful not to angle the face while it's spinning in the lathe. The next step is the key: take your red tripoli bar and apply it directly to the tenon and stem face while it's spinning in the lathe. Next, tear off about a 3" x 3" piece of soft paper towel and fold it into a small square (thick enough that you won't burn your fingers) and press it onto the tenon and stem face (still spinning.) Next do the same thing with white compound. Next do the same with tan compound. Lastly, and it's important to do this step last so you don't round your stem edges, turn the outer diameter of your stem. Depending on the stem style, I will do some shaping and polishing of part of the stem too.
Follow a similar process on your shank end.
If your tool marks aren't very deep you can start at higher grits so you are less likely to mess up your face.
I do it all while they are chucked up in the lathe. For the stem, I turn the tenon then drill and countersink the airway. After that I use 220, 320, 400, 800, 1200, 3000 grit sandpaper on the face and tenon lightly but enough to remove all tool marks and careful not to angle the face while it's spinning in the lathe. The next step is the key: take your red tripoli bar and apply it directly to the tenon and stem face while it's spinning in the lathe. Next, tear off about a 3" x 3" piece of soft paper towel and fold it into a small square (thick enough that you won't burn your fingers) and press it onto the tenon and stem face (still spinning.) Next do the same thing with white compound. Next do the same with tan compound. Lastly, and it's important to do this step last so you don't round your stem edges, turn the outer diameter of your stem. Depending on the stem style, I will do some shaping and polishing of part of the stem too.
Follow a similar process on your shank end.
If your tool marks aren't very deep you can start at higher grits so you are less likely to mess up your face.
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Re: Finishing end of shank
got it.You are one precise pipe maker.Thanks.