Freehand

[mightysmurf8201]

Finished up this freehand this morning. I don't like using prefabs anymore as I'm trying to hone my stem making skills, but I did on this one because I need to make my way through my remaining stash of prefabs. Something I've learned on my last few pipes is taking extra time while sanding at each grit, and my finish has improved dramatically. Still trying to hone my skills at the buffing wheel though. Any comments or critique are welcome. Thanks for looking.

[lancefisher51]

Just curious. How do you get the top of bowl finished like thAt?

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[mightysmurf8201]

Fiebings dye, followed by a very light dab of natural shellac. Wipe off any excess. This is the way I do it, but I'm sure the pros around here may have their own, better methods.

[lancefisher51]

That's the surface of the burl correct? Forgive for my ignorance. I'm new to pipe making community an also self taught.

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[mightysmurf8201]

No worries. There's a lot of "learn on your own" that happens in pipe making. Just the nature of the beast. Yes, it is the skin of the burl.

[lancefisher51]

That is a great way to keep the natural look of the briar involved in the pipe. I like it.

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[Literaryworkshop]

The stummel looks a little too blocky to my eye, but otherwise I like the shape. I'd love to see something similar with more rounded edges on the stummel, which would be more consistent with the military stem.

[mightysmurf8201]

I agree Literary, the stummel could benefit from being a bit leaner. I'm not really tracking with how rounded edges would fit a push stem better. Could you elaborate and point out specific points on the pipe that could be more rounded? I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just not understanding what you mean.

[Literaryworkshop]

I'll try. The idea is that shapes/contours should be variations on a theme. The cross-section of the thickest point on the military stem is round. The cross-section of your bowl is round. The cross-section of the stummel is... square. Kind of. What you've got now is akin to sticking a military stem onto a bulldog. (Okay, not that bad, but I'm exaggerating to make a point.) The stummel's cross-section looks out of place because there's nothing in the rest of the pipe that reflects that shape.

I'm really out of my depth trying to describe shapes, and I can only go by my untrained eye here. I think I would have left the little ridge on the bottom of the stummel but rounded over the edges that make the stummel look square in cross-section, taking it down at least to an oval, if not to a true circle where the stem meets the wood.

[mightysmurf8201]

Steve, I see what you mean and I absolutely agree. That's why I love this forum. This kind of analysis and feedback would be really hard to come by without this type of community. I love the feedback I get here, and the fact that things are brought to my attention that I otherwise would have missed or been clueless about. Thank you Steve, and thank you everyone who participates here to help us less experienced people.