Want to show you work to the world? Want a place to post photos of your work and solicit the opinions of those that have gone before you? Post your work here.
OK, here's pipe #4. I'm not sure I like the band... but otherwise I think it came out fairly good. That's a sign I need more critique. I'd like to get it a bit more glossy too. I polished this pipe, then waxed it with Carnauba wax... Do I need to use another material for the finish, or am just not polishing it enough?
So here it is. Sorry for the photo quality... the best camera we have is my wife's phone. (The staging on the old books was her too. )
So let me have it! ...And don't get off subject talking about light boxes this time.
There are 100 little things that you will begin to notice about shaping as you make more pipes. That you dont see them now just means you haven't made enough pipes yet. The first thing I noticed is the rim of the bowl. looks it is going to be concave, then switches and turns convex. The bottom of the bowl/shank looks uneven from right to left. The stem from the bottom view looks like it narrows to the center, expands, then at the button narrows again. These are just things I noticed, others will notice other things. The stem ring doesn't work. Im not sure if it's the color, or the pattern. Research one of the shellac threads to get a better shine on the pipe. There have been A lot of discussions about that lately. You will nail down some of the problems with the next pipe, then you will notice totally unrelated problems, but that's how it goes.
For only the fourth pipe there are a lot of positives, especially in regards to shaping and proportions. I agree about the band. It's not very attractive and maybe just a tad to thick. You've got what looks like to be some fairly nice bird's eye. If I were you I'd go back and do a contrast stain to bring it out. For finish, trying sanding it all down to about 800, then go progressively from brown tripoli, to white diamond, and finish wth carnuba. It's not always what I do, but I have used that process and it typically turns out a pretty good shine that seems to last a bit. Lastly, I don't think this would be considered an acorn and they typically dig down below the shank. I think this would be more of a dublin.
"No reserves, no retreats, no regrets"
"When you're dumb...you've got to be tough." - my dad
The button is actually the widest part of the stem, though the stem profile seems to make it look otherwise, especially once the camera got to it...
Getting the shank even on both sides is a problem area for me... Are there any tricks you guys know of to help, or is it just a matter of having a well-calibrated eye?
I really like the pattern of the red band... but you guys are right, it looks wrong here. Think it would help if it were narrower and it was 'sandwiched' between two very thin silver bands?
I think the band would work better if it was not patterned. You don't need the silver bands. But if you add a black ring on the stummel side. Vt_freehand has sheet ebonite. I think it looks like a fine fourth pipe. There are plenty of good points made above. I would recommend reading the sticky regarding photos and posting for critique. The old books are cool. Kudos to your wife. You can do a fine job with a cellphone. I would just suggest. Straight on shots instead of all angled shots. The shape sometimes doesn't come through.
Are you doing you're own stems? Your shine looks good on the stem. Very Diluted shellac with denatured alcohol(I use everclear) will seal the stain but not the wood and will help provide lasting shine. There are some good threads that go over this.
Keep up the good work.
Yes, I made the stem myself too. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. Acrylic is kind of a pain to work, but the finished results look great. I used Meguiare's car polish on it. Didn't take long at all to make it shine.
Joe T wrote:Yes, I made the stem myself too. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. Acrylic is kind of a pain to work, but the finished results look great. I used Meguiare's car polish on it. Didn't take long at all to make it shine.
I don't know which car polish you used, but I wouldn't stick something in my mouth after it has had car polish on it. Make sure you consult the appropriate MSDS before using anything on a pipe, especially the part that goes directly in the mouth. There's usually a reason when things are done a certain way. Tripoli and white diamond are appropriate for use on stems. You'll get a better, longer lasting, and above all healthier finish by sticking with the right stuff in this case.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
---
Fail early, fail often. Your success depends on it.
For pipe 4 You did well, but not an acorn. The rules are there to protect you and any who smoke your pipes. The polish you used is cancer causing and dangerous to the respiratory system if you buff it. Immagine, buffing a pipe. Read all that you can on the forum, then read again. This forum is a one of a kind. There for you.
pipedreamer wrote:...The polish you used is cancer causing and dangerous to the respiratory system if you buff it...
Honestly I didn't think about that... but I didn't use anything automotive as a final coat, just as an abrasive media. However, now that you mention it...
I'd like to get it a bit more glossy too. I polished this pipe, then waxed it with Carnauba wax... Do I need to use another material for the finish, or am just not polishing it enough?
)
