grades of briar?? (a bit of a newbie question)

[nightserpent]

Having completed my first briar pipe and learned something, I am looking to put a bit more planning and consideration into my next piece ( I hope you're all with me so far ). I'm now trying to acquire a block which will cater to my design, rather than find something in a random block. I'm encountering a number of "grades" of briar, and so I attempted to read up on them, though I haven't found so much about how they are graded. To confuse things a bit more, some describe ebauchon and plateu to be different grades on top of the grade 1, 2 and 3 system. I get that 1 is highest (or at least the more expensive), but is this a matter of personal discretion or is there an actual system to this grading, much like how coins or comic might be graded by collectors? Does a higher grade suggest a more interesting grain, or is it more about quality and perhaps lack of inclusions, etc?

Info and input most welcome, thanks in advance!

~Paul

[sandahlpipe]

Grade 1 is typically the best block from that particular briar mill. Grade 2 is typically decent quality grain, but the grain patterns may not be as tight as a grade 1. Grade 3 is typically used for rustication or sandblast.

All briar will have natural flaws and inclusions. There is a general tendency to have fewer fatal flaws in higher grade briar, but that's only a rule of thumb.

Plateaux refers to a block where a live edge is left on. The straight grain typically runs vertical on these blocks. The ebauchons typically have cross grain instead and no live edge. There is not a big difference between a grade 1 ebauchon or grade 1 plateaux in quality or tightness of grain. Some mills will also offer grades better than their grade 1 at a premium price, but you typically need to buy them directly from the mill. I don't have any experience with those. The regular grades meet my current needs just fine.

[nightserpent]

Thanks, Jeremiah, I appreciate the reply. It sounds like for the most part that's it's largely subjective and mostly a rough guide for quality, not a cut-and-dry system.

Does this loose grading system ever cause for confusion or dispute?

[Sasquatch]

Most of us just buy from the same people over and over again, and we learn what to expect at whatever grade/price. Knowing that one guy grades a certain way as opposed to someone else is one thing... knowing that I get 19/20 pipes without big flaws in the "grade 1" block versus losing 5 or 6 pipes out of 20 with someone else's "grade 1" (or XX or whatever) is more important.

You are thinking in terms of buying a select few blocks and maximizing your return, of course. Most of us graduate from that thinking eventually, and now just buy 50 or 100 at a time and deal with whatever shows up - that's part of the fun!

[sandahlpipe]

Or you can be a briar nut like me and buy a few hundred at a time. The more briar you have, the better the chances you have of selecting just the right block for the idea you've got in mind.

[nightserpent]

That makes plenty of sense, as that way one could carefully inspect each block and get the best possible match. Seeing that I've only made one briar pipe so far I am not quite ready to purchase 50-100 blocks. Talk to me after I've made two.