Re: Bent Pipes: Shank angles and Curves - Two Case Studies
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:22 pm
This thread is mainly about aesthetics, which can be a can of worms(to me), but this forum is generally about the craft of pipe making. When I read about aesthetics, my head spins, especially after I have looked at the pipes being made by the Italian (and Russian, and Chinese ......)makers.
Several points stand out in the thread, the main being that at some point in shaping the stummel, you will have to decide what the final shape is going to be, and then you are going to have to get to that final shape. It is this area where this forum is most valuable to me. Drilling in the same plane, transitions from shank to bowl, transitions from shank to stem, stem work, finishes and a dozen other areas are all things that you will have to do well to get to the end point that you envision. Even if you have a wonderfully shaped and grained stummel, but are sloppy, incomplete or unknowing with your craftsmanship, it will be obvious to your discerning potential customer and he will move on.
Discussions of proportion, curves, and balance can be extremely valuable, but even if you hit those marks but fail to prosecute the details to the best of your ability and knowledge, the discerning pipe person will know it.
Your friends, family, and casual acquaintances may be very impressed with your work, but it is artisans like those on this forum who will set the bar for which you should strive if you want to craft good pipes.
You will also find ( with some searching)here the information on technique that you will need to get there.
I made several hundred pipes in the 70s, and when viewed and evaluated by the standards that I've learned on this forum, they were not very good.
DocAitch
Several points stand out in the thread, the main being that at some point in shaping the stummel, you will have to decide what the final shape is going to be, and then you are going to have to get to that final shape. It is this area where this forum is most valuable to me. Drilling in the same plane, transitions from shank to bowl, transitions from shank to stem, stem work, finishes and a dozen other areas are all things that you will have to do well to get to the end point that you envision. Even if you have a wonderfully shaped and grained stummel, but are sloppy, incomplete or unknowing with your craftsmanship, it will be obvious to your discerning potential customer and he will move on.
Discussions of proportion, curves, and balance can be extremely valuable, but even if you hit those marks but fail to prosecute the details to the best of your ability and knowledge, the discerning pipe person will know it.
Your friends, family, and casual acquaintances may be very impressed with your work, but it is artisans like those on this forum who will set the bar for which you should strive if you want to craft good pipes.
You will also find ( with some searching)here the information on technique that you will need to get there.
I made several hundred pipes in the 70s, and when viewed and evaluated by the standards that I've learned on this forum, they were not very good.
DocAitch