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This pipe was requested by a previous customer. He really didn't leave me much detail on what he wanted. More or less said I want a devil's anse, keep me updated. If I could go back and change this, I would change the ash accent, make it smaller and the stem longer. Also the line where the shank meets the bowl, kind of stops curving; I would have gone back and curved it at the bottom to follow the shape a little better. Here she is:











and a little bit different lighting to get a feel for the colour

Appears nice enough.

Not familiar with the shape, hence can't be sure the transition between the shank and bowl is correct, though from your comments I take it perhaps not. Also agree that the ash may not have been the best choice in terms of the color of the bowl. Maybe something much darker might have been a better highlight. All the same the transition is smooth and the stem size seems fine.

I was discussing this with Maddis on the PSF. This is what he had suggested. I agreed with him though because of the flat bottom I had thought perhaps go about halfway of the new shank line he drew.

As for the ash, I tried to do it darker; I actually stained with black. It just doesn't take it on very well...I am guessing this is due to the fact this was all side grain and not end grain? Either way, I know better now.

There are a few things I would change about this pipe. The chin on the bottom of the bowl was taken in too far. It should be a smooth rounded curve. Looking at the bowl from the front, the shape should be more like an apple. A smooth graceful curve that is symmetrical. The bottom of the bowl is extremely flat, which affects the bowl shape and chin. Also the transition from bowl to shank is super tight. Use a round file and sandpaper to get a rounded transition where the two cylinders meet.

Tyler, that line I suggested was to try to get the radius closer on the back to the way it is in the front. If the front/chin wasn't cut so dramatically, neither would the back. There's no specific one line/thickness, etc. that's gonna make a pipe look "right." You gotta first see what you're after (e.g., be able to see what's wrong when things aren't working as a whole - like SAS is saying), and then develop the skills to make what you see come out of the block.

Thank you Maddis. I see what you mean now and I wasn't saying you were wrong. It was just how I did the bottom that I'm not sure if your line would have worked with what material was left. If I were to re-do the shape, I would go back and try to match the front and back better. But it got me thinking about putting a flat bottom on a pipe.

If I were to shape a billiard and then just sand the bottom flat so it would sit, chances are you would affect the line that goes from the front of the bowl and down the shank...so I suppose the question is, is this unnaceptable? or is there a better way, where it is flat but has been pre thought that when you look at it, the line stays the same.