pipemakersforum.com

Third poker from me, and it's tiny!
It's really difficult to work with such small items, especially stem making!
I was not completely satisfied with the slot, and a few other things, but i would love som input from you guys.

Drilling looks to be just a bit off center. The lines on the outside of the bowl also don't seem to be perfectly straight. I like the concept though, and that there's some nice grain.

That's a pretty nice pipe. Nice lines. Well defined without being sharp. The only issues I see is that in the second pic down it appears that either the chamber is off center or you just took a little more meat off one side. It could also be the pic because of the way it is resting on the one side. The stem is a little fat and could use some trimming to take away some of the bulge right in the middle. In profile, you want a nice straight line from barrel to button. Button looks good and you didn't round over the barrel. Just the in between portion could use a little cleaning. Its a good pipe. Keep it up.

I like the reverse taper of the shank. It works well with the rest of the pipe.

The bottom line of your stem (from saddle to button) had a bulge that really kills the lines of the stem. The top bulges a little bit too, but the bottom line is really noticeable. I know it was probably next to impossible to get a straight edge small enough to fit in that little itty bitty space. What I find helpful with smaller stems is taking a picture in my lightbox (before I start final sanding) and then taking a good look at it on the computer. The picture won't lie and you can get a really up close look and double check that your lines are straight.

Good stuff!

Thanks for your comments. It's true that the stem has some bulge to it, but it was also a challenge for me with such a small stem.
Scottie, i think it's a good idea to take some pictures. Maybe i should try that
I find it difficult to get smooth lines on the bowl of a poker, especially close to the shank. If you have any tips, i'm all ears.
And at last! where do you guys get a good round small file for the slot corners??

When I started out I can't tell you how many pictures I took of all of my pipes. It was quite beneficial. Something else I did, while looking at the pictures, was to mark all the high spots with a pencil. Then I knew right where to sand once I got back out to the workbench. As a matter of fact, I still mark the high spots with a pencil. The difference is that my hand can feel them and my eyes can see them. In the beginning....not so much.

Here is the file I use for the top/bottom of the slot
http://www.ottofrei.com/Glardon-Vallorb ... -Inch.html

Here is the file I use for the sides of the slot.
http://www.ottofrei.com/Glardon-Vallorb ... -Inch.html

They used to be Grobet files....they have changed the name. They are great and I couldn't live without them.

As for shaping the bowl around the shank you just have to go slow and check often. Don't be afraid to over define the area to get things straight (at least until you get the hang of how much material to take off....some briar will be ruined, it's just part of learning!). If you are checking your work constantly you will most likely stop before you over define the junction (the dreaded crease). You have to treat that area the same as you would on any other straight pipe. On the next one pay particular attention to that area and don't stop taking off material (SLOWLY) until you have the junction defined.

What type of file are you using for the bowl/shank junction?

Thanks Scottie, that's a great help for sure! I'll have to order some of those files.
At the moment i'm using a regular chainsaw file, and a smaller round needle file for "fine tuning"

You have the right tools. Now you just need the confidence to take the material off. The worst that can happen is you get into the airway...it's happened to all of us. Don't be afraid to ruin a piece of briar. Shape slowly until you have removed all the excess material.