Just because it's so damn cool

[LatakiaLover]

[JMG]

Did you make this?

[LatakiaLover]

I wish.

T'was made by:

.

[JMG]

Yeah, I hope to be on that dude's trajectory some day.

[RickB]

He sure knows his way around all things bent billiard (and relatives there of), doesn't he?

[Ocelot55]

Thanks guys

I think that pipe turned out well, but what I'm most proud of is the fact that it made it into George's collection. For me, that's some of the highest praise I've received.

[Charl]

Very cool, Jesse!

[DocAitch]

I look at that exquisitely shaped and polished stem and feel despair. I don’t feel like I will ever get that down.
Beautiful.
DocAitch

[Ocelot55]

Very cool, Jesse!

Thanks, Charl!

[Ocelot55]

I look at that exquisitely shaped and polished stem and feel despair. I don’t feel like I will ever get that down.
Beautiful.
DocAitch

Doc, I've got one of your pipes sitting right here by my computer. Let me assure you, you're closer than you think!

[LatakiaLover]

Besides looking great, tasting great, and having the most comfortable stem I've ever known, there is Sneaky Shit happening behind the curtain.

This is serious forethought, right here. Why three parts, you ask? Because no matter how many pipe cleaners you use, what kind they are, or how heavily you soak them with alcohol, hard carbon cake will ALWAYS gradually crawl from the chamber up into a pipe's airway for some distance, and if the airway has an elbow in it, there's no way to get it out. Ever. And the airway eventually closes to where the pipe is unsmokable.

Meaning your choices as a pipe maker are 1) make the pipe with a bent airway anyway and screw your customer; 2) make design concessions; or 3) do it the way Jesse does it

.

[Ocelot55]

Thanks for the very high praise, George!

The only drawback for this design is the size of the bamboo. In order to accommodate 1/4" diameter delrin connectors you can't use a super thin piece of bamboo. You could use stainless tube, but I've never liked the way tenons made out of stainless felt while inserting and removing. I'm always worried the hard steel will wear out the softer briar or bamboo mortise and create a loose fit. One possible solution is to use stainless as the tenon material but line the mortises with delrin.

[RickB]

...and having the most comfortable stem I've ever known

@Jesse - you understand that now I've got to go and dissect pictures of your stems for a few hours before trying to carve any more, right?

[sandahlpipe]

Better yet, buy a Jesse Jones pipe. I own one and smoke it regularly. He's taken the time to learn just the right amount of radius for the top and bottom of the stem, and the curved button really helps.

...and having the most comfortable stem I've ever known

@Jesse - you understand that now I've got to go and dissect pictures of your stems for a few hours before trying to carve any more, right?

[RickB]

Better yet, buy a Jesse Jones pipe. I own one and smoke it regularly. He's taken the time to learn just the right amount of radius for the top and bottom of the stem, and the curved button really helps.

...and having the most comfortable stem I've ever known

@Jesse - you understand that now I've got to go and dissect pictures of your stems for a few hours before trying to carve any more, right?

Definitely better, but I'm about 3 months out from having two kids in day care, so that's not possible at the moment. Definitely want one though.

[Ocelot55]

Better yet, buy a Jesse Jones pipe. I own one and smoke it regularly. He's taken the time to learn just the right amount of radius for the top and bottom of the stem, and the curved button really helps.

Jeremiah, I'm sure you'll understand when I say that I'm a little embarrassed of work from that era. I think I've progressed a lot since then. In fact, every time I see a Jones pipe pre-2012 I try and buy it back to get it off the market. My rack is filling up with them.

[sandahlpipe]

I believe mine is a 2014. Sure, it's not as nice as your current production, but it's still a nice pipe and I'm not selling it.

At the same time, I can completely relate to not being very proud of early work.