Briar Grading
Briar Grading
Always good to show rather than talk. I cleaned up a pile of blocks and took some pics.
Here's two M type ebauchons, long. Similar enough cuts, except one is Primo grade at best, which is to say it's pretty poor, and one is XX for real.
In both shots, the one on the right shows strong, even, tight grain, well oriented. It's clean, nearly flawless, should make a hella nice pipe. The left block is... practice grade? No grain, lotsa pits, a piss poor piece of wood for most purposes. And probably cost 10 times less than the nice block (a 30 dollar piece and a 3 dollar piece).
Looking at plateaus, an experienced cutter or maker can grade these just from the skin:
Rolling lumpy skin on the left, moving to super tight pins on the right. And the reveal is just what you'd expect... washy rolling grain vs tight, well oriented grain.
Front face, these are all cut decently, the X grade block on the left is a little crooked, but both XX blocks look really nice, the middle one very vertical in grain, the right having a nice fan outward, will make a nice brandy or a dublin maybe?
And again, these blocks range from about 15 bucks to about 35, and should produce pipes accordingly - probably a sandblast or rustic out of the X grade, and that XX and the XX "select" if you will should both produce stripey smooths.
All the mills grade slightly different, but Primo, X, and XX are your main choices, from low to high, and there's usually a sort of "ultra" grade around too, which honestly it's fun to have around sometimes, but you can get smashing pipes out of most XX briar, it's seldom really needed to have these super amazing 50 dollar blocks around.
Here's two M type ebauchons, long. Similar enough cuts, except one is Primo grade at best, which is to say it's pretty poor, and one is XX for real.
In both shots, the one on the right shows strong, even, tight grain, well oriented. It's clean, nearly flawless, should make a hella nice pipe. The left block is... practice grade? No grain, lotsa pits, a piss poor piece of wood for most purposes. And probably cost 10 times less than the nice block (a 30 dollar piece and a 3 dollar piece).
Looking at plateaus, an experienced cutter or maker can grade these just from the skin:
Rolling lumpy skin on the left, moving to super tight pins on the right. And the reveal is just what you'd expect... washy rolling grain vs tight, well oriented grain.
Front face, these are all cut decently, the X grade block on the left is a little crooked, but both XX blocks look really nice, the middle one very vertical in grain, the right having a nice fan outward, will make a nice brandy or a dublin maybe?
And again, these blocks range from about 15 bucks to about 35, and should produce pipes accordingly - probably a sandblast or rustic out of the X grade, and that XX and the XX "select" if you will should both produce stripey smooths.
All the mills grade slightly different, but Primo, X, and XX are your main choices, from low to high, and there's usually a sort of "ultra" grade around too, which honestly it's fun to have around sometimes, but you can get smashing pipes out of most XX briar, it's seldom really needed to have these super amazing 50 dollar blocks around.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Briar Grading
Good information thank you. How do I convert this to the VF grading? He uses grade 1 through 3. (Well actually I only ever see grades 2 ans 3)
I hope to be at least half the person my dogs thinks I am.
AKA Terry
AKA Terry
Re: Briar Grading
Mimmo uses 1 through 3 and Steve sort of carries that along. #1 is select grade XX #2 is really good, better than most X grade plateau for cut and grade, it's totally good wood, many super nice pipes you can get from #2. #3 is usually blast grade, wider ring spacing poorer grain, more like X grade, but specifically in Mimmo's case #3 is really put aside having been assessed as being a good candidate for blasting, physically.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Briar Grading
Awesome. So the grade 2 blocks I get are good
I hope to be at least half the person my dogs thinks I am.
AKA Terry
AKA Terry
Re: Briar Grading
Well, I mean, I've had #1 be junk and just... thrown them out. And I got this from a 2:
So in my opinion, 2 is well good enough for ... almost everything.
So in my opinion, 2 is well good enough for ... almost everything.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Briar Grading
Thanks Sasquatch. Good info, especially how to look at an uncut plateau. I've had mixed experiences with a number of the typical sources. I chalk it up to that just being the nature of briar. Box of chocolates sort of thing. And also when you're buying unseen, in small quantities, it is even more of a game of chance.
Cheap blocks are great for beginners with no intention of selling a high end pipe. Saves money. Good practice. And a few of those have surprised me in terms of how good the wood turned out. The real crap shoot seems to be the higher end blocks. I've been disappointed a few times not only at what I found inside but even from the outside blocks that are so notched and irregularly cut that it is hard to find a pipe in there.
What would be best, of course, would to be able to see what I'm buying. Outside of a large pipe show I'm not sure how that is even possible.
Cheap blocks are great for beginners with no intention of selling a high end pipe. Saves money. Good practice. And a few of those have surprised me in terms of how good the wood turned out. The real crap shoot seems to be the higher end blocks. I've been disappointed a few times not only at what I found inside but even from the outside blocks that are so notched and irregularly cut that it is hard to find a pipe in there.
What would be best, of course, would to be able to see what I'm buying. Outside of a large pipe show I'm not sure how that is even possible.
Re: Briar Grading
Some cutters are better than others, some years the wood seems better than others, but really, the issue is probably that you are buying only a few blocks, and hoping for specific stuff - if you buy 50 blocks and 10 have saw cuts or a flaw chased out... who cares, you use them for a billiard or something. But if you buy six blocks, suddenly you are very limited if 2 or 3 aren't easy to use.
You can see actual blocks if you buy from Molina on eBay, they have sets of 5, 7, 12, 20. But mostly what I do is send a cutter my cash and hope for the best!
You can see actual blocks if you buy from Molina on eBay, they have sets of 5, 7, 12, 20. But mostly what I do is send a cutter my cash and hope for the best!
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Briar Grading
So far I have not bought from a cutter....I don't think. I've been buying from the well known guys who sell tools, briar, stem material, etc. And its not that I'm unhappy with any of them, its just like you say, a low volume thing.
I'll check out Molina.
I'll check out Molina.
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Re: Briar Grading
Become a repairman and all these briar worries will just disappear.
Lost in time, like tears in rain.
Lost in time, like tears in rain.
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Briar Grading
That's right, you just get all kinds of horrible crummy gummy shit in your mailbox instead! Bleerg!
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Briar Grading
I’ve only bought Makis plateaux and have been pretty happy with the quality. The price is a little lower than Mimmo, but has gone up from $15 to $20 for a large block. Great pics Sas!
Re: Briar Grading
Makis's stuff is great, Mimmo's stuff is great, Manno's stuff is great. High value across the board. For a little more, the wood from Calabria Pipe is stupid good. I've also had plenty of excellent wood from Jaume over the years.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
- seamonster
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Re: Briar Grading
I was able to visit the Jaume shop a few years back. The coolest experience, just lovely people, they took my family in, fed us, showed us around, it was amazing. I've heard they shut down, though. Can anyone confirm this?
instagram.com/seamonster_workshop/
Re: Briar Grading
They shut down, and then a year or two later, I got an email from Josefinasomethingorother saying that they had taken over and were selling briar again. So I placed an order, and it did indeed seem to be Jaume on the other end after all, certainly he remembered me, and the briar looked really good, better than before maybe - generous cuts, accurate grading. And a REAL wppo grade phyto-certificate, not just the usual "Hey we boiled this, itsa very clean" kinda thing you get from Mimmo or Makis.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Briar Grading
The two plateaus on the left are mediums from briarblocks, the super block is basically what Carlo sends from Calabria.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
- seamonster
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Re: Briar Grading
This is great news! I brought home a suitcase full when I visited them, and I may have a piece or two left. Their blocks are really really great. Sooooo,Sasquatch wrote: ↑Tue Apr 14, 2020 6:48 pm They shut down, and then a year or two later, I got an email from Josefinasomethingorother saying that they had taken over and were selling briar again. So I placed an order, and it did indeed seem to be Jaume on the other end after all, certainly he remembered me, and the briar looked really good, better than before maybe - generous cuts, accurate grading. And a REAL wppo grade phyto-certificate, not just the usual "Hey we boiled this, itsa very clean" kinda thing you get from Mimmo or Makis.
I'll have to order some.
instagram.com/seamonster_workshop/
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Re: Briar Grading
I'm tellin' ya... just get some pressure treated 6x6 fence posts, cut 'em into blocks, and no one will be the wiser. Problem solved.
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Briar Grading
Sas that no. 2 pipe is absolutely gorgeous.
“Tools don’t make pipes” -SandahlPipe
“Every Pipe is a Billiard” -SandahlPipe
"Plan your work, work your plan" -Walt Cannoy
“Every Pipe is a Billiard” -SandahlPipe
"Plan your work, work your plan" -Walt Cannoy