Pipe #1 complete (or not)

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:08 am

Hey Everyone,

Just want to thank any and everyone who's contributed to these boards. The info has been a valuable tool in completing my first real briar pipe. (I have a couple others of non-conforming wood that just seemed a bit more economical before making a large monitary purchase.) I can see alot of areas in need of fine tuning but overall I am pleased with the results.

My curiosity is the grain pattern. I feel very lucky to have gotten my first piece with no visible defects. I have 4 others on the bench now that have sand pits here and there and the grain pattern is no where near the quality of this one. My avatar is one of those.

Criticism and comments more than welcome. Thanks

overall length: 6" long
height to top of bowl: 2" tall
bowl outside dia.: 1 5/8" wide
bowl inside dia: 1" wide
bowl depth: just shy of 1 1/4" deep
polished to 12000 grit Micro Mesh and buffed with caruaba wax

flix · Post by **flix** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:16 pm

Hi Butch,

It looks finished to me. One question though: why is the entry hole to the tobacco chamber at the bottom center, instead of the conventional bottom side?

I've never seen that before except on my Coolsmoke metal pipe. I'd love to hear how you engineered that.

Thanks,

--Michael

obie · Post by **obie** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:44 pm

I'm curious about the same thing. Nice first effort, by the way!

ckr · Post by **ckr** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:45 pm

Looks very nice and a very good first effort, congrats.

I feel very lucky to have gotten my first piece with no visible defects.

It is not luck, I was once also gifted by the Briar Gods and since have been relagated into the abyss of cursed carvers. Do not take their gift lightly, pay them tribute now! You need to raid a neighboring village, capture a virgin and make a sacrificial offering to appease them.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:12 pm

ckr wrote:Looks very nice and a very good first effort, congrats.

I feel very lucky to have gotten my first piece with no visible defects.
It is not luck, I was once also gifted by the Briar Gods and since have been relagated into the abyss of cursed carvers. Do not take their gift lightly, pay them tribute now! You need to raid a neighboring village, capture a virgin and make a sacrificial offering to appease them.

Come on guys... it's not that bad! It really does depend on where you get your briar from.

Anyway, Butch, I see a few things worth mentioning about your pipe.

1- your shank/stem junction. It looks like they were not worked on at the same time. My advice would be to put the stem in after the holes are drilled and shape the shank and the stem together. Use large strokes so that what you do to one, you do to the other. That will keep a flush fit between the shank and stem.

2- The way drilled you hole. It looks like you drilled the airway and then came down through the tobacco chamber with another bit and met it underneath the chamber. This is bound to create a corner which will most certainly create a moisture problem.

The shape of the pipe looks good for a first one! You have well defined angles, a decent shank/stummel junction. Not a badt first pipe at all.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:02 pm

Being my first, I wasn't sure how to drill the hole. I didn't discover this forum till half way thru the finishing. So on this one and a few of my other blanks that I started prematurely, the holes are drilled first and then I mounted the block on the lathe and spun the chamber. (I don't have any spade bits and actually like the lathe for doing this as I can also spin the top part of the bowl in process to have a definite round to work off.)

The stem/shank junction look off because they are. I dont have the proper tooling to flush the ends and so have attempted to do so with a file. I need to work on this or shell out the cash for something better. Also, as mentioned, I did some final sanding on the stem while off the pipe and actually rounded the corners. :naughty: Hence the nice rounded reflection you see.

Things I've learned:

Precise cornering during finishing. (My thought was bigger radius but that doesn't seem to be the ticket. My next pipes will reflect much better definition.)

Drill a cleaner airway to prevent moisture build-up and "gurgling". My mortise goes about 1/4" too deep and is definitely not true with the bowl. I'm working on a fixture for this. I've seen a few on the boards I intend to use ideas from. More on that later.

Layout is everything. A few pencil lines go a long way.

Thanks again everyone. I appreciate the expert eye.