And then there was No. 7 ......

hollywood · Post by **hollywood** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:35 pm

Somebody said I was enthusiastic about the new outlet for my expression. I would have to say; that is putting it mildly. I am ate up with it! Obsessed doesn't even describe it. I think I am progressing a bit and I just feel it. And I hope it comes out in the end work.

I had no. 6 and this one rough shaped now for about two weeks. I just got inspired by something said recently. This was a great release for me and a wonderful distraction from life. I only hope to continue to learn everyday.

Here's my take on a Danish bulldog. I tried to achieve a similar feel to my first pipe, but take it in a different direction with the bowl type. I really like this one.

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:08 pm

If I didn't have full-time self-employment (meaning more than full time!), a working wife, and two young kids, I would devote every free minute to my pipe obession too. Actually, I do now, but those free minutes in the shed are so hard to come by.

Keep up the good work! But don't burn out. Find a steady pace. Remember, this pipe crafting adventure is an interminable marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:21 pm

Hollywood, make sure to bring those to the St. Louis pipe show so we can have a look in person, eh!?

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:13 pm

Dave.. the one thing I've been noticing with all your pipes to date is the area where the stem and shank meet. They all seem to be just short of a smooth transition from stummel to stem in this area. It's a critical spot and you're going to want to clean that up some as you move forward. This can happen for a variety of reasons. How are you currently working in that area as you go through your finishing stages?

Beyond that, they have all been good looking pieces of work. I'm way impressed.

flix · Post by **flix** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:14 pm

kbadkar wrote:If I didn't have full-time self-employment (meaning more than full time!), a working wife, and two young kids, I would devote every free minute to my pipe obession too. Actually, I do now, but those free minutes in the shed are so hard to come by.

[snip]

KB,

Sounds like my life, nearly to the "T"!

Nice job, h'wood. Keep up the good work and you'll have an impact. Keeping it going is the hardest part...

BTW, I like this one better than the billiard for some reason. It's probably the angle of the photos, as Rad mentioned.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:51 am

I like this one a lot, it shows tons of raw talent and an excellent eye. It also shows that you're not afraid to keep cutting/grinding/sanding until the pipe emerges. It's a wonderful pipe, and you should be very proud of it.

My only suggestion is that you do all the finish sanding with the stem on the pipe - that will clean up any rough transition between the two. I also would love to see you pick up a buffer so that you can properly wax and polish those pipes. Forget about a lathe for now, you're doing good work without one, but your pipes are unable to fully present themselves because they're only partially finished. A decent low speed buffer, or bench grinder that can be used as a buffer, isn't going to set you back all that much, and will help you bring your work up several notches all at once.

hollywood · Post by **hollywood** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:27 pm

I agree with you Kurt. They just aren't finished without a good buffing. I had a grinder I was planning on using, but it is way too high speed. I am looking to pick up one soon.

I am having a problem with the finish sanding. I am doing it with the stem in, but at times the stem slips back and I get that tiny rounded edge on the end of the shank. Getting better, but it still needs work. Until I can get that joint just right, these are just not quite up to snuff yet.

Any suggestions on how to do the sanding better? Or to get the shank/stem ends to fit better with my limited tooling?

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 2:15 pm

What do you mean by the stem slips back? Is it kind of loose in the mortise?

hollywood · Post by **hollywood** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 11:41 pm

Matt,

It's not loose in the mortise, but the more I sand by hand I guess I'm getting too aggressive and twisting the stem at times? I'm going to try to really go farther with the belt sander and go much slower with the final hand sanding to see if I can really get the next one to stay flush. Hopefully it's just a matter of fine tuning my techniques.

LatakiaLover · Post by **LatakiaLover** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:06 am

Hollywood,

If you keep improving at your present rate and the passion keeps burning, I predict you'll start receiving invitations from some masters to spend a few days in their shop. I'm already curious to see what you could do if your current "tool constraints" were removed, and you were shown some tradecraft by an expert.

Regarding #7 in particular, all that strikes me as "tweakable" is the current stem is slightly long for the Danish aesthetic, and the shank a bit too thin and too tapered. Had it been slightly thicker, and remained more cylindrical; together with a shorter stem, you would have NAILED it.

Bravo.

You realize that a bulldog is considered by many carvers to be the most difficult standard shape to pull off, right?

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:01 am

Dave, you are doing some excellent work for these being your first few pipes.

On most every pipe I've seen so far, you have great symmetry and flow, and the line on the back of the bowl is almost a mirror image of the line on the front. This is *very* rare in a new maker's pipes.

Keep it up!

Rad

hollywood · Post by **hollywood** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:43 am

Wow!

Those are really great comments. I don't know exactly what to say other than

!!!

I means a lot to hear from each of you who I have grown to really admire your work. To have found this forum is a blessing to say the least. I have found so much information here and received so much feedback on how to improve. Not just fluff, but real feedback. I can't imagine any new aspiring pipe artisan going along in the beginning without it.

LL, I too would LOVE to see what I could do with a real workshop, but that will come in time. I've been pretty good so far as to not pull the trigger on my lathe prematurely. I've just not quite found the right deal yet. It burns me everyday, but I know It will happen. I'm going to try to set up some kind of buffer this weekend if I can find the right motor today. I thought about going the drill press route for a while, but for the price of getting one, a tenon cutter, and the right vises; I should be able to find a pretty decent lathe set-up.

Anyway, I just wanted to express my thanks. The fire is churning, so I wonder what I can work on today!?!?