Nick wrote:Thanks bud.
Come on Ben, spill! You've kept me waiting long enough. Quit being a tease!
Sorry... didn't mean to leave you hanging that long
There are somethings like some visible glue around the shank treatment that I'm sure you can see and those aren't what caught my eye in regard to this piece.
I like the concept of the pipe. I like the shape of the shank extension and the subsequently the briar right behind it.
What stands out as, perhaps, a bit contrary to me is the the bowl vs the line. The bowl continues on in standard horn fashion but the line suddenly curles back and doesn't make it to the tip of the bowl. To my eye, I think that the line should follow the line that makes up the profile of the pipe (or be the line that makes up the profile of the pipe). Which you do, up until the very end. I like the pipes where the lines like the one you've made do not go all the way to the bowl, but I think that in most of those designs the lines rightfully end somewhere on the shank or much lower on the bowl. Now the curl concept you've gone for has some merit, IMO, but I don't think it matches the bowl shape. Honestly, I would have loved to see you finish the line in the bowl nearly as pronounced as you started it.
For the bowl shape, at the back of the bowl (the side that faces the smoker) you hint at a bit more of a "bulbous" shape, that is to say that the bowl has a bit more curve to it before it transitions into the shank. Because the sides appear to be more up and down I would have like to see the bowl be a bit more defined on the sides (which is merely a taste thing, mind you).
The other item that stands out is the stem. I'm pretty sure you hand cut it and my main problem with is the flat area after it curves out away from the shank. Not necessarily a bad looking stem, but in a pipe where everything is curving and round from bowl to shank, you have a stem with a flat spot. I would have done a more standard freehand stem with a
<>---|
type of a transition, if you get my point.
You know all the standard disclaimers that go here, not a bad looking pipe, etc. just a few comments that in general (hopefully) help us all grow in this.
Incidentally, I'll be finishing up my first SF/DS pipe later today. It has it's issues as well (drilling is one of them
) but I'm finishing her up for myself.
