pipemakersforum.com

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I am reading, or at least, I am now.

I am bumping into more challenges than I expected in the briar department. I am still working though, and I am very certain it is possible. The hardest part is getting the right briar, as this thread indicates. I do have a few good things finally coming together though, but the question remains price. There are a lot of hoops to jump through to work this out (and e-mail is a really crappy way to figure things out), the trick will be keeping the cost of each hoop-jump down.

More to the topic, I have not had many pipes destroyed by pits -- it's cracks that get me. I wonder at times if the ultra-dry climate I live in dries blocks too quickly. I don't do anything other than stick them on the shelves. I dunno though.

I general I would say that buying better briar is the key. The mills know briar. When they set aside blocks as good ones, they know what they are doing. That is why some blocks cost $60 and some cost $2. While there are no guarantees, there IS a difference. I have found that the way to get great smooth pit-free pipes is to either make several dozen pipes with $10 briar, or a few with $40. There is a difference. As radom points out though, you have to be able to sell your pipes for enought to justify the expense. Of course, smooth straight-grained pipes help in the price department!

I was talking to Todd the other day, and he commented to me that between the briar he is getting and shaping pipes before drilling them, he is having trouble getting pipes he would rusticate. He has commissions for rusticated pipes, and they are coming out smooth. Bummer, huh?

The moral of the story: buy the best briar you can. (Hopefully I can change that to "buy briar from Tyler Lane" in a few months.)

Tyler

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I'm with you guys and even thought I live on the continent where briar grows its a battle to get first class briar...

mainly I think the greatest problem when looking for the best is that your after some 5-15% of what a cutter produces, now natrually he is bound to be selective when chossing who to sell this to and many of the established makers will buy 200-400 blocks a year of this class wich is hard to compete with if your only after your 10-15 blocks a time...
I have the opportunity to travel pretty cheaply to the lands of the briar myself and I think I will be taking on such a jurney within the next year as it beats the crap out of emailing...

I have fucked up a few of my first class peices and its not a good feeling i tell you ;( !!!

Best Love
www.geigerpipes.com

I've gotten some very crap blocks, as well as some very good blocks. I've never gotten a "good" block of plateaux, there have always been cracks and wormholes in them. On the other hand, I've gotten some pristine ebauchon blocks from half a dozen different places. It's a crap-shoot for sure, and the odds are against you.

I've started getting my blocks directly from the cutters in Europe. After shipping and handling, the blocks still cost less than half what you would pay in the states. The only thing is, you have to buy in bulk - 50 blocks minimum. The benefit, though, is that the more you buy, the better the price. I'm currently waiting on a shipment from one cutter, and depending on how his ebauchon look, I may be ordering my plateaux from him as well.