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Do you recimmend patching the flaws or not? Also what causes the darker shadow near the top of the stummel?

Assuming it's for you, no. Just fill it with tobacco and smoke it.

If it's for a customer, no. Rustication or sandblasting would be better.

The darker coloration at the top is where the stain penetrated the wood more. This is typical where you stain end grain of almost any wood. Also, if you're resting teh pipe upside down while the stain dries, it could sit around the bowl rim, enhancing the effect even more.

Thanks Kurt, It was intended as a X-mas gift for my father.

For my preference, I would say to leave natural blemishes alone if your not going to sand blast or rusticate. If you fill a natural blemish it could look like you have filled a mistake you made. witch I think, a is a lot less excusable than if there is a natural blemish. People can forgive wood for not being perfect a lot easier than they can forgive people for not being perfect. I find natural “blemishes “ to be interesting and I might even want to try to show them more. They can be a reminder that this hunk of wood was once a living thing with its own quarks and flaws. I think this helps people to relate more with the wood as we all have our own quarks and flaws.
That being said, I'm new to pipe making so I could be totally off base as far as pipes are concerned. just my $.02
Cheers,
Nate

Zeeborn wrote:For my preference, I would say to leave natural blemishes alone if your not going to sand blast or rusticate. If you fill a natural blemish it could look like you have filled a mistake you made. witch I think, a is a lot less excusable than if there is a natural blemish. People can forgive wood for not being perfect a lot easier than they can forgive people for not being perfect. I find natural “blemishes “ to be interesting and I might even want to try to show them more. They can be a reminder that this hunk of wood was once a living thing with its own quarks and flaws. I think this helps people to relate more with the wood as we all have our own quarks and flaws.
That being said, I'm new to pipe making so I could be totally off base as far as pipes are concerned. just my $.02
Cheers,
Nate

Nate,

That's a lovely notion. It sounds as though you're a man that really loves wood as I do. However, I don't think there is a collector alive who takes this same tack. Unfortunately, those nasty little flaws have to disappear somehow. Fills are looked at as unfavorably as the flaws themselves, so it's a bit of a conundrum for new pipemakers who have not yet developed the skills to work around such flaws or purchase briar unlikely to have such flaws. I tend to leave little bits of burl--the outside skin of the briar--to point to the organic nature of the wood, and even that is not received well by some, but fissures and pits are unlikely to receive any sort of favorable reception from anyone.

Todd

ToddJohnson wrote:However, I don't think there is a collector alive who takes this same tack. Unfortunately, those nasty little flaws have to disappear somehow.

Thanks for the insight Todd. I thought that might be the case. Well you all can send me your flawed briar and pipes. I'll gladly take them off your hands.
-Nate