Pipe #3 - Critiques Wanted

d6monk · Post by **d6monk** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:17 pm

Hi again everyone.

I just finished my third pipe friday and wanted to post it to get some critiques. I think it is my first decent pipe, so I actually spent the time to take some decent photos of it. Hopefully both the pipe and photos are an improvement from my previous pipes. It has an ABS stem (which was requested by the friend I made it for) with an ivory ring. Any advise (no matter how harsh or picky) is really appreciated. Thanks.

Also, thanks again to everyone who helped me out with my questions about drilling the airhole for this one, It was a big help!

ToddJohnson · Post by **ToddJohnson** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:20 pm

I'll let others point to specifics, but for a third pipe it is really nice. Bravo.

Todd

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:02 pm

3rd pipe!?

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:05 pm

For only your 3rd, it's bloody good. I know the ABS is more difficult to work than Ebonite, too.

flix · Post by **flix** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:45 pm

You didn't really expect us to have any criticism of the pipe, did you??!

Olivier · Post by **Olivier** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:45 am

Superb. The only part I don't particularly like is the halfsaddle stem. But that's just me. Well done on a beautiful pipe. It looks great.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:31 am

Some might say the bowl/shank transition is a little "loose" - but I don't have a real problem with it.

You did a great job of reading the briar and getting the grain lined up in a very pleasing way.

Personally, I would like to see a slice of stem material between the ivory and the shank face. That would really finish the stem off nicely.

The bottom of the bowl *could* come back towards the stem by a few mm - but it's really tough to tell from photos And that could be my personal preference.

To my eye, the bowl could stand to be a few mm higher. Not much, but it will help balance the overall shape.

Overall well done! I really don't have much to critique. Great job on teh photos and finish.

kkendall · Post by **kkendall** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:39 am

There might be a few tiny details that another carver *might* do differently - but I will say you have probably made the best #3 I've seen!

d6monk · Post by **d6monk** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 1:37 pm

Wow, thanks a lot for the praise everybody!

Kurt: Thanks for the tips and bringing them to my attention--and I agree with you. I especially wanted a slice of stem material, but the friend I was making it for was very specific that he didn't want one. He also wanted a shorter bowl (and there was a flaw on the rim I wanted to get rid of). But once I run out of friends I'll be able to do what I want

. Right now I'm really arguing with one about an impossible dublin he wants me to make him, somehow I am going to have to convince him how bad it is going to look so I can make some modifications.

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:05 pm

For a third pipe, this is positively excellent. Very well done, indeed!

I like the shank or stem ring. Whichever it is, it is very tasteful and well applied. This is a similar application as has been applied by several of the greats, Bo Nordh among them. The absence of a balancing ring of ebonite is a different and elegant approach, in my opinion. Well done.

The saddle on the shank is certainly precedented, but I would encourage you to use a round file to create a radius as opposed to a right angle. Some like the look of a sharp saddle, but frankly, it clashes with the more elegant lines and curves used throughout the rest of the composition.

The bowl/shank transition could be a little more well defined, but really the way you've done it with this piece works.

Kurt's comment about the bringing the curve back towards the stem a touch is a good one. It would especially pair well with a slight cant toward the mouthpiece on the rim. That would give the pipe a little more life and motion. But, for a more classically inspired pipe, the shape is good.

The stem is bent to just the right degree, the grain appears well read...honestly, there's little negative critique to offer here. As I said, well done.

Jeff

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:29 pm

jeff wrote:The saddle on the shank is certainly precedented, but I would encourage you to use a round file to create a radius as opposed to a right angle. Some like the look of a sharp saddle, but frankly, it clashes with the more elegant lines and curves used throughout the rest of the composition.

Jeff, I generally prefer the look of a radiused 1/2 saddle, but is there a particular pipe shape/s where a right angle saddle would look more appropriate?

android · Post by **android** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:06 pm

bravo. i think it's an absolutely beautiful pipe and the grain just pops off of it, great job.

ToddJohnson · Post by **ToddJohnson** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:18 pm

[edited by request] Dear Goat Scrumper, [edited by request]

Jeff's comments are all on point--including where he agrees with Kurt's comments. The one thing I think hasn't been said is that the stem needs to be thinned out considerably. It's a bit thick at the button and probably has too much of an cat's eye profile to it. Perhaps this is an illusion of the photography, but I think probably not. Someone here who uses calipers for something other than simply transferring measurements (

) can probably tell you what the "optimum bit thickness" should be. According to some table someone sent me, mine are around 3.11mm. Again, someone with calipers help me out here with an appropriate "range" of thicknesses.

Todd

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 4:33 pm

ToddJohnson wrote:Someone here who uses calipers for something other than simply transferring measurements ( ) can probably tell you what the "optimum bit thickness" should be. According to some table someone sent me, mine are around 3.11mm. Again, someone with calipers help me out here with an appropriate "range" of thicknesses.

If one were to take a caliper to the bits they found the most comfortable, I think they'd find that the bite area of the stem is about 3 to 4.5 mm in thickness. I think I know which table that Todd's talking about too. On that table, I seem to recall that most of the makers fell very, very close to .16 inches - basically 4 mm.

That numbers game will get you started, but I like to keep in mind that it's not all about the numbers, and that the stem has to be comfortable no matter what. The overall shape of the stem is incredibly important, and an otherwise chunky stem with a slim bite area will still feel uncomfortable when you stick it in your mouth.

I think Todd had said before that the most important tool in making a stem truly comfortable is your mouth. Test that stem as you're filing it to get it where it's most comfortable, and you'll develop a real feel for the process.

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:24 pm

Frank wrote: I generally prefer the look of a radiused 1/2 saddle, but is there a particular pipe shape/s where a right angle saddle would look more appropriate?

That's more of a stylistic thing, really. You'll find that most pipemakers are fairly consistent in their application of a radius to saddles. One exception that I can think of offhand is Brian Ruthenberg. It is just Brian's style. However, for the cut to work you've got to go deeper than on [edited by request]Harvey Wompbanger McGee's[/edited by request]. Like most shaping areas, for a flourish to look intentional it must be relatively dramatic. For this shape, you'd be better off with a deeper saddle with a radius. And if that isn't desirable, I'd forget the saddle and go with a taper.

And to Todd's point, he's right that the mouthpiece must be thinner. I wouldn't go much thicker than .150". Your slot is not at all messy, so that shouldn't be a problem. I would also, if I were you, consider tapering the mouthpiece a little more dramatically. You have a little room to move on the top of the stem and a lot more to move on the bottom. That will have the effect of reducing the "muscularity" of the shape a bit while making it a little more elegant. The functional benefit is that it will be MUCH more comfortable between the lips.

Best,

Jeff

d6monk · Post by **d6monk** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 4:02 pm

Thanks again everyone for all of your comments, I will keep everything you said in mind for my next pipe and will definitly work on thinning down the stem.