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Well, I'm desparate. Out of briar. I do have one pipe on the bench, but its just not inspiring me. Hopfully, I'll finish it this weekend. Well I was reading away, The Pipe Companion I think, and it mentioned ebony as an alternative material for pipes. Well somthing in my head clicked. "Woodcrafters has blocks of ebony that would be just right!" Soooo, I'll be zipping over there this weekend and investing in a block or two of ebony. I'll probably take a peek at their other blocks too. Maybe they have some olive or even lemon wood. We'll see. Only downside I forsee is that the wood might not seasoned. That'd be a big bummer. I mean, maybe I could carve it anyway, and just let it season after I shaped it? Or would that be bad? No clue.

Well, talk to you all later.

Most wood sold at places like Woodcrafters or Rockler is sold "green". A layer of wax is applied to the outside to keep all the moisture in the wood. If you can find a dry block, go for it.

Seasoning depend on the artist, and what they plan to use it for. Some artists will soak the raw block in PG for a weeks, other will work the block *then* soak it in PG. Others just work the block and let it air dry. Some air-dry the block before working. Then there's kiln drying....

There's probably aas many ways to prep a green block as there is artists who do. Now, how to season for a pipe? I have *no* idea. Probably not with PG....

Well, ebony apparently doesn't come commonly in blocks big enough for what I had in mind. Bummer. But! I did do some research on a bit of wood I have, Poui - very greenish in color, too cool - and it seems suitable. Sooo I might give that a try. Well see. Its still small for what I really want. Then again, I could just order from Mark. At least then I'm dealing with a known subject.

I actually have a large piece of ebony I got while in Africa with the Peace Corps about 15 year ago. It's actually about a 4-5" long raw piece cut straight from the trunk probably about the same in diameter if not a little more, it even still has the bark on it. I'm not sure why I bought it, but always thought I would eventually do something with it. Having just joined the site and looking through the forums I saw this thread and may have just hit on what I'll finally do with it. Ebony is pretty difficult wood to work with though, I remember the local african carvers using hack saws to get their initial rough shapes! It's definitely in the long term though. I haven't made any pipes yet, and would want get some experience before cutting into this precious keepsake. Maybe I could have someone make a pipe for me using it....

All this talk of ebony is making me sad. I just got back from Central Africa 4 days ago and there was ebony and wenge and all sorts of exiting woods all over the place. When I tried to start looking around to buying some I got really sick and ran out of time, breaks my heart.

Good luck with the ebony though nick! Let us know how it turns out


Josh