Purchased my first Briar today; some issues/questions

[Dixie_piper]

Bought myself what I believe to be a 1/4 bent billiard today (still working on noting the subtle differences)
It is a true blown "bargain bin" special. I had to wicker baskets full of pipes to choose from; $20 for "run of the mill," $30 for their special pipes. My cheap a$$ went with the $20 basket mainly because you could tell the "special pipes" had been smoked (yuck!)
Few questions;
1) could I buff the "swirl marks" out of the shoddy finish?
2) could I ease the draw by drilling the tenon hole a little larger (it has a very rough draw and the tenon hole is 3/16" at most)
3) will someone please kick me in the seat of my pants next time I decide to bargain shop for pipes?!?! lol
I'm wanting to work on this one, because even at a level below beginner I doubt I could make it any worse!

Oh, but the guy there recognized Kurt & Todd's names when I asked if they ever carried hand made pipes, to which he replied "cash up front, and talk to that guy over there" I think the other guy owned the place?

[Sasquatch]

3/16" would be huge, but the draw shouldn't be rough. As for the finish.... you could sand it down and practice up, but that ain't gonna be a pretty pipe no matter what. Your pipe cost less than I pay for briar.

[Dixie_piper]

okay, thanks!
I'm "guesstimating" on that tenon size, I could be wrong. Still searching the forum for some more of the basic info on tenon sizes and whatnot.
I did read that with factory made bent stem pipes the tenon is often times not center with the smoke hole on the shank. Gonna run a pipe cleaner through 'er when I get home to check for snags.
Oh, believe you me, this pipe's chances at being pretty are about like mine; it ain't happening! I honestly doubt that it's actually briar to be honest.
The finish just irks me, looks like the damn thing's calico, and it's much cheaper for practicing on. I mainly got the el cheapo grande for a visual aid (just the gist) and for smoking at work, around the fire, etc, etc. Not to mention, if I monk it up, I'm only out $20

[KurtHuhn]

Bought myself what I believe to be a 1/4 bent billiard today (still working on noting the subtle differences)
It is a true blown "bargain bin" special. I had to wicker baskets full of pipes to choose from; $20 for "run of the mill," $30 for their special pipes. My cheap a$$ went with the $20 basket mainly because you could tell the "special pipes" had been smoked (yuck!)
Few questions;
1) could I buff the "swirl marks" out of the shoddy finish?
2) could I ease the draw by drilling the tenon hole a little larger (it has a very rough draw and the tenon hole is 3/16" at most)
3) will someone please kick me in the seat of my pants next time I decide to bargain shop for pipes?!?! lol
I'm wanting to work on this one, because even at a level below beginner I doubt I could make it any worse!

1) Maybe. If it has swirl marks, and is smooth, I would hazard a guess that it's lacquered. There's nothing really wrong with that on an inexpensive pipe if it's done well, but you can see what happens when it isn't. Got a picture to demonstrate?

2) By tenon hole, do you mean airway? If the airway is 3/16", that would indeed be a huge airway by most estimations. Typical airway size is 5/32", though 9/64" and 1/8" (quite rare) can be used. You might be able to get a get a better draw by drilling it out a little, but if it's bent and the airway in the shank and the airway and the stem don't line up, you'll get a restricted and rough draw. Also, a big cause of crappy draw is that the end near the button isn't properly funelled and smoothed. If there's molding flash or anything in there, it will make for a difficult draw.

3) Hey, we all start somewhere. There's guys who do nothing but recondition and resell old pipes and basket pipes, and a few are members of this forum.

Oh, but the guy there recognized Kurt & Todd's names when I asked if they ever carried hand made pipes, to which he replied "cash up front, and talk to that guy over there" I think the other guy owned the place?

In Georgia? What was the name of the place? (PM me if you want to keep that out of the public view)

[Dixie_piper]

Okay, I tried the pic thing through photobucket, still sorting through the FAQ to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Having to use my PDA to do it, so it's a real P.I.T.A.!!!
Anywho, the air way is 3/32" I believe, I know it is less than 7/64" (used my bits as a rough gauge)
My "plans" are as follows;
-Attempt to straighten the twisted stem (twists like a corkscrew) if possible
-Refinish the stummel and stem
-Work the bowl bevel level (divots roughly 1/16" all around it)
-May shape the bottom of the stummel, the "heel" (bottom of the bowl outside?) to center it
-If I can find out how to, try to correct the misalignment of the tenon/shank.
-The button end of the stem does have a few spots that catch the pipe cleaner, (as does the stem/shank junction in the airway) I would like to file the rough spots out. I believe (as Kurt pointed out) that may be the culprit for the shoddy draw, coupled with the misalignment

Never expected my first piping efforts to be working on a factory pipe, lol.

[Dixie_piper]

Oh, the tobacco shop was in SC. Piedmont tobacco I believe? They're life blood is Cigars, but fair selection of factory pipes. Didn't get any names, completely slipped my mind.

[Dixie_piper]

[Dixie_piper]

My $20 pipe, and $5 baccy'



The crooked stem


The dark finished side

Chamber, camera didn't show flaws very well in finish or sanding

[themathclub]

lol i was expecting quite a bit worse. the pics are rougher than the pipe looks. it seems that you did alright. what are you smoking in there?

[Dixie_piper]

The pics sucked, need a better camera.
For now I'm smoking regular Largo, looking to get some G.L. Pease this weekend though

[themathclub]

if you like aromatics, there is a shop in albequrqueueue... (ABQ new mexico) called stag tobacconist. they have an incredible vanilla mix called bosses blend that has the best blend with the least tounge bite, that i have ever run across, and best of all, it is only like 5$ an oz. they blend it there, so you may have to pay shipping but its well worth it. i have some relatives down there and they were kind enough to send me 3 oz. also in fort worth tx. there is a place called lake worth cigars that has some great shop blends for roughly the same price. aristocrat is a nice complex and mild blend. off topic, but thought u would like to know.

i live in the mountains so i have to mail order ALLL my pipe tobacco lol.

[Dixie_piper]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out.
We've got a few tobacco shops around here, but only one that rates as much more than a discount cigarette store. I'm hoping to catch them open soon to give em a look see.
Thanks again!