Uneven Natural Edge - Freehand(?)

[Grammaton]

I took the advice I was given about leaving the natural edge on my third pipe (I couldn't bring myself to remove it anyway) and thought you might like to see how it came out.







It's not flawless - by any stretch of the imagination - but I put a half bowl of Escudo through it and it smokes wonderfully.

Thanks again to Rad and Sas for the help.

-- David

[Sasquatch]

See? Cutting a button ain't THAT hard!

Currently, your turning skills outshine your briar shaping skills, of course. So - time to order some briar!

Critique wise, the shape is heavy and a little awkward, just as a guy would expect of a first pipe. "Did I sand into the bowl yet? How bout now? How bout NOW? How bout NOW?"

The beading on the stem is real nice, but the curve is a little abrupt (though very smooth) and it's (stem) too long for the stubby shape of the pipe, probably.

Progress though. All you can do is make another and another and another....

[Grammaton]

See? Cutting a button ain't THAT hard!

Currently, your turning skills outshine your briar shaping skills, of course. So - time to order some briar!

Critique wise, the shape is heavy and a little awkward, just as a guy would expect of a first pipe. "Did I sand into the bowl yet? How bout now? How bout NOW? How bout NOW?"

The beading on the stem is real nice, but the curve is a little abrupt (though very smooth) and it's (stem) too long for the stubby shape of the pipe, probably.

Progress though. All you can do is make another and another and another....

It's a deep hole - the bottom is almost but not quite 3/8 of an inch. The bowl wasn't going to be so tall at first. I'm not sure how thick the walls should be but they are also 3/8 of an inch all the way to the curve at the bottom.

I couldn't decide whether to round over the bottom but while thinking about it became preoccupied with the shank and never went back. I think it's the flat bottom that makes it look a bit clunky when viewed from the front. From the side it just looks big to me.

I had intended to make a saddle stem, but when I sketched out a few on paper the tapered ones looked better to me. The stem looks too large/long to me but it continues the lines of the shank. I'm not sure how to fix it without making it worse.
I'm going to make another stem after I think about it for a few days - maybe. I'm not sure it can be fixed without reshaping the bowl and/or the shank.

The button is way too big - not uncomfortable at first, but after an hour it becomes irritating. If I do nothing else, I'll take it down a bit.

The bending of the stem was result of it'stoohottoholdanymorewhewI'mgladthat'sover screw it because it's almost in plane with the top of the bowl. It didn't occur to me to start the bend lower down.

It reminds me of one of those Tyrolean pipes - or the top half of one.
At any rate, I can't stop now. After Christmas I'm going to order briar and some acrylic rod stock. I have only one piece of that ugly acrylic left and I can't bring myself to use it.

Thanks for the critique.

[MrChurchwarden]

Does seem sort of heavy. I would love the pipe to have a thinner shank. I can see the possible shape of the bowl peeking out underneath

[Grammaton]

Does seem sort of heavy. I would love the pipe to have a thinner shank. I can see the possible shape of the bowl peeking out underneath

Up to now I've been trying to make the end of the shank about the same diameter as the chamber (more or less). On this one I was trying to blend in the shank without thinning the walls too much.

How do you decide what size to make the shank? A percentage of the bowl diameter? A percentage of the height, maybe?

[MrChurchwarden]

Maybe I am speaking from inexperience, but it is more of a "hey that looks nice" with free hands. Obviously there is a minimum and maximum for each pipe but I dont think there is any math involved really. As much as you can know the science, it is still an art and up for interpretation. Before you thin it any though, I would sharpen the bowl/shank transition so you know what you are really working with.
Also, the stem doesn't necessarily have to be round ie http://cgi.ebay.com/ASNEW-VINTAGE-NINO- ... 729wt_1400

[Grammaton]

Maybe I am speaking from inexperience, but it is more of a "hey that looks nice" with free hands. Obviously there is a minimum and maximum for each pipe but I dont think there is any math involved really. As much as you can know the science, it is still an art and up for interpretation. Before you thin it any though, I would sharpen the bowl/shank transition so you know what you are really working with.
Also, the stem doesn't necessarily have to be round ie http://cgi.ebay.com/ASNEW-VINTAGE-NINO- ... 729wt_1400

"Hey that looks nice" is what I'm looking for. The idea of a percentage for diameters is not to have a specific number to shoot for so much as a general rule of thumb.

I'm not sure what you mean by sharpen the transition.

I think I'm going to make another stem without the large bead. I think bringing the taper closer to the shank might help.
Just holding up the stem behind the pipe looks a bit better to me.

[MrChurchwarden]

looks like it goes a lot better

[KurtHuhn]

[quote="Grammaton"How do you decide what size to make the shank? A percentage of the bowl diameter? A percentage of the height, maybe?[/quote]

The idea of a percentage for diameters is not to have a specific number to shoot for so much as a general rule of thumb.

To steal a phrase from Thad Johnstone - that "has nothing to do with nothing".

To confuse matters more: the shank should be the size that the shank needs to be.

i.e. - "there are no rules".

You can measure and apply ratios all day long, but in the end it really means nothing if the piece isn't well composed.

case in point: Years ago Trever constructed a billiard using the "golden ratio" as the primary design element. He made a great looking pipe that was probably one of the best looking billiards I had ever seen at the time. A couple years later I made one using the same design criteria, and it looked like shit. Clearly there's more to it than a ratio.

This is not to say that there are no guidelines, but the tobacco chamber has little to do with the diameter of the shank, and vice-versa. The shank should be in proportion to the bowl height, width, visual weight, overall length of the pipe, size of stem, curve of shank and stem, etc , etc, etc....

The good news is that, even though there's no real formula for this, it's really, really easy to learn. Just combine different elements in different ways, and you'll find that very quickly you're able to pick out what looks "right" and what doesn't.

Until then, you can "kind of" use the golden ratio as a guide, but don't lean on it too much, or it becomes a crutch.

[Sasquatch]

Easy to learn? Super extra fuck you, Huhn. I'm finding it extremely difficult to learn and even more difficult to put into practice. As far as I can tell, there's 3,000 ways to fuck up a pipe and out of the 250 ways that a pipe can be perfect, it's pretty easy to hit about 6 of them. I constantly look at my pipes, other people's pipes (a VERY large reason I do so much critique here is to practice up - compare my opinions with others - it's selfish rather than altruistic), constantly look for "beauty" and am surprised at where I find it and where I don't.

Things looking "right" seems to range from metaphysically interesting ideas like golden ratios to nothing more than "things we are used to seeing being sort of comfortable for us". I do up a pipe I think is beautiful, put it in my mouth and realize that as a pipe goes, it's a stupid piece of shit. Back to the drawing board!

Am I overthinking things? Maybe. But I find it very challenging to work with a set of principles that is not entirely clear - certain things are axiomatic (but for the exceptions to them), yet nothing seems taboo, and trying to define the exact elements that seperate a grade 8 shop project from a master-level pipe is ever so easy and yet impossible to do exhaustively or conclusively. "It's better." is philosophically unhelpful. The knife edge between intent and result is at play....

I appreciate all the makers here who have taken time to point out little things to me to help improve my pipes. I feel like my skill level is higher, my "making nice pipes" toolbag is a little fuller every time I talk to one of them, and every time I make (and correct) an ugly pipe. But the next guy who tells me how easy it is to learn "beauty" is gonna get it right in the goddam teeth!

And now I got some jackass wants a group 1 churchwarden with a military mount.

Hallelujah!

Holy Shit!


Where's the Tylenol?

[KurtHuhn]

Sas, maybe you have a broken "eye"?

It's easy to learn what looks good. Learning how to make it - not so much. I'd be lying if I said I'm an expert. What I do know is that I learn from all my mistakes, all the critique that is given to me, and that pipes I made 4 years ago I could make so much better today. That's normal, it happens to all pipe makers.

And please, nobody think I'm preaching from the pulpit here. Consider this more a book club discussion of merit than a sermon on intent. What is beauty? Well, to quote a politician, "I know it when I see it.".

By the way Sas, you're not allowed to punch me in the teeth. That privilege is reserved for customers that routinely drop a kilobuck for my pipes. However, considering your contribution to the forum and general helpful nature, I will allow a slap on my ass....

[Sasquatch]

You got pants on?

[KurtHuhn]

I was recently told that chaps are not, in fact, pants.

So... no.

[Sasquatch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxlhyX-4qKI

[KurtHuhn]

ROFL!!!

Well played.

I have wrapped myself in a Snuggie. We should be all set now.