Smooth Billiard and Blasted Rhodesian

[sean]

Would love your thoughts!

[Dixie_piper]

The rhodesian I like very much. Maybe just a wee bit too much bend in the stem for my personal tastes, but that's irrelevant really.
The finish on the billiard is awesome! I'm curious as to what color(s) stain that is? Really makes it pop either way. I see just a little dip in the back of the bowl from the side shot, could just be the pic though.
Nice job, I like

[maxmil]

The most beautiful is the Rhodesian.
Regards.
Felix

[Pooka]

Like the wild grain on the billiard. Neat.
Both pipes are great.

[jogilli]

I really like the Rhodesian although the front of the bowl is a little straight toward the shank

[Abi Natur]

Hey Sean,
I find both pipes are very well executed,a beautiful grain on the Billiard and the sanding on the Rhodesian is also prime work,very nice!

But the saddle on the Billiard stem could have been more defined,so that it underlines the stem-shank transition more dynamically and the stem seems to be a little bit too long ,i am not sure but i am certain something on the stem dimension is not agreeing to my eye.

The stem on the Rhodesian should have been straighter ,again from my point of view.

Best,
Abi

[sean]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

[Sasquatch]

Okay enough of kind words. Let's cut to the chase here.

Both pipes have a lot of strong points and basically present as well-made.

On the billy, the staining right at the bowl/shank area needs to be evened out, either by more buffing or more likely by more careful sanding at 220 and 320 in that area. The shape of the bowl is just a little rigid and just a little brandy-ish. Most billiards fattest basically in the middle, but they don't look to the eye to be so, do to the difference in the top and bottom shape (a slight taper up top and the long round swoop around the bottom). Also, a slight forward cant goes a long way to just relaxing the shape a little. I like your shank, I like the taper, like the saddle and I like the bit work. Looks like an emminently smokeable pipe.

The blast on the rhodie is great, you picked a great piece of briar and got a lot out of it. Ring work - one is deeper than the other, and this to me detracts from it. But the overall shape and proportion is quite nice - I like that stummel a lot. (I think an argument could be made that the angle of the top could be flattened some, for a slightly less tall pipe, but I have no idea if there is some standard to appeal to in this regard)

The joint to the stem goes "bump" up top but not below. And I have come to basically think that bending a stem should only happen if the stummel reflects some angle, and in this case it doesn't. I think the bottom line of this pipe as a whole would be better and more uniform with a straight taper stem.

All in all, good stuff and I'm being a critic because I think you want to continue refining things Sean, and really what I am seeing here is stuff that I have seen in my own work, stuff that I fight on my own pipes, and basically things that are the difference between cooking up a pipe that most smokers will say "Oh that's great man" and cooking up a pipe that people look at and say "That is a superbly crafted pipe and I wanna buy it." Lots of buyers won't even know why they like one more than another, specifically, but they know when their wallet is itchy, and wallets get itchy when you correct these little things.

[sean]

Thanks Sas! As always great points and things to work on. Back to the shop! I've got a new blasting set up and this makes a WORLD of difference. Trying to slowly define "my look" based on the tools I have available to me... Having fun.

[Charl]

Except for the comments already made, for me (read rookie), the shank on the billiard looks too long. It's always difficult when putting a saddle stem on a billiard, it tend to make that area seem too long. Towards the top of the bowl, it also seems to come in too suddenly, instead of gradually.
On the rhodesian, one of the things that immediately caught my eye, is the area where the shank and bowl meets. It seems to me that taking a bit more off there, would make the world of difference.
If people reply to the pipes you post, it means that you're doing something right, so great stuff!

[sean]

Thanks for your comments Charl!