long stem pipes

[BLC]

Good day ladies and gentleman. This is my first post. For those that care to read a quick background...I joined a few years back and started reading. I spent a year or so trying to educate myself on pipes while I slowly put together a general workshop. I had some amount of wood working experience but almost zero on pipe making; so no piece of information was taken for granted. I would like to take this time to formally express my gratitude to the very generous pipe makers that have taken the time to share their hard earned knowledge. I felt I have found a gold mine of info. As my knowledge increase along with the versatility of my workshop the materialization of my ideas took me in a direction I did not anticipate at the beginning of this endeavor. After a year or so of reading and experimenting a idea started to grow...I spent the next 18 months practicing until I reached a point where I felt confident that I would end up with a pipe at the end of the day and not a fancy piece of firewood. Now I feel confident enough, that I wont be laughed off the stage, to show some of my work for critique. I’m using a single piece of black cherry for all the pipes you are about to look at. The average length is approximately 17". I hope you at least get a kick out of them.

Thanks Dan

P.S. A big thank you to Kurt and Tyler for hosting this forum.









I hope this isn't too many pictures?

[Mark Beattie]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing. Maybe, somewhere down the road, you'd like to offer some insight into how you interpreted design and techniques suggested in the forum, and applied them to these wonderful pieces. Cheers.

Mark

[d.huber]

These are pretty cool. Not really my personal cup of tea, but I respect the work you put into them. My favorite is the rose pipe.

[The Smoking Yeti]

These are really interesting pipes for sure! I don't think I can critique them as they're so off my beaten path. I second Huberpoober though, I love the rose one. How do they smoke?

[Growley]

Pretty cool. The first if my favorite. What are you using to drill those suckers out?

Brian.

[Alden]

Excellent consistancy and very clean lines. Sure beats the crap out of those macqueen "wizard" pipes. Thats what these remind me of, dont know if LOTR is what you were going for ?
One thing bothers me, and thats the straight shanks/stems on a bent bowl, but I suppose you could just sort of hold the pipe in your hand and sip from the end of the stem.

[BLC]

Hi guys..sorry for the time delay...I still have to work the full time job thing.

Thanks for the replies and kind words. They are very much appreciated...right up there with whom every put a spell checker on this forum!

Mark...great question. I'm not sure if my answer is worthy. First I believe form follows function in design. Once the thing you're making does what it needs to then all you have to do is please yourself when it comes to shape. After I got a handle on what was required to make the pipe work and yes it does work, giving a very smooth and cool smoke; I simply followed the money at the time. I had several request from friends once they seen me smoking mine sitting around the fire in the back yard one night. And word got around. I originally made one for me and my bother to help keep the mosquitoes away! I didn't share that with them. I simply started refining the shape following what I read on the comment section of this forum. I started out by buying estate pipes of eBay and cutting them open; repairing them, remaking them with different stems. This did not satisfy my need to be different, these long stem pipes do. I have not sold a ton of them but one guy did buy five off me...it was a nice day! They are most certainly not for everyone, but the ones that like them have to have one.

UberHuberMan...Thanks for the kind words. I have several drawing on my desk for a Tulip pipe that I hope to get to this fall. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of them also.

The Smoking Yeti...I believe they smoke very well. They were made to use while relaxing...a glass of (insert relaxing beverage here) in one hand and the pipe in the other while unwinding in the evening. I find the smoke cool and dry by the time it hits my mouth. The extra long exposure the smoke has to the wood in the pipe pulls the excess moisture from the smoke...kind of like a calabash would. I abandoned the button early on because no one is going to let these hang from their mouth, plus...with the button gone you could relax how the pipe was held thus adding to the relaxing that was to be taking place. Does any of what I just said make sense?

Growley...I really like the look you've chosen for your website. Well Brian...the answer to your question is quite simple...I mount the pipe on my lathe and use a drill bit mounted in the tail stock to drill the shaft. The implementation of the simple concept is anything but simple. It took me approximately 18 months of practice and working on my set up to get it right and make it quicker. I started using a ordinary double fluted bit from Milwaukee Tools and found it was way too slow (60 to 80 minutes) drilling out the hole, so I had a few custom made single fluted gun barrel bits made up that I blow compressed air through. These bits speeds up this step to about 10 minutes. However most of the custom made tools were made to speed up the shaping process. If people are interested...I may be able to find a photo or two.

Alden. Thank you for the kind words. My father laughed out loud the first time he seen what Macqueens calls a pipe. There is no denying the similarities in looks of the LOTR pipes but I do believe mine are superior in design and function. Sipping from the stem is what I made these to do, as to the straight stem...if you can hold on a few months I'll have some pictures of my new bent ones. I've made a new stemming set up to bend the shafts and as soon as I can find the time I'll start bending a batch. The ones I've bent in the past looked great. I'll keep you posted.

I hope I've help.

Here is one just to show they don't all have to be super long.

[caskwith]

Might be a stupid question here but a couple of those pipes look like they are made of Yew, is that right?

[BLC]

All of the one in the pictures are Cherry.

Dan

[caskwith]

All of the one in the pictures are Cherry.

Dan

Phew, thats ok. Sometimes, especially in pictures it can be very hard to tell the difference between darker cherry and heartwood of yew and it wouldn't be the first time I have seen someone make a yew pipe!

[BLC]

Hey guys...it's been too long. I thought I'd drop a few new pictures of a few commissioned pieces on here.

[maxmil]

A very original idea.
Bwest regards.
Félix

Una idéa muy original.
Saludos.
Félix

[BLC]

or as soon as I figure out how to post the pictures again.

[Ocyd]

Those are some sweet pipes. What is that blue material you used for the mouthpiece on that one?

[PremalChheda]

Very cool, and nice work on shapes and finishing. You have a very unique design/material it is hard to critique. It looks like your craftsmanship is good. Maybe more options on stems?

[BLC]

Hey Ocyd, If I remember correctly it's acrylic. Pretty much a pen blank from Penn State Inc. http://www.pennstateind.com/ Not my favorite to work but they do look good. Premal...thanks for the kind words. I've been working on the stems a bit...more pictures to come soon.

BLC

ok...here are a few of the others I've been working on.

[Ocelot55]

Get this boy a block of briar!

Seriously though, these look like nice work. Not my taste, but it shows a certain competency with tools and materials.

[CJN]

I would happily smoke any of those pipes! They all look great.

[d.huber]

Get this boy a block of briar!

Seriously though, these look like nice work. Not my taste, but it shows a certain competency with tools and materials.

Agreed. Nice work.

[BLC]

Thanks for the kind words guys...means a lot. I've been plugging away here trying to learn what I could before I tossed myself into the mix...didn't want to waist to much of anyone's time with tonnes beginner questions. I'm now feeling ready to find a mentor for some face-time...so to speak. Any friendly guys out there living anywhere near Barrie Ontario?