Looking for suggestions

[Joe Hinkle Pipes]

I will second the motion for saddle bit shaping. mine have all come out totally horrible. I cant get a smooth transition or an even saddle on both sides.

[W.Pastuch]

Banding---banding well, anyway---is definitely a tricky business. Plenty of video-worthy material, there.

But intentionally banding a pipe for decorative purposes at the time it's made has virtually nothing in common technique-wise with repairing/stabilizing a cracked shank. Demonstrating the former would mean I'd have to design and make a pipe just for the video, plus require the camera guy to hang around for unacceptably long periods between steps; while latter would be of interest only to other repairmen. All seven of them. Or is it five? http://talbertpipes.blogspot.com/2012/0 ... 6504225223

If you are attracted to banded pipes yourself for cosmetic purposes, keilworth, it's worth noting that so-called factory bands are flush in both directions, a stand-alone repair band has a ridge in both directions, and a repair band that was added at the same time as a new stem has a ridge only on the shank side. The latter two indicate damage, while the first does not. You don't want your new pipes looking like they were broken and repaired.

Before someone asks, yes, it's possible (with considerable difficulty) to flush mount a repair band, but covering that subject would reduce the video's potential audience to one or two.

I know how banding works and I know that covering the whole process in its possible variations is not possible in that kind of video presentation. I was thinking mostly about heat expanding and fitting, the more "silversmithish" part of the job. Using silver for pipemaking when you're using it just as any other material for bands, is really no topic at all- turn, fit, sand, as usual

Another suggestion if I may- staining! As a repairman you probably deal a lot with matching stains, so a nice video on how different stains and colors work together would be very interesting. Obviously every pipemaker develops his own staining techniques, but a video with an explanation of the basics might be quite useful, methinks

[oklahoma red]

I'll go along with the gang on saddle bits and working the guts (funnel creation and getting the slot finished right, etc.) I can currently do all of these things but I am agonizing slow at it. I realize things do get easier with repetition. Part of my problem is called "running a business" and as such right now my repetitions are too far apart.
Gotta work on that.
I am confident that regardless of what subject matter you opt for, your video(s) will be of benefit to many.
Chas.