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I'm going to take Scottie's advise in >this thread< and share my most recent commissioned pipe I made over the weekend and mailed out this morning.

A smidge over 4" in length and a smidge over an ounce.






My comments:
1) Combine the fact that I really suck at photography,it was extremely hot out (for us), and it was the end of a long day and these pics really suck. E.G. I don't think pic 3 is close to being straight onto the bowl. Pic 2 because of the angle distorts the proportions a bit. It's ok though this pipe is a commission and was already sold, just some pics for my site.

2) On pic 2, you can see a haze where the side of the stem meets the back of the saddle. It would be easy for me to blame reflections or glare but I think that is actually there when viewed under the bright sun like in that pic. I watched George's video posted awhile ago an it really helped resolve the issue on the tops and the bottom of the stem, particularly behind the button. I straightened and redid the stem twice and the last time I thought I had nailed it but there it is in the pic. I am using the same procedures on the sides as on the top of saddle, perhaps it is practice and I'll nail it but if someone has tips here on what I need to do differently on the side behind a saddle I will gladly listen. Unless your George: Please have a link to your site in your sig so I can go look at your examples of nice clean pics where you nailed it

Thanks,
Bill

Cool stuff Bill!! Love strawberry wood too, tons of fun!

It's rare that I see a pipe and think that I just have to have that pipe.....this is one of them. Now I really wish I had another piece of strawberry laying around so I could make one. I really like to stem too.

Nate wrote:Cool stuff Bill!! Love strawberry wood too, tons of fun!

Thanks Nate That Strawberry sure is fun and easy to work with. I made a really really small one from the remnants of the block this pipe came from so I could try one myself and it smokes 5100 like a champ, a very sweet smoke (prolly in my head, but seems sweet to me).

scotties22 wrote:It's rare that I see a pipe and think that I just have to have that pipe.....this is one of them. Now I really wish I had another piece of strawberry laying around so I could make one. I really like to stem too.

You made my day Scottie, thank you I've got one block left myself or I'd send you one. These came from Steve and I hope he gets more in soon.

Me too. I have my name on 10 as soon as he gets them in.

That's a pretty nice pipe. I'm curious what your button and bit measurements are on this one. The button looks a bit chunky and the bit a bit thick but it may just be the nosewarmer proportions make it appear that way. Still a nice one.

In my opinion you could improve two things
- make it more shiny with carnauba wax
- and I think a sharp , geometrical cut saddle like you made is very rewarding to the pipemaker when he nails it , but it's not as nice as a smoother transition. (

There is nice flow in the shank and the wood is reallly interesting!

very nice shape and flow! I like the chunkiness of the stem, and it's steep decrease, but I agree with Wayne, the bit seems a little thick. SUPER nice pipe.

Hey guys thanks for the comments!

It's definitely the small pipe effect making the stem and button look big. Remember it's only 4" long and it's a close up pic. I use a very old set of calipers that measure in 1/32" of an inch. I stopped with the files as soon as I showed under 5/32" behind the button and a little under 1/4" top to bottom of the button. I then work through all the grits with nail files. I don't use my old calipers on a finished stem because they will scratch but I'm confident saying it's not too big. The look may be exaggerated by the stem as it's a pretty flat stem, if that makes any sense.

I tend to like a sharp saddle, it's my personal style preference. This was my commission previous to the strawberry (not for critique, please, just to illustrate):


I've been told to make blasts shinier twice lately, I'll work on that

billiard wrote:Hey guys thanks for the comments!

It's definitely the small pipe effect making the stem and button look big. Remember it's only 4" long and it's a close up pic. I use a very old set of calipers that measure in 1/32" of an inch. I stopped with the files as soon as I showed under 5/32" behind the button and a little under 1/4" top to bottom of the button. I then work through all the grits with nail files. I don't use my old calipers on a finished stem because they will scratch but I'm confident saying it's not too big. The look may be exaggerated by the stem as it's a pretty flat stem, if that makes any sense.

I tend to like a sharp saddle, it's my personal style preference. This was my commission previous to the strawberry (not for critique, please, just to illustrate):


I've been told to make blasts shinier twice lately, I'll work on that

Try Renaissance wax and a horse hair shoe brush. Yes, the petroleum smell goes away.

oklahoma red wrote:Try Renaissance wax and a horse hair shoe brush. Yes, the petroleum smell goes away.

Thanks much. I use to use this method on rusticated pipes but I went to something else and have not tried renaissance on a blasted yet. I'll give it a go on the next one. 10 years Army = I can spit shine. LOL!

A really easy way to get a deep shine on a blast, is to load the carnuba wheel heavily. Buff with some pressure, until you can see flecks of wax everywhere. Then you can take a heat gun, and gently(careful not to burn the briar) melt all the wax. Let it cool, and you should be good to go.

The Smoking Yeti wrote:A really easy way to get a deep shine on a blast, is to load the carnuba wheel heavily. Buff with some pressure, until you can see flecks of wax everywhere. Then you can take a heat gun, and gently(careful not to burn the briar) melt all the wax. Let it cool, and you should be good to go.

Nice, thanks for the tip

I LOVE that little pipe! I think you knocked it out of the park!

Thanks Jesse!!