pipemakersforum.com

In regards to meers: If your meers are relatively newer pipes, yes, plug both ends and dip in molten beeswax. If it's an older pipe (like early 1900s or before), odds are it used spermaceti as a finish. Now, obviously, spermaceti is Not An Option Anymore (because, well, they used to get the stuff fr...

Yes, I know it's been dog's years since I've posted here. Unfortunately contract work ate my time for pipemaking for a while :3 Anyways, still been working on meerschaums (including occasionally getting Turkish meer with stems from suppliers on those rare occasions that "Turkish-legal" mee...

Tim West truly *is* good folk in my book (speaking on the times I have spoken with him via phone...he was actually the one who first noted to me regarding Utah meerschaum, for starters)... He's been quite friendly regarding any questions folks may have, especially people who are just starting out in...

As it is, I can get plenty of cane (then again, I don't go for huge diameters and there are decent crafts stores near me; I also don't go for the really dense jointed stuff, preferring the look of natural cane a la a Japanese pipe with a bit more spacing between the joints). I've also been very much...

I'm taking notes on this for the day I can get my pipemaking tools up *beyond* hand tools :3 (Yes, I am insane. I am presently working briar with the *only* power tool being used being a cordless drill...and possibly a Dremel at some point...everything else is sweat, horsepower, sanding, carving wit...

*LOL* Yes, a First Pipe Gallery is seconded :3

(Although my "first pipe" is an old clay that wasn't *technically* my first, but is the oldest pipe I've done that I still have around that I've made...before I knew ANYTHING about pipemaking...)

Sorry, no answers. But, I do have a related question. Is it pretty typical for one to suck tobacco up the stem while smoking. This seems to happen quite a bit on some of my pipes. Is that a sign of a poorly designed pipe? I wouldn't think so, seeing as *every single pipe* I have ever owned does thi...

I myself like 5/32" myself; it's a happy medium between Big Boreholes and the minimum limits of unusability. I will also note this is *not* a grain issue--I've seen the same thing happen on meers and clays with tiny boreholes. If anything, it's a "the bore is too darned little" issue ...

That's actually a *very* useful tip--thanks :3 As for wooden churchwarden stems, I've seen two ways to do it...one being using a larger-than-usual dowel and drilling/lathing/steaming, and the other being to splice two halves together after drilling then steaming/gluing. Boiling the dowel works, but ...

I'd actually had Utah-sourced meer originally mentioned to me by the owner of J. H. Lowe pipe repairs; apparently a friend of the owner gets meer from Utah for reproduction cane tops and such and has had success with it. The stuff is available at http://www.greatrough.com for those interested; typic...

If bandsaw blades are anything like hacksaw blades (I am poor, and have never really been able to afford power tools other than the trusty Dremel and a power drill...so I've generally done stuff the *old* fashioned way, with hand tools :3) I can certainly vouch for using metal ones! I've found hacks...

The dimensions of the pipe are roughly 2" by 1 1/2" by 2 1/2" (the bowl itself is probably closer to 1-1 1/2", maybe about an inch or so deep by 5/8" wide for tobacco)--it does look big, but it is smaller than some meers I've seen. It *is* probably the largest pipe I persona...

Anyways...if anyone cares to see them, here's a few photos of the latest thing I've done (the pipe out of block Utah meerschaum). Yes, it has been used, it works quite well :3 http://www.stormwarning.org/foupix/pipepix/bigclawrightside.jpg http://www.stormwarning.org/foupix/pipepix/bigclawleftside.j...

P.E. Hermann offer block Turkish block meerschaum. There are a couple of Danish guys who work it. If you need their names then I can hunt them down for you. Here is the link to Hermann's meerschaum http://shop.hermanns.dk/group.asp?group=52 The "cheese" consistency is greatly exaggerated....

Parmesean cheese--okay, yes, that IS close to the consistency of the Utah stuff I've worked with :3 (It will carve with woodworking knives, especially after a good soak...very occasionally I do have to get a woodworking saw or Dremel out, though. :3) As I've noted, I am sort of new at this (and the ...

Ah, understood...(That would fit with what I was thinking as far as stems for briar pipes). As I've noted, I've not generally worked with briar, and stems for briar and for clay/meer pipes *do* differ; meers, for example, actually have *two* bits of delrin--one which screws into the stem (as noted b...

As far as briar or other wood pipes, afraid I can't be of much help; I do know with meer and *delrin* or old bone fittings, the standard sizes/threads seem to be: 1/4"-20 (for miniature pipes) 5/16"-18 (for standard sized pipes) I would *think* that you should be able to get silver tubing ...

FWIW: a) Thanks for sourcing on delrin for tenons and such. (I've been looking for a good source!) b) I am assuming (possibly incorrectly) that this thread is involving the use of delrin for tenons in briar or other wood pipes, correct? (I'd never heard of epoxying delrin tenons in before...then aga...

In regards to meerschaum: I myself have experienced the "can't get real block Turkish meerschaum" problem myself, thanks to the export laws. (Unfortunately for me, the export laws sort of came into being before I was even *born* :P) Anyways...generally when I've worked in meer, I've used t...