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This pipe really makes me want to start making pipes again! Truly inspirational. the line along the top of the shank where the stem begins, ie the curve between them, doesn't look exactly right to my eye. Might you be looking for the Golden Spiral in the curves? I don't believe he was going for that...

I don't know what it is, but I really like 1010. The shank and stem look thicker than you would expect for a bowl that size, but seems to work well.

KurtHuhn wrote:So, it's like charcoal flavored Krispy Kreme glaze?

mmmmmm donuts on the grill

another point to consider-- where do you place the button in your mouth? between your lips and teeth? do you clench it in your teeth? is the button past your teeth and you clench the area in front of it?

Go ahead and finish shaping and smoothing this pipe. You may not be able to smoke it, but you can practice on it without having to worry about messing it up.

When heating and bending stems, the material will pull across the top of the bend and bunch up on the underside. That is what created the loose tenon, and caused the gap. any area of the stem that becomes warm enough to be the lest bit pliable will stretch in this manner when bent. The button is eff...

I really like how the shank looks like it is folded into the stummel. And it looks like you have a nice finish on it. Don't think you could ask for much more from a first pipe than what you have here. I think you did the pipe a disservice with the ridge along the side however. It looks like it was p...

The mouthpiece is a bit wavy, but not as bad as it looks in the pics.

These are both very nice. I agree with the hairy missing link: the bottoms look a bit flat. Front to back has a nice vector, but they could use a bit more curve going up the sides. Did you use a wire wheel for the elephant skin? If so, and you want an easy, effective way to fill those pits in try th...

I like the staining on the first pipe. it fits the coloring of the stem very well. Shaping on the 2nd pipe isn't bad, needs some fine tuning on the symmetry, but it's headed the right direction. both need more time under the sandpaper however. those stems should glow. most of the sanding, and all of...

This is going up in my shop.

delrin is very pliable, and a short piece should not effect the seating of a stem to a shank. drill and face a piece of scrap briar, insert the stem into that and see if it is still off.

That's a nice subtle shape on the stummel. Now, while I like my shank to be large as much as the next guy does, in this case it may be too big. With the pre-drilled holes not quite how you wanted them, this could be a good candidate for a diamond shaped shank and stem. It could give you more flexibi...

yep, made it to the bone. worst part is, i got my rod stock today and can't work on any pipes for a bit

a cavalier style is next for me after i finish the pipe i'm working on now. I hope it turns out as nice as these two did.

for me, making a billiard with the largest circumference at the mid point up the bowl is the most difficult. Keeping the bulge from drifting up or down, and if it does drift making sure it drifts equally all the way around, is the key to learning to craft all the possible variations on the basic sha...

looks like a billiard to me, but what do i know? nice pipe btw. i really like the way the grain is shown, especially on the front. also has well defined butt cheeks. only improvement area i can see, and it may be the photo, is the transition to the stummel from the shank looks like it starts a littl...

Thanks Kurt, and I agree. the bit is way too small. It isn't uncomfortable, but it is noticeable. I'm going to have to make the tubing about an inch shorter for a longer bit though. I used the last of my acetal on this one, so waiting for my order to get here so I can do some refining. I ordered 8 f...

I only have acrylic rods. And, I was digging the chrome look. The black tube going into the bowl is Delron (Delrin, Delren? ACETAL!), and is not epoxied to the bowl, just to the stem. The chamber is also tapered, so heat shouldn't be a factor. There is 1/4 inch Delron the length of the stem to the m...

if the bit isn't cleaning itself for the first 1/4 inch or so you need a different bit