pipemakersforum.com

I use a heat gun. You can get a small one for not to much money from a hobby / craft store.
And yes, I use a pipe cleaner in the draft when I bend stems. While not all stems require it, it only takes a couple seconds to be on the safe side.

I also use the alcohol based stain. After staining, and letting it sit for a while, I wipe the whole thing down thoroughly with alcohol to remove any excess stain. So far I have not had a problem, but I live where it is very low humidity. While smoking my pipes, my hands (I have sweaty hands) take t...

Thanks DMI, glad to know someone is keeping track of these things.

I use a drill press with X-Y Vise. The end mill is a cheap set I found on Amazon, I think it came from Grizzly. It works very well for all facing and bulk material removal. It is a simple thing to mill then drill with a single alignment of the block. http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2300/endmilldr...

bregolad wrote:....in my exuberance to make it sit, i filed quite close to the bottom of the bowl, and it came dangerously close....

Does anyone have a minimum bottom of the bowl thickness number? 0.100, 0.090, 0.080, ??????

I've bought 40-50 blocks from PME and only had 1 with a flaw that was terminal I got a dozen from PME. Only worked 2 so far and both have terminal flaws. Since I hear others have good experience with this supplier, I guess this is just the way my luck is running right now. The PME Algerian and the ...

Fantastic pipe rest.

By one definition. A billiard is 2/3 of a tall ellipse. Draw a tall ellipse. Mark it in thirds. Now, mark each third in half so that it is marked at 1/6ths overall. Make an X by the half way mark where the bulge is at 3/6 division. Now, cover the top 2/6 with your finger leaving the bottom 2/3 expos...

Prosmoking, where did I criticize a pipe of yours? EDIT: Ah, this here... http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82015 You obviously have an axe to grind. No, I have no axe to grind. Please accept my apology. I did not sell either of my pipes. I presented them and asked my friends which ty...

Don't get into the "Standard Shape" argument. No matter which description you go by the critic will use the other. :fencing: You can go by what Sasquatch says if you like. The pipe of mine he criticized has five buyers waiting for me to sell it. The one made to Sasquatch recommendations ge...

Just got a drill press, so I'm finally self-sufficient and won't have to "outsource" my pipe drilling (sounds better than "making kit pipes" :mrgreen: ) Sounds like you are following the normal path of progression. I also stared with kits and became frustrated with the limitatio...

I am having difficulty drilling a Lucite stem (vucanite also). The bit tends to bind with the cut material. This binding generates heat very quick and kinda chews the hole internals. I am using a lathe at the lowest speed. Drill a little, back out, repeat. It binds about every < 3/16 inch going in. ...

Does anyone have any pictures of tumbled pipes? Can you use a tumbler of the type designed for cartridge casings? I'm wondering about the vibrating (casings) type myself. Wonder if this would resolve the powder issue with a tumbler. The pipe that I tumbled was just very lightly effected. More of a ...

I tried using a rock tumbler but did not get the results desired. (Hoping for a sandblast effect) First round was with Lava Rock and it did not do much to the briar, only a very slight matte finish. The lava rock ground itself to powder very quickly. The powder stuck to the briar and formed a protec...