pipemakersforum.com

You could just buy cheap ebay pipes and then sand them down and practice on them. I use them to practice on rustication techniques and staining. A word of caution to rank beginners buying estate pipes on eBay to practice on. I did the same thing prior to having any "pipe knowledge". True ...

If I recall correctly from a much earlier post, Kurt and I exhaustively researched the topic of variable speed/constant torque. There are only two solutions, Variable Speed DC Motor, or 3-phase variable frequency speed control. I think Kurt rigged up one of those for his knife belt grinder. Those fa...

If you have a steady hand and decent writing skills, you could use one of those pencil size woodburners.

Be very careful when sanding Meerschaum, this stuff is almost as soft as plaster-of-paris. Start with a finer grit than you think you need. When you have sanded it to its final shape, hand sand it through a series of Micro-Mesh sanding sheets, all the way from 1800 to 12000 (approx. 600 to 4000 stan...

nothing like a recycled thread. :mrgreen: I 'spose if it only came up once there wouldn't be a need for recycling.... Stick around a few years, this subject is "recycled" here more often than you realise. I recall Todd giving newcomers the (very) sharp edge of his tongue for having the au...

I remove them and put them aside somewhere, in case I sell the pipe and the collector is crazy that way . Some quality pipes used such gimmickery including Dunhill's goofy tube and Comoy's. Sometime back when I used to refurb a lot of estates, I would always remove the "stingers" and thro...

I am not a dork, I am a geek. There is a decided and distinct difference, mostly relating to whether or not you had a teen lust/crush on Wilma Deering or not. Geeks did. A passion for Erin Grey in skin-tight lycra spacesuits is what joins us and binds us together, and separates to totally from the ...

Nick wrote:Trever's a dork!!

Everyone knows Trever's a dork. Trever knows Trever's a dork!

the towel is a must Oh great!! Now you tell me!! True story : Whenever we attend shows/fairs out of town we stay at some or other motel. However, I always pack a towel in my bag. One day The Boss asked me howcome I pack a towel when the motel has towels. My reply was, "Hitchhikers' Guide, my d...

What Kurt pointed out, also immediately caught my eye as well with regards to the top/bottom view.
As for the fishtail button/bite, I think it's a reasonable solution for a narrow stem, as opposed to a long taper - looks OK to me.

Steve , you learned the hard way, in your bow making, what many beginner pipemakers tend to learn for themselves (myself included on occasion) - listen to what the experienced pipemakers have to say. The smart ones learn this pretty quickly, while the real geniuses (sarcasm) try to reinvent procedu...

Nick wrote:Americanartsplastics.com has bakelite. No clue as to how good or bad it is

Todd has mentioned using it a few times. I'm interested to hear his comments as to why he prefers it over.... whatever.

A draught hole 4mm too high is actually pretty shoddy work. If even a rank amateur like myself can get the holes spot on almost every time, I'd expect better than 4mm above the bottom for a predrilled block. It's your money spent and it will be your time invested in making the pipe. If it's already ...

Mike Messer wrote:...and then there is flying. You look around a bit, then just spread your wings and get into the wind.

...or, just throw yourself at the ground... and miss!

T3pipes wrote:Global Warming killed off the fairies. This fossil proves that the air was so filled with impurities that it encapsulated them in mid-flight.

I'm sorry to say, that theory was scientifically disproved. They were encapsulated using evil magic. That is a known Toddism fact!

ToddJohnson wrote:I've heard it's made from real Elves, though, which is pretty cool.

TJ

Tyler wrote:

KurtHuhn wrote:I don't agree with the half saddle. Leave it as-is.

+1

+2

You've got to go to Costco or BJ's (HA!) wholesale clubs and get the multi-gallon buckets. Also works works wonders as conditioner for your leather chaps... :mrgreen: I knew if I searched hard enough I'd find a picture of Kurt in his assless chaps!! So, who's volunteering to wrestle him know?! http...

When I am able to start getting some better tools for making my own stems, what would be the first thing I would want to get (other than something to drill with. It seems that a belt grinder would be the most logical choice. Is 2" the preferred width? As Kurt said, start with a drill press. As...

... for saddle bits, and I can't really decipher their descriptions. (snip) The generic ones I've been getting have come with a rounded off saddle and I was looking for something a little more square (not a square bit, just a more defined saddle). Thanks. If I understand you correctly, the premolde...