Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathread

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RickB
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Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathread

Post by RickB »

Title pretty much says it all, or at least most of it. I think I'm getting better, but for most of these I still see a lot I'm not happy with, and I know for a fact that I'm not implementing the feedback I've received previously yet (though I am trying). As I've said a few times, I don't want to waste anyone's time, so I don't think that any of these merited their own thread, but I figured I'd still get pipes 20-24 up here for posterity.

#20 - this went to a friend of mine, was accidentally the first pipe I sold. At the time, this was the most comfortable mouthpiece I'd done:
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Loved the shaping while I was doing it, like it much less now looking back (which will become a theme). I really struggle with getting my stem face/tenon looking anything like nice (theme #2). Always have a bit of a glue line from the epoxy, not sure if that's from the hole being too big or me chewing up the delrin too much or what. Also this one taught me that from a comfort standpoint I really love a saddle bit but I suck total ass at cutting them (theme #3).
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

#21 - I'd started this billiard before meeting David Huber and had the chance to get him to look at my previous billiard - he told me the same thing Mr. Sandahl had - that it was way too tall, so I went home and immediately chopped the top of this one. Problem was that I'd already cut the chin in too far based on how tall I'd planned it originally, and then I just generally screwed the pooch on the bowl shape - back of the bowl doesn't cut straight down at the end, bowl is compressed a little front-to-back and too chubby through the cheeks. Insult to injury was that this was my first attempt at doing any stem decorations and I'd drilled holes around the tenon to try to give the epoxy more to hold on to... and then sanded into them. Anyway, kept this one. Not a looker, but smokes well. My current go-to for most Burleys that I smoke (which is to say "pretty much just OJK and Crooner").
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Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

#22 - I was fortunate enough to take David Huber's Intro to Pipemaking Class in the fall - so this was a predrilled block (from VH) and premade stem (from BW). Straight mortise to airway angle on a bent pipe, and I should have probably done a different design with that in mind, but didn't. I hadn't been planning on trying a blowfish until I had the chops for one, but David suggested I give it a shot and I figured if there was a time to try one, it was with David's help - and though I think he could have made the angles work, I could not.
Ended up putting an extension on this one to fix that mortise angle and I'm much happier with it now, though it's a big damn pipe. Anyway, this was babby's first sandblast, which I loved doing and loved the result of - too bad having a sandblast setup in my "shop" is a long way off.
Pre-extension:
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Mid-extension:
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Finished:
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Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

#23 - Did this rusticated saddle billiard for a buddy of mine. The shaping in the top line got a little lost with the rustication, and again I still eat total shit at doing saddles (and tenons). That being said, this is still probably the nicest pipe I've made to date - definitely the best billiard, and I really liked how the rustication turned out. Looking at the pictures after the fact, I think I should have made the wood rings in the stem quite a bit narrower.

Either on this one or the one before it, I'd started to notice that a lot of billiards that I liked seemed to have the weight shifted very subtly down and back in the bowl a little bit, so I've been trying to do that as well and took it too far here, though it still came out pretty close to round. I've been trying to get all my buttons the exact same size and screwed the pooch a little on this one, ended up cutting it about 2.5 mm narrower than I'd been doing.

Second pipe I've sold, and he was quite happy with it. Probably not a bad little pipe for $45.
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Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

#24 - last one for today. Learned a bunch of lessons on this one, like: "don't get tripoli on raw maple or it will stain it pinkish and then you'll stain it too dark and the end grain will stain unevenly and it will look like shit" and "measure your delrin before you cut your saddle in so you don't cut into it" and "don't clip the front of the pipe on the chuck when you're on your final buffing stages or you might cry big wet sloppy tears even though you're a grown ass man".

Same themes on this one, loved the shaping while I was doing it, think it looks sort of squished and too long now. Generally starting to think that I prefer when the transition is cut in harder, like I did on #18. Don't know that I'll try doing a curly maple extension again (the luthier in me loves it), and if I do I'll figure out a way to keep it nice and creamy. Still suck at saddles, and I admit that once I cut into the delrin, I didn't worry too much about getting all the scratches out of the stem on this one. This was shaping up to be my favorite/"nicest" pipe thus far until those eff ups near the end. Still very comfortable and smokes real well, though.
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That's it. Thanks for looking, y'all.
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
DocAitch
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by DocAitch »

You are pretty adventurous for a new carver. I have had the random thought about blowfish but haven’t jumped in 2 years. Speaks well for the future. I like your pipes in general and your self critiques are spot on.
I do notice a theme of coprophagia in some of your comments. :) I hope you brush your teeth and gargle before you smoke those pipes.:)
DocAitch
Last edited by DocAitch on Mon Jan 08, 2018 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

Heh, this coming from a guy stamping dog turds! :lol:
In all earnestness, I do appreciate it Doc. I mostly just don't want anyone getting the wrong impression that I think I know what I'm doing yet :lol:
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
DocAitch
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by DocAitch »

RickB wrote:Heh, this coming from a guy stamping dog turds! :lol:
Please note that I’m only stamping them (when I have a likely customer), NOT EATING THEM! :) :) :)
DocAitch
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
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Literaryworkshop
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by Literaryworkshop »

Got to say, I really like the #21 billiard. I think the proportions are very attractive, at least to my eye. I like the very slight forward cant of the bowl. I'd be proud to have made it.
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mightysmurf8201
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by mightysmurf8201 »

Literaryworkshop wrote:Got to say, I really like the #21 billiard. I think the proportions are very attractive, at least to my eye. I like the very slight forward cant of the bowl. I'd be proud to have made it.
Yeah as far as being your 21st pipe, that's not too bad at all. I would recommend shorting the shank just a hair though.
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

Literaryworkshop wrote:Got to say, I really like the #21 billiard. I think the proportions are very attractive, at least to my eye. I like the very slight forward cant of the bowl. I'd be proud to have made it.
I appreciate that very much! The 'offness' of the bowl shape is less obvious in the pictures but feels really obvious in person - you can see it a little bit in the shot from below - just sort of squished front to back. Got that part closer on #23, but I pulled the weight down a lot more on that one since it was oval-shanked, plus the rustication makes the lines harder (but that block needed it bad).
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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RickB
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Re: Rick's "I'm Still Making Pipes But Didn't Post" Megathre

Post by RickB »

mightysmurf8201 wrote:Yeah as far as being your 21st pipe, that's not too bad at all. I would recommend shorting the shank just a hair though.
Thank you - I think there's definitely a sweet spot I didn't quite hit. My first couple of billiards I tried to make mathematically dead-on in terms of all the various proportions and their relations to each other (shank to bowl height, stummel to stem length, etc.), and they both looked too tall and too long-stemmed - #21 was my third attempt and I think I swung the pendulum too far in the other direction. Hopefully the next one will be closer.
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
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