Some recent pipes

[KurtHuhn]

I finished these up last weekend, and I realized that it actually has been a while since I posted a pipe here, so I'll share.

This is the first one, a really cool lovat. It's also the first true lovat I've made.



And then there's this, a bulldogish thing that sort of fell out of my brain and into the briar. As Bob Ross would say, "a happy accident".



And the last one for the moment. This is a squat acorn with a hefty shank, and paired with a small gent's knife and made available as a set. I decided to go for the "glamor shots" photography style on this one. I might do that for all my photos from now on.








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[Charl]

I like all 3, Kurt. Very nice!

Is the stem on the Lovat a bit wider than the shank? Maybe it's just the photo.

Oh, and lost a couple of knuckles on that ring of the bulldog?

[GbpBulgaria]

Hi
I like especially the number 3.
And especially the ring over the shank. They all look very nice and traditional but with your personal touch. Nice!
About the happy accident – well, why I do not have more like this ‘accidents’ with bulldog like shapes……

George

[pierredekat]

Very nice, Kurt. And I just love the "glamor shots", a nice combination there with the ubercool knife and the cutting board. Cut me off a slice.

[kkendall]

This is JUST me.... I like them all - especially the bulldog and acorn!

I've come back and looked at these over and over with the same feelings/impressions every time, so here's my observations when looking at the Lovat

The ring is a distraction. There is a nice long graceful shank then ... wham! Just seems out of place (to me) to have a big ring out there on the end of the shank.

The length of the saddle before the narrow end of the bit seems too long. That could be because the ring, dunno.

But it's a nice execution of a classical shape!

[KurtHuhn]

I like all 3, Kurt. Very nice!

Is the stem on the Lovat a bit wider than the shank? Maybe it's just the photo.

Oh, and lost a couple of knuckles on that ring of the bulldog?

Thanks, Charl! The stem tapers out a little wider than the shank. The reason is that, no matter how flat that bit would have been, something the same width as the shank (it's literally a 'pencil shank') would have been impossible to hold onto.

My knuckles are safe! I made myself a tool out of some tool steel so that I can turn the bulldog rings from the top of the bowl rather than from the side. It still looks scary, but at least my fingers are out of harm's way.

[KurtHuhn]

Hi
I like especially the number 3.
And especially the ring over the shank. They all look very nice and traditional but with your personal touch. Nice!
About the happy accident – well, why I do not have more like this ‘accidents’ with bulldog like shapes……

Thanks, George!

As I make more and more pipes, these things seem to happen. I can't explain it - it's like my fingers know more about the craft than my brain.

[KurtHuhn]

Very nice, Kurt. And I just love the "glamor shots", a nice combination there with the ubercool knife and the cutting board. Cut me off a slice.

Thanks, Robert! If all my little tobacco seedlings mature into producing plants, I'l need several knives to cut off all the cakes and plugs I'll be making! And several friends to smoke it with me!

[KurtHuhn]

This is JUST me.... I like them all - especially the bulldog and acorn!

I've come back and looked at these over and over with the same feelings/impressions every time, so here's my observations when looking at the Lovat

The ring is a distraction. There is a nice long graceful shank then ... wham! Just seems out of place (to me) to have a big ring out there on the end of the shank.

The length of the saddle before the narrow end of the bit seems too long. That could be because the ring, dunno.

But it's a nice execution of a classical shape!

Thanks! I can totally see what you mean. But, if I agreed with with you, I wouldn't have finished it like that. I tried it without the ring, but in the end, I felt the ring added so much more. That said, there's no accounting for taste - especially mine!

[LexKY_Pipe]

Your photography is as great as your pipe making! I'm jealous.

There confession is good for the soul.

[android]

nice work on all accounts. i like the knife also. did you shape the blade and harden it, etc or just make the scales to a pre-made blade?

[KurtHuhn]

nice work on all accounts. i like the knife also. did you shape the blade and harden it, etc or just make the scales to a pre-made blade?

I made the blade from a hunk of 1075 - roughed it out with an angle grinder (I don't have a metal cutting bandsaw yet), profiled it on my belt grinder, and ground the flats in with a combo of my Delta 1x42 sander and draw filing. The 1x42 frustrates me most days, and I'm damn close to fulfilling a threat I made to made to myself, and put together a nice 1x72 belt grinder. I have most of the pieces, I just need to get the finishing touches.

I hardened the blade using clay on the backspine, in a fashion similar to the way Japanese smiths harden swords and long knives. I actually just got finished hardening a couple small little things designed to be tiny little utility knives. I used a slightly different method on these, so we'll see how they come out.

[KurtHuhn]

Your photography is as great as your pipe making! I'm jealous.

There confession is good for the soul.

Thanks!

Every time I take pictures of something, I think of ways that I could possibly do it better. You should see the idiocy I have planned for the low-dollar lightbox, part 2! It's probably going to end up being the Not So Low Dollar Lightbox...

[Frank]

I made the blade from a hunk of 1075 - roughed it out with an angle grinder (I don't have a metal cutting bandsaw yet), profiled it on my belt grinder, and ground the flats in with a combo of my Delta 1x42 sander and draw filing.

That's how many knifemakers rough profile. A metal cutting bandsaw actually takes way longer.

The 1x42 frustrates me most days, and I'm damn close to fulfilling a threat I made to made to myself, and put together a nice 1x72 belt grinder. I have most of the pieces, I just need to get the finishing touches.

I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your "square wheel grinder" when it's completed. If you can afford to make it electronically speed controlled, you'll be really glad you did. I had access to a variable speed Burr King some age ago. Like driving a Rolls compared to my Pinto grinder.

[Alan L]

LOVE the acorn/knife combo!

What's the ring made of? Looks like horn from here.

Is that Cob Plug you're slicing with the knife? If so, been there, done that, want a plug slicer thingy. Lovely smoke, difficult slice. Also: Nice hamon on 1070. Is that Admiral's stuff? I'd've suspected the manganese content would make a good hamon difficult to pull off.

I'm not knocking the other two pipes, mind you: the bulldog is sweet, and the lovat only serves to remind me my favorite shape is the Canadian these days. What is it about experience that takes the pipe-smoking newb from a half-bent to a straight in 20 years or so?

I'm proud to say I got a certified lost cause converted last weekend.

A guy who had been smoking a countertop cavendish blend in a half-bent billiard basket pipe bought one of my oddities in a charity auction. After I explained the function of aerodynamics inside the pipe, plus the joys of a burble-free smoke one can enjoy with a straight vs. a bent when huffing jar-spawn aromatic goo, I gave him a bowl of 1792.

After the orgasm wore off, I think I have a repeat customer!

[KurtHuhn]

LOVE the acorn/knife combo!

What's the ring made of? Looks like horn from here.

Thanks, Alan! The ring is synthetic horn from Masecraft Supply. I swear, it's indistinguishable from the real thing once it's shaped and shined. I have a Talbert that has a horn stem, and while I can tell the difference, it's only because I know which is which.

Is that Cob Plug you're slicing with the knife? If so, been there, done that, want a plug slicer thingy. Lovely smoke, difficult slice. Also: Nice hamon on 1070. Is that Admiral's stuff? I'd've suspected the manganese content would make a good hamon difficult to pull off.

That's Briar Fox, a cake that I don't actually care for, but it made a great picture.

I'm not knocking the other two pipes, mind you: the bulldog is sweet, and the lovat only serves to remind me my favorite shape is the Canadian these days. What is it about experience that takes the pipe-smoking newb from a half-bent to a straight in 20 years or so?

I'm leaning toward straight these days, too. I like 1/8 and 1/4 bent, but they have to be *well* made. I like how I make 'em, but I end up selling all of those. I have a tester I made a few years ago that's half bent, and it smokes like a dream, but I don't have experience with other makers' pipes at that angle.

And it's in the rotation for tomorrow! Yay! Mississippi mud is the smoke of choice for that pipe, I got a particularly good 8oz tin of the stuff recently.

I'm proud to say I got a certified lost cause converted last weekend.

A guy who had been smoking a countertop cavendish blend in a half-bent billiard basket pipe bought one of my oddities in a charity auction. After I explained the function of aerodynamics inside the pipe, plus the joys of a burble-free smoke one can enjoy with a straight vs. a bent when huffing jar-spawn aromatic goo, I gave him a bowl of 1792.

After the orgasm wore off, I think I have a repeat customer!

Heh! 1792 is a great smoke. It's bite free, tastes great, and has a really nice kick to it. It's the kind of thing that dedicated Scotch drinkers know about. It's like the cask strength version of your favorite single malt, only better.

[KurtHuhn]

Also: Nice hamon on 1070. Is that Admiral's stuff? I'd've suspected the manganese content would make a good hamon difficult to pull off.

I forgot to reply to this bit last night. The steel is indeed from Admiral. It's their HR 1075/1080. After much experimentation (basically an entire 5 foot bar) I've found that the secret is to cover the entire blade in a thin wash of satanite, just a really thin coat, put on like paint and let it dry for about half an hour. Then thicken up the satanite and put a layer on about 1/8" thick, covering about half the width of the blade, leaving the edge side uncovered. Next, put the ashi pretty far apart, and make them fairly wide, keeping them away from the edge. You'll never get the level of detail that you could get from W2, but it does come out very, very strong and prominent. Of course, a couple quick dips in Ferric Chloride don't hurt either.

This weekend I have a few from the 1075 to finish up, and then I'm going to start playing with their 1095. I'm pretty sure I picked up the CRA 1095, and it's listed as having lower manganese, but not by much. What I'd love is to be able to find some W-series steel in flat bar of 1/8" or 5/32" thickness. Fat chance of that happening, I think. Until I start forging in earnest, I'm probably not going to get to play with that stuff.

[Gig]

Beautiful work :O)