Re Do 1970s effort
Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2016 11:15 pm
I was inspired by Walt Cannoy's analysis of his two pipes to re do one of my old ones, made during the 1970s.
I have always liked this pipe and have smoked the bejesus out of it, but after joining this forum, I have looked at it with new standards in my head.
A pipe with which I had been satisfied now appeared to be somewhat crude and clumsy. The contours were lumpy, the shank looked like a pie roller suck on the side of the bowl, and the stem was heavy and uninspired.
I over did the reshaping of the shank, making the previous heavy cylinder into an overly delicate but curved shank. I replaced the stem, and I minimally touched up the bowl to remove some of the lumpiness and smooth the contour.(In the photos, there is some schmutz on the stem which wiped off)
During the refinishing, dark areas appeared on the bowl that will not sand out, and I fear that this may be a sign of burnout. I don't plan on removing much of the cake, so a complete burn out is unlikely. Because of the spots, I used a dark walnut stain which would not be my first choice for a briar pipe, and it looks a little spotty. I am not sure if this is due to the age and well used condition of the pipe or if there is a technical difficulty with my staining method.
The shank is now overly delicate and it is unlikely to survive a drop, so the pipe will stay home with me.
Walt Cannoy, if you read this, thank you. Although I didn't "get" all of the message in your analysis, enough stuck with me that I am now attempting to apply it.
DocAitch
I have always liked this pipe and have smoked the bejesus out of it, but after joining this forum, I have looked at it with new standards in my head.
A pipe with which I had been satisfied now appeared to be somewhat crude and clumsy. The contours were lumpy, the shank looked like a pie roller suck on the side of the bowl, and the stem was heavy and uninspired.
I over did the reshaping of the shank, making the previous heavy cylinder into an overly delicate but curved shank. I replaced the stem, and I minimally touched up the bowl to remove some of the lumpiness and smooth the contour.(In the photos, there is some schmutz on the stem which wiped off)
During the refinishing, dark areas appeared on the bowl that will not sand out, and I fear that this may be a sign of burnout. I don't plan on removing much of the cake, so a complete burn out is unlikely. Because of the spots, I used a dark walnut stain which would not be my first choice for a briar pipe, and it looks a little spotty. I am not sure if this is due to the age and well used condition of the pipe or if there is a technical difficulty with my staining method.
The shank is now overly delicate and it is unlikely to survive a drop, so the pipe will stay home with me.
Walt Cannoy, if you read this, thank you. Although I didn't "get" all of the message in your analysis, enough stuck with me that I am now attempting to apply it.
DocAitch