A couple Of Pipes I Would Appreciate Some Comments On

For discussion of the drilling and shaping of the stummel.
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shikano53
Posts: 267
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:50 am

A couple Of Pipes I Would Appreciate Some Comments On

Post by shikano53 »

First is a straight apple.
I realize that in order for a pipe to called a 'bent' pipe the shank has to bent, not just the stem. I'm struggling with finish and sanding. I have a 1" belt that I use with various grits but I am still having trouble because I find that I can make a real mistake in the blink of an eye. I bought a few 5" foam backed pads and that I glue grits from 60 to 400 on. I don't have anything other than my lathe to attach them to so I move my drill chuck from my tail stock to the head stock and attach my wheels. I find with those that I am slowly getting better control. I have trouble also not ending up with a file groove right along the sides of the stummel and at the very top of the shank/bowl interface where it needs to be perfectly round.
The second pipe is a Dublin. Only the stem is bent. I just completed. I messed up the black base stain. I applied 3 coats of black sanding in between in a 48 hour period. I let the first coat sit for 24 hours. clickklick was kind enough to point out that the black splotches are either tool markings or uneven sanding of the black. I couldn't see any tooling marks but I have a feeling I should have worked on those patches with perhaps a 320 grit first to remove the splotches. I do it all by hand because I don't trust myself on the belt or wheels yet. Anyway to date these are my latest efforts. I also try to hold a straight line on the bottom. Sometimes my inexperience cutting with the band saw first doesn't leave me enough briar to really straighten out my line.
Any comments are welcome. Oh, the apple has a ring of black with white swirl buffalo horn but I don't think there is enough contrast. The piece I used had more black than white in it and I glued it on the tenon. Not sure if that is wisest but I don't have a metal lathe to turn the shank part easily enough to give me a nice faced surface to accept the ring.
Kind regards
Trying to hold a line.
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The Dublin
The rim I put some contours in. That was a cutting mistake and I just sanded it on the lathe and left the look as is.
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shikano53
Posts: 267
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:50 am

Re: A couple Of Pipes I Would Appreciate Some Comments On

Post by shikano53 »

Oops. Sorry, the 3 coats of black is referring to the CW I didn't show.
DocAitch
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: A couple Of Pipes I Would Appreciate Some Comments On

Post by DocAitch »

I am going to respond as if these photos were posted in the Gallery.
If you really want a critique, you should post them there.
These pipes show some promise, but you have a way to go to achieve crispness.
Try to think of each of these pieces as an assemblage of geometric shapes. The apple for instance has a distorted (partially squashed)but symmetric sphere for a bowl and a tapered cylinder for a shank. Your transitions could be cleaner and sharper. The shanks on both flare prior to reaching the bowls. If you work with the aim of maintaining that cylinder until it reaches the bowl, then join the two shapes with a smallish radius, you will have a cleaner, crisper transition.
The posterior cheeks on the apple bulge out and distort the bowl. Cut yourself a circular form from cardstock and compare it to the outline of your apple in the top down photo. This portion of the bowl is cut by hand even if the top and shank are cut on a lathe. Figure out a way to hold your piece firmly and use your file to work the area a bit at a time until it's is round.
The Dublin top is jarring. The Dublin is a regular symmetric shape and throwing in that top only detracts from its appearance. My comments on the transition and the geometric forms apply to the Dublin as well.
I think you are wasting your time with the horn until you achieve a good transition and symmetry.
DocAitch
Last edited by DocAitch on Sun Jul 23, 2017 10:15 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
shikano53
Posts: 267
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2016 10:50 am

Re: A couple Of Pipes I Would Appreciate Some Comments On

Post by shikano53 »

Thanks Doc and my apology to all for posting here instead of in the gallery.
Administrator please move to gallery section.
I will work on the things you mentioned.
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