decorative rings

For discussion of the drilling and shaping of the stummel.
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Tyler
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Post by Tyler »

random,

The sky's the limit on choosing inlay materials. Basically anything hard enough to make shiny will work, so long as it won't rot away. Your current options are all good ones, and some other popular choices are ivory, boxwood, horn, and antler.

Tyler
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KurtHuhn
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Post by KurtHuhn »

I'll second horn and antler. Antler has a really nice look to it. It also feels great. Water buffalo horn also has a great tactile feel to it.
Kurt Huhn
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omar_colocci
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Post by omar_colocci »

This is one thing I've been thinking lately: how do you guys do that shank extensions? You glue it to the briar with epoxy and only after that you drill for the tenon to fit?
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Omar Colocci
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KurtHuhn
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Post by KurtHuhn »

When I use a hardwood shank extension, I usually don't create a mortis/tenon arrangement for it. Since the wood is porous, and i use a slow-cure epoxy, it really gets in and bonds the two pieces together. I also clamp them to get a nice tight seam.

However, if I'm doing a vulcanite or acrylic shank extension, I always use a mortis/tenon in addition to epoxy. With horn or antler, it depends on the pipe, but usually I use a shallow mortis.

I also like to do narrow rings of hardwood that is integral to the stem. Slice a small piece, drill a hole, and epoxy it to the stem after you've fit the stem to the stummel. Just be sure to make the tenon a little longer to accomodate the slice of hardwood. It's a very quick and easy way to add interest to a pipe.
Kurt Huhn
AKA: Oversized Ostrogoth
artisan@k-huhn.com
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