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This one was really a challenge for me. I did learn a few things....like my briar chuck jaws are bent I'm still not sure how I feel about this pipe. It's outside of my comfort zone, style wise, and it was a hard one for me.
I showed this to a few of you on the G+ chat a couple of weeks ago. I decided not to thin the shank out. I think I should have....but the time in the pipe was getting out of hand and I really needed to move on.
George got to see this on Thursday night at the KC meeting so I already have his notes. Tell me what you see.
Length:5.13"
Height: 1.63"
Chamber: .75 x 1.27"
Weight: 44 grams
Am I Calamity Jane or Annie Oakley??...depends on the day. www.ladybriar.com
The bottom line of the shank is not low enough. It needs to continue the downward curve of the taper on the stem until just before the shank meets the bowl. As it is, it looks pretty flat.
I'm not sure if I like the length of the stem or not. Had you considered making it a half inch longer?
Also, since the grain has some bare spots as well as sizable flaws, I would have blasted it.
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Fail early, fail often. Your success depends on it.
I agree that the shank is a bit heavy for the bowl. It's a good pipe. Symmetry looks really good. Your stem in the bite zone (the inch or so behind the button) is a little thick. Overall, to me, the pipe is very plain, though, like a run of the mill factory shape which is fine. But, if you really wanted this shape to wow, you could do something other than a standard tapered stem like a shank ring and a saddle to add interest. Even a ring around the bowl would have broken up the monotony of the shape. The only other thing is that it needs rusticated or sandblasted due to the flaws on the front of the bowl.
It's been too cold to sit out on the driveway with the blaster....so blasting is out, at least for now. I really like the birdseye on the bottom of the bowl too....maybe I will sandblast just the top once it warms up.
I thought about the stem length quite a bit and decided on that length because the shank is so long. I thought about a shank ring too. I just haven't ever made one that I think looks good, so I didn't put one on. There has been something not quite right about this pipe for a while now. Maybe it is the "factory shape" feel that it has. Is it stuck between schools of thought (danish/english)? Again, I really struggle with pipes that aren't necessarily "shape chart" shapes....a big reason I made this pipe. Cutting a billiard or price isn't the problem for me. It's everything else that puts a hitch in my giddy-up.
The stem is .16" behind the button...think I could have taken a bit more off the bottom line of the stem from the button about halfway to the shank. I tend to do this on my bents and even knowing it I still don't take enough meat off the stem there.
Am I Calamity Jane or Annie Oakley??...depends on the day. www.ladybriar.com
ToddJohnson wrote:Bowl is fine. Shank is fine. That pipe needs a saddle mouthpiece.
I gotta agree here. You might re-evaluate the rest of the pipe with a saddle stem completely differently. The length and curve of the shank make the taper stem visually cumbersome.
I'm still not sure how I feel about this pipe. It's outside of my comfort zone, style wise, and it was a hard one for me.
