Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Process Shots, Boring Pipe
These are pics from 2021, I put this on the facebook group, but it's better here.
"What do you do when you have a block that just isn't great?"
Well, we're famous high-grade pipe makers, all of us, so that never happens, right? No, of course we all have a block or two or two hundred that are just not incredible, you find a funny cut, washy grain, whatever, but I mean, for most of us, that's not garbage, we need to use it.
So. Make a pipe.
I had a super boring block, cut a billiard shape and drilled it. First pic here is after those operations, and I'm fitting it to a rod, cutting the rod just undersize because reasons. I am NOT spinning the stummel connected to the rod. The stummel isn't being worked on here.
And yes, I know this is gonna be a boring rusticated pipe, so I planned ahead a little and put some boxwood on a black ebonite rod.
Once that's fitted up, I can cut the rod to length - billiard outright so stem = stummel, roughly.
Next gonna knock a pile of material off that stummel. Working fast here.
Files, discs, belts, whatever, get 'er done, dial it in. Still moving fast, rough shape, rough stem.
Now we get to the nitty gritty of shaping, time to slow down some.
Getting there, bowl has definition, but still bulges in a few spots, the shank needs slimming yet.
And yeah, still not flat on the bottom, bowl sag has to be ground off.
Now, texturing complete, working hard on the stem, and that little extra meat (remember I undersized the stem just a hair) can be knocked off at the transition, and the pipe looks a lot less "cut away" where the texture starts, no big drop off there (saving the slight taper on the shank).
Eee, let's hope that inclusion sands out! (It did).
Polish behind the button as hard as you like BEFORE you finish the button.
And then fuckin Voila, a reasonably attractive pipe.
Now, that plain-jane piece of crap took me about ten years to learn how to make. That's a nice crisp straight stem, a decent set of proportions, and some subtle curves. Which is why it's so jaw-droppingly boring. There's kinda nothing wrong, is all. And if you can manage that, you'll sell your pipe.
These photos have all kinds of info and teasers in 'em, I'm happy to answer questions for any who care.
"What do you do when you have a block that just isn't great?"
Well, we're famous high-grade pipe makers, all of us, so that never happens, right? No, of course we all have a block or two or two hundred that are just not incredible, you find a funny cut, washy grain, whatever, but I mean, for most of us, that's not garbage, we need to use it.
So. Make a pipe.
I had a super boring block, cut a billiard shape and drilled it. First pic here is after those operations, and I'm fitting it to a rod, cutting the rod just undersize because reasons. I am NOT spinning the stummel connected to the rod. The stummel isn't being worked on here.
And yes, I know this is gonna be a boring rusticated pipe, so I planned ahead a little and put some boxwood on a black ebonite rod.
Once that's fitted up, I can cut the rod to length - billiard outright so stem = stummel, roughly.
Next gonna knock a pile of material off that stummel. Working fast here.
Files, discs, belts, whatever, get 'er done, dial it in. Still moving fast, rough shape, rough stem.
Now we get to the nitty gritty of shaping, time to slow down some.
Getting there, bowl has definition, but still bulges in a few spots, the shank needs slimming yet.
And yeah, still not flat on the bottom, bowl sag has to be ground off.
Now, texturing complete, working hard on the stem, and that little extra meat (remember I undersized the stem just a hair) can be knocked off at the transition, and the pipe looks a lot less "cut away" where the texture starts, no big drop off there (saving the slight taper on the shank).
Eee, let's hope that inclusion sands out! (It did).
Polish behind the button as hard as you like BEFORE you finish the button.
And then fuckin Voila, a reasonably attractive pipe.
Now, that plain-jane piece of crap took me about ten years to learn how to make. That's a nice crisp straight stem, a decent set of proportions, and some subtle curves. Which is why it's so jaw-droppingly boring. There's kinda nothing wrong, is all. And if you can manage that, you'll sell your pipe.
These photos have all kinds of info and teasers in 'em, I'm happy to answer questions for any who care.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Anyone have any questions? Anyone at all?
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Total time from raw chunks to final pic?
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
There's probably something like 6 hours in that. It's really hard to know because you start the stem one night and there's 20 minutes, and then you cut the shape and drill it and go get a pizza, and then forget about it for a week, then go back and fit the stem because it's still sitting in the lathe...
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Q #2 ---
Do I spy with my little eye the tool used for the first step of texturize-ification?
(i.e. before the bed-of-nails twisty thing)
Do I spy with my little eye the tool used for the first step of texturize-ification?
(i.e. before the bed-of-nails twisty thing)
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Nah that's the tool he uses to pick bits of pepperoni out of his teeth.
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Though you didn't ask for feedback, Imma gonna go there anyway.
The only "jumps out at me" thing is the smooth band at the end of the shank. I know it's more commonly done than not, and requires an extra step to eliminate (the Dunhill factory had several women who did nothing else), a stummel that's textured all over looks organic, while having a smooth area creates a reference point that makes the texture look applied, and therefore artificial.
The only "jumps out at me" thing is the smooth band at the end of the shank. I know it's more commonly done than not, and requires an extra step to eliminate (the Dunhill factory had several women who did nothing else), a stummel that's textured all over looks organic, while having a smooth area creates a reference point that makes the texture look applied, and therefore artificial.
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
No, I don't use the dremel at all for the finish, it's good for getting into little corners at the shank. Finish is carved up with a gouge first, then a cluster tool, then wire-wheel.
As to the shank line, yeah, on a blast, I always fade the blast and match it right to the stem, to the point where I have no smooth stamping area even, I stamp right on the lumps a la Anne Julie.
But with a rusticated pipe, as you "fade" the rustication, the texture changes enough to not stain or finish the same way, it's dicey, and sure as fuck I won't "rusticate" the stem to texture match, that's awful. So I go with the old fashioned smooth band.
As to the shank line, yeah, on a blast, I always fade the blast and match it right to the stem, to the point where I have no smooth stamping area even, I stamp right on the lumps a la Anne Julie.
But with a rusticated pipe, as you "fade" the rustication, the texture changes enough to not stain or finish the same way, it's dicey, and sure as fuck I won't "rusticate" the stem to texture match, that's awful. So I go with the old fashioned smooth band.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
This got me to wondering about Castello's approach since I didn't remember seeing a smooth band on my one and only Antiquari.
So I walked all the way into another room (that's committment and determination, rat thar) and eyeballed the critter.
Sure enough, they START with a masked area (you can barely see it if you check under a light and move things around), but then do the Dunhill trick to finish it off.
So I walked all the way into another room (that's committment and determination, rat thar) and eyeballed the critter.
Sure enough, they START with a masked area (you can barely see it if you check under a light and move things around), but then do the Dunhill trick to finish it off.
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
And I think that looks like crunched scrotum skin right there.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
I see.
You understand I can never look at my Antiquari again without thinking of that, right?
May all your Moosehead and Molson go flat the instant the bottle or can is opened, forevermore.
You understand I can never look at my Antiquari again without thinking of that, right?
May all your Moosehead and Molson go flat the instant the bottle or can is opened, forevermore.
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Oh jeez, eh? That's pretty strong talk.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
My sea rocks have a tiny smooth band, but it's done in a very unobtrusive way.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Informative pictorial, thank you Todd. Also timely- I was in the shop yesterday doing some shaping and put aside a very undistinguished block.
Its going to be a billiard and now I have an alternative finish.
Any chance we could see that cluster tool?
I am pretty sure that I know what it is, but haven’t heard it called that.
Thanks,
DocAitch
Its going to be a billiard and now I have an alternative finish.
Any chance we could see that cluster tool?
I am pretty sure that I know what it is, but haven’t heard it called that.
Thanks,
DocAitch
"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
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Yes, hang on I'll take a pic, I use two different ones.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
One is about 6 drywall screws epoxied into a block, the other a sharpened phillips screwdriver, or "pipe shiv".
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
It looks like the inventors of the finish do chisel-gougey thing, then twisty-pointy thing, then wire-brushy thing:
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
Yeah, and I mean, the current "Sea Rock" and corallo etc finishes and the finish I presented here on two pipes, it's not much different, like it might depend on the guy, the day, the amount of pressure.
But the BEST sea rocks... the looks like something else entirely.
This pipe vexes me because it is SO random, so detailed, and yet... no wood grain is showing so it's not blasted or whire-wheeled to death... it's kind of amazing.
But the BEST sea rocks... the looks like something else entirely.
This pipe vexes me because it is SO random, so detailed, and yet... no wood grain is showing so it's not blasted or whire-wheeled to death... it's kind of amazing.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Re: Process Shots, Boring Pipe
If I made pipes of my own---as opposed to matching texture(s) on repairs---I'd wonder what one of these applied to briar would do after sharpening the pins and cutting them to slightly different lengths.
Bzzzzzt Bzzzzzt Bzzzzzt
https://www.eastwood.com/rockwood-pisto ... oogle&wv=4
Bzzzzzt Bzzzzzt Bzzzzzt
https://www.eastwood.com/rockwood-pisto ... oogle&wv=4
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.