Pipe 2 - revised.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:25 pm

Here's the 2nd. I still have some polishing on the inside of the airway but otherwise should be close to finished. I don't have dimensions yet but this is pretty much just a copy of a pipe I looked over at our local tobacco shop. One of those cheap $20.00 briars you see.

I still need alot of practice on the chamber/airway junction. You can see in one of the photos fairly clearly I did not do a good job. Is there any specific height the airhole should come into the chamber? IF so, does the height change for a deeper bowl? Perhaps I should make a new thread on this topic...

you can go here to see all 19 pics I took. http://www.fantasticsales.com/pipes

Below are a few choice photos. As mentioned by Tyler, there are two types of crafters. I need you to be truthful.

Thanks

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:23 am

You've done well with your symmetry. I think you really nailed the bowl/shank juncition. That's a real test of how your pipe making skill is developing.

Your stem/shank junction needs some work. Are you sanding the shank and stem together? The junction appears as though you might have done them seperately and then attached them.

Overall, nice work.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:34 am

That was going to be my comment too. You have some rounding issues on the stem shank joint. Sand the two pieces together. At the lower grits, sand from harder material to softer, e.g. go from shank to stem if you're using vulcanite, or stem to shank if you're using lucite.

The draft hole has some issues as you noted. A draft hole should come in to the chamber centered and right at the bottom. A hair left or right won't make much difference. There's a debate on the height. Some very knowledgable makers think the draft hole ought to hit low, while others think at the very bottom is right. High is almost always bad.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:58 am

The radius you see on the stem is due to not taking off enough material on these factory stems from the start. I am going to get aggressive on these and sand the stem smaller to remove that radius leading to the tenon. I'll do this before attaching the stem to shank for final shaping. This should leave it nice and flush without being able to see the radius.

My biggest fear is the final strength of the material surrounding the tenon. I am hesitant to remove too much. The wall thickness on this mortise is just under .080 all the way around. Being a pen maker for too many years I am used to seeing very thin walls but pens have brass tubes inserted to complete the pen kit. Pipes, as far as I know, have nothing but the strength of the wood to hold up.

I thank you for the praise in carving but I take that as almost 40 years of carving coming into play. (for now it is more the lack of tooling that defines my restrictions.) The real craftsmanship I believe on any pipe is the interior. I know things can look oh so beautiful on the outside, but if the engineering is wrong then all you really have is a piece of crap.

Thanks guys for your craftsman's eye.

Post by **Tyler** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:47 am

I haven't made comments on someone's work in a while, but I'm promted jump in because I have a contrary view to a previous comment.

I'm going to suggest that you did not nail the shank/bowl junction. You did improve greatly in that area compared to the pot you made; however, now that you have learned to cut away the unnecessary bulk in that area you need to work on the line of that cut.

In the photo with the stem facing left, the bowl/shank junction forms a straight line that goes down at an angle and makes a slight point at the bottom of the bowl. Making that area curve to match the curve on the side of the bowl that the shank does not enter would look much better.

In the photo with the stem facing to the right, you did a much nicer job with the curve on the junction, but it is cut in too far. It looks like part of the bowl is missing.

The best way to summarize is probably just to say that for a shape like that, I like to go for symmetry along the vertical axis of the bowl.

At the top of the bowl, the curve suddenly changes about 1/4" from the rim. There is a nice curve, then bang, it goes much more steaply to the rim. I'd suggest continuing on the original curve.

All that said because you ask for an honest look. All in all, you made drastic improvements over the pot. That is a very nice effort for as few pipes as you have made!!

Tyler

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:31 pm

You're absolutely right Tyler. Had you not pointed it out.... But at any rate it's back to the bench for that one. It looks as if I can fudge that bottom corner just a bit and put it all into place. I may have lost too much on the center of that angle but I think it will be ok. We'll see.

As for the top of the bowl, I'll file that into a nicer slope to flow with the lower shape.

I really appreciate everyone's thoughts. It's a great learning tool to have another point of view.

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 1:03 pm

Wow Butch, great job! You've taken a big step forward on this pipe.

Tyler, your comments are amazingly helpful! You have a fantastic eye and zero right in on the issues. I always enjoy your comments, and always learn a lot from them.

Butch, is the Plateaux stock and the pipes in progress on the shelves yours too? If so, very cool! I'm hoping to get some stock ahead like that at some point. So far I've just been able to keep a few blocks ahead of what I'm working on.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:08 pm

Sethile, you must have seen the pics of my display cabinet.

The top shelf is the first order of blocks I made just a mere 3 weeks ago to start playing with pipes. Below that are 12 super large blocks that I just received yesterday. The biggest one is on the front right. It is almost 3" sqr by 6" long. WOW :thumb: I am so excited!!!

The burls in the back on the purpleheart lumber were part of three whole burls I got last week to play with. I also received eight more of these yesterday so I'll be real busy experimenting with cutting too. I'll be updating my other post on cutting briar soon with pics.

This particular pipe in the thread went under heavy rendition and will be updated soon as well. I have a small rhodesian I am finishing atm.

Thanks for all the comments. I really look forward to coming here in the evenings and relaxing to a good read.

ckr · Post by **ckr** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:05 am

Butch_Y

I checked out those burls on Ebay. I had considered ordering some. I have held off as I think they are 1) small about 4 pounders and 2) they are 40 years old and dry. So my concern is being able to cure them and remove the sap and resins as usually the burls are kept wet so they do not dry out before cutting and curing. very interested in your results in this area as I don't want a pipe that tates like grizzly butt.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:05 am

I checked out those burls on Ebay. I had considered ordering some. I have held off as I think they are 1) small about 4 pounders and 2) they are 40 years old and dry. So my concern is being able to cure them and remove the sap and resins as usually the burls are kept wet so they do not dry out before cutting and curing. very interested in your results in this area as I don't want a pipe that tates like grizzly butt.

You can see the thread I started on these burls here... http://www.pipemakersforum.com/modules. ... pic&t=1939

You're right about not being cured properly. I ordered 3 of them and started playing. When I ordered the second batch I kinda knew they weren't going to be blocks I could use for pipes but they will serve pupose to help me learn the underlying grain patterns within each burl. It can be very tricky looking at a burl and cutting just the perfect block, especially when you're a noob like me.

I'll be updating the other thread as I get further along. I know they will make wonderful clocks and pens if nothing else and pipe stands are definitely not out of the question. Maybe a few stampers as well. All told, I paid $150.00 for 11 burls (almost 60 pounds) that he (the seller) says are at least 40 years old and from Greece. Not sure if this is the case but they are at least briar and an excellent learning tool for when I do get some real briar burls.

Post by **Tyler** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:59 am

FWIW, the briar is not boiled until after it is cut. I don't know the first thing about it, but it is not strange that a full burl is not "cured." I bet you could still get that wood smokeable if you so desired.

Tyler

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:24 pm

Tyler wrote:FWIW, the briar is not boiled until after it is cut. I don't know the first thing about it, but it is not strange that a full burl is not "cured." I bet you could still get that wood smokeable if you so desired.

Tyler

go check out my udated thread.

Butch_Y · Post by **Butch_Y** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:31 pm

I put some updated pics of this pipe on my site. You can see them here: http://www.fantasticsales.com/pipes

I didn't have enough to work with on the first error Tyler pointed out but I did re-define the junction giving it a much better overall appearance.

I have work to do still on the stem but will start that as soon as I put the movie in. Just a bit of polishing and it should be done. One day I'll afford some buffing wheels and give up the micro mesh.

Oh ya, dont look at the shank where I buffed the stain off. I'll get to that too.

Certainly not as good as I had in mind but still good enough to say I like it. I think the coloring is better this time around too.

On a side note and an apology to all you pipe crafters out there. I thought this would be much easier when I first started out. Having carved since I was a child, I figured it would be easy beans. Not the case. This is certainly not a craft situation but a highly specialized skill developed only with dedication and time. You guys are definitely the Marines of the carving field. :thumb: Once my basic training is over I hope to join you in the ranks.