Briar, grain, shapes

[jeeper]

When you get a block of briar is there certian que's that tell you ok this will be a bulldog or this will be a freehand etc...?
I'm worried that I'm going to take a perfect block of briar and ruin it's potential because I made a small straight when I should have made a large freehand because it was the perfact grain for it. Right now I'm getting my briar through a middle man because I really don't know what I'm looking at, I'm still to busy tring to make the air hole and the tabacco hole line up so the likley hood I'm getting top knotch wood right now is unlikely but I wouldn't really know.

Gabe (newbie, in way over my head)

[Tyler]

When you get a block of briar is there certian que's that tell you ok this will be a bulldog or this will be a freehand etc...?

Yes.

I'm worried that I'm going to take a perfect block of briar and ruin it's potential because I made a small straight when I should have made a large freehand because it was the perfact grain for it.

You will.

Right now I'm getting my briar through a middle man because I really don't know what I'm looking at, I'm still to busy tring to make the air hole and the tabacco hole line up so the likley hood I'm getting top knotch wood right now is unlikely but I wouldn't really know.

Gabe (newbie, in way over my head)

Just make the best pipe you can, then do better the next one. Over time you'll see the briar and know what its telling you. If this were easy Bo Nordh's pipe wouldn't cost $10K+.

To steal Larry Roush's advice to Rad (from another thread), "Just keep cutting wood. It's the only way you're gonna get better." (OK, maybe not the ONLY way -- this forum seems to be of help to some -- but you get the drift.)


Have fun!

Tyler

[Heinz_D]

Hi Gabe,

I'm worried that I'm going to take a perfect block of briar and ruin it's potential...

don't worry about that! If you'll ever get the perfect block, you'll see it...

But, yes, normally you can see the favorite shape for your blocks. Just grind both sides flat and look at the grain. If you can't see it porperly, make it damp and you'll see the grain definitely...

[KurtHuhn]

It took me about three years to see the potential pipe in a block of wood. I've asserted before that there's no substitute for experience, and I stand by that.

These days I know what shape I need, and I go looking through my blocks of briar until I find the one that will make what I want. Other times, I just look at the brar for inspiration. It's interesting what you can see in a block of dirty briar once you learn how to read the grain patterns.

[jeeper]

I guess I need to stop putting pressure on myself and worrying about mistakes or this will quickly stop being fun. At some point though I’m going to need to know how to shop for briar, is there certain places to avoid? Is there a certian country that supplies the best briar, are there good and bad years like wine?

[Nick]

I don't think briar cutters have "vintages." They might, but I doubt it. There are a few good places to get briar directly from. Mimmo at Romeo briar is excelent.

For beginners though, you best bet is to get to know a few good pipe makers and get your briar from them. They'll have gone through all the various vendors and found a good one already. And if you ask for a special piece, you'll probably get it.

Michael Parks has excelent briar - from Mimmo I think - and sells in small batches. Mark Tinsky sells blocks too. Both are great guys and I am sure will work with you. Be careful when you order that special piece though. I did that once and promply screwed the hell out of it.

Most of the briar out there is good. The different regions have differing properties, but for hacks like me, the nuances are lost. Algerian is supposed to be softer with wider grain. Italian is generally harder with tigher grain. Spanish seems to be in the middle, but often full of pits. All this is why I just got through a maker. If its good enough for him, it'll be fine for me too. Go to a cutter when you're ordering hundreds of blocks. Then its worth it.

[jeeper]

Thanks Nick.
Yeah Mark has been a great help to me as well, we correspond quite a bit and he has spoken to me at length and suffered through my newbie questions. He is where I get my briar from now and I’m in no hurry to go elsewhere, because of his help. I just didn’t know if that is what most makers did, I suspected that at some point at least if they did this as a source of income they had to go direct.