For the very first time

Calumet · Post by **Calumet** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:12 am

Greetings everyone

First of all,thanks for giving me the knowledge
and wisdom to create my first pipe.
So thank you Kurt,Tyler,Heinz,Ben and all the others.

Ta ta,my first try

It took me a while to put the theory into practice,I only had two block of briar so it had to be good from the first time,and it did.
Still al lot of things to mind for my next attempt,not to ruin my last briar.
I did it with a drill press and self made drills.
And please tell the truth,I can handel quite some critisism
Hoping to be one day not only a father but a pipe maker aswel.

Bless to all

Frank

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:58 am

Very nice, Frank! I think it's exceptional for your first pipe! Can you post more pictures? Perhaps some different angles, and perhaps a bit larger? It is difficult to see many details. But your overall shape looks very good, and I think you're off to an excellent start.

MikeStanley · Post by **MikeStanley** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:40 am

The pipe looks very nice indeed. About the only thing I would change is giving the stem an ever so slight, downward bend. It seems to me the pipe screams out for it. Ditto on the additioanl photos though. Very nice!
Mike Stanley

sprangalang · Post by **sprangalang** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 12:42 pm

Wow, that's your first pipe? Looks real nice! Was it a challenge to drill it?

Calumet · Post by **Calumet** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:11 pm

Hi Mike ,jeff,sethile,

Thanks a lot for your kind words.
It 's realy my first pipe
And it felt like a new born child in my hands.read lips
I am very proud of it ,cause I didn't have to waste the expensive briar.
It was a thriller drilling it,but I did quite well,the the hole meets the chamber right in the middle.And that with my metabo drillpress

And I als didn't sleep one night on the stem bending or not,I also like to see it a little bent.But when it fails the design it might be ruined.
Or do you think I could bent it straight again by reheating it?

Also on the bad side thers some little sandpits I couldn't get rid off
Does anyone have a way to fill them,or should I leave them like this.
It's my first pipe and I don't intend selling it,for me it ok like this,but
if thers is a good and easy way to fill them I would be happy to read

Kind regards from Belgium
Frank

And I'lltry get some better pic
Hopfully the view is better on these two

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:38 pm

Yes, you can straighten the stem after you bend it, if you decide you prefer it straight. Or you can re-bend to get it just right. Just keep a fluffy pipe cleaner in the stem so it doesn't kink or restrict the airway. I agree that the stem could use a little bend, aesthetically, but comfort is most important. Check what feels better on the jaw.

Don't fill. It's hard to do well and doesn't look right unless you're really good at it. As time passes a pipe darkens (especially an unstained one, which yours appears to be), but a fill will not, so it will stand out even more. Personally, I don't have a problem with small flaws... it's natural.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 2:48 pm

Nice pipe bud! The only critique I have is that it seems a bit too angular for me. Perhaps its just the picture, but the flow seems staunch and forced. having said that, its a heck of alot nicer than my first pipe!

I hope you really enjoy smoking it. There's just nothing better that walking around the house with you hands or lips wrapped around your own horn.

*snicker*

Heinz_D · Post by **Heinz_D** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 7:13 pm

Frank, very good job for the first pipe! I'll agree to Nick, that's nearly too perfect, but on the other side, I also tried to make "perfect" symetry at first...

Over all a very nice pipe!

Some questions:

How did you shape the bowl? On a lathe?
What material ist the stem? Handcut or preformed?
Is it stained or natural? Looks like a bright orange?
Are the spots like craters or only black pits?

Some comments for the future:

If the spots are plain with the surface of the bowl, try to contrast stain with dark brown or "red based" black as first color. Often the pits are in the smoother parts of the wood and "disappear" with the stain. Never use "blue based" black, if you want to stain contrast, because it's possible, that you'll get mixed colours like green or grey!

For more experiences try to get "cheep" briar. I'm using Spanish briar, extra extra plateau, for about 15,- € (20,- US $), but I'll order Italian briar directly from the cutter for 10,25 € (13,70 US $). Both with the same dimensions (R 1/2 to R2/3). For the Italian briar the only handycap is, that I've to order 100 pieces min., but I'll share it with a friend... Because I'm from Europe, I buy my briar from European cutters. My experiences are, that Spanish briar isn't very good (much flaws and pits), with Greec briar you may've some luck, but the best for low prices is Italian briar. - I never tried Algerian, but reading some threads, I'm a little bit afraid to order it...

I'm courious looking forward to see your next pipe!

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 8:11 pm

INCREDIBLE FIRST PIPE.

In regard to the bending of the stem... My opinion is either slightly bent (along the majority of the stem) OR (and this could work) bend it up like an Oliphant (isn't that the shape name?).

Good job though!

Calumet · Post by **Calumet** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 1:35 am

Hi Nick ,Heinz,Ben,

You guys make me red in the face

And it must be said,if it wasn't for you all...

Will bent the stem,for shure,when I hear everyone I realised my first feeling was the good one.

For Heinz,
I did shape the bowl by hand on my sading disk and with a rough sandpaper wrapped around a halfround file.
The mouthpiece is made from Vulcanite and was pre made,I glued in a 7mm tennon and shaped it together with the stem and stummel.
I left it natural,cause Idon't have yet the experience to use stains,didn't wanna ruin it.

And the pits are very shallow,not deep at all,but I think still to deep to keep cutting away the briar,one is little ad almost gone there is a deeper,1mm,one
and one emerged during the sanding so thats why
I had did stop also not to lose the shape.
For the future I hope to learn al lot more and improve with every pipe I make
For now I only have one big piece of briar left,so it's gonne be time for me to look for good briar.I will bare in mind what you said.
This block I orderd with Marco Janzen
But I am a half Italian,my grandfather came from Calabria,
so I try now to find a good contact with a briarcutter from there
and see if my roots can get me some roots

Now I am resanding it,cause IMO it didn't had that shine yet.

Then I will set up a place to take better pics.

Ben, I don't know about the shape's name,I combined a horn with the Stanwell 124,I think it 's a half bent Dublin,that I got here
If you say it 's an Elephant I will take your word on it.

Anyway thank a lot everyone for the comments on my first efforts in becoming a real pipemaker.

And it smokes well,so far...

frank

Frank · Post by **Frank** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:09 am

This is approximately the type of curve they're trying to describe:
http://www.daft.de/chart/chart.php?id=45&l=

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:21 am

Calumet wrote:Ben, I don't know about the shape's name,I combined a horn with the Stanwell 124,I think it 's a half bent Dublin,that I got here
If you say it 's an Elephant I will take your word on it.

My typing "Oliphant" wasn't a typo

Oliphant (I think that's the right name) was the name of a Bo Nordh shape... I'll find a pic and post it when I get home, unless someone wants to do it for me. Of course, I could have the name wrong, but I know I have a Bo Nordh shape in my head...

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:23 pm

Well I'm not confident in the name anymore... but I did find a pic:

It's top center...

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:07 pm

Here you go, Ben:

http://www.aspipes.org/shapes/horn.html

Rad

magruder · Post by **magruder** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:07 am

Wonderful first. Really shockingly good symmetry.
Congratulations.
More photos please.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:02 pm

RadDavis wrote:Here you go, Ben:

http://www.aspipes.org/shapes/horn.html

Rad

That's it Rad... sort of. I thought the Oliphant was charactarized by the shape, and I was correct with that, but also by the stem following the flow of the pipe and not bending down... ?

Calumet · Post by **Calumet** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:03 pm

Good evening to all,

First the good news;My pipe defenitly looks better with a bent mouthpiece.
100% improvement.Thanks for helping me make a good decision

Now the bad news:
While setting up the pipe to take better pictures, I dropped it.DAMN,
and a serious dent had to be sanded off the rim.I lowerd the bevel a little bit
and it came out ok,
Then I had it on the fotostand again,and let me tell you I think Murphy's law has got something to do with it. By a sudden move that I shouldn't had to make I broke off the top from the mouth piece,dunno how that part is exactly called, but it felt like my hart has been broken aswel.DOUBLE DAMN!!!

I replace it tonight in my shop,therfore there will be better pics. later ,I am gonna be extra carefull.This time,and put a thick carpet unther the pictureset,just incase it falls again,it will have a soft landing this time

What a trouble a ppipe maker can have,and I think it's nearly beginnig...
I think you guys all did experienced these kind off tribulations.
Now I off to bed for some weeping and waling.

Ps..: thanks Ben and Rad for the correct name of the shape,But do you think I can use that name to name my pipe?Can I also call it "Hornblower"?After a TVserie I liked on 17th century sailing
Ps.II: I realy love the ones left and right on the bottom of the picture Ben has shown.

Frank

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:47 pm

Gosh, that sucks! It's amazing how fumble fingered I get when a pipe is practically finished. I guess that I suddenly get so careful and cautious that I get an equal and opposite reaction.

The (broken) stem term you are refering to is the "button", I think.

You can call your pipe whatever you want! That's the best thing about making your own pipe. Then again, it doesn't stop people from calling it what they like. Pipe lovers will always "stereotype" a shape into the closest category. Only the Bo Nordhs of this world can make shapes and names like "Ballerina", "Ramses", "Oliphant", "Snail", etc., stick and inspire further explorations.

Did Bo "invent" the oliphant? I'm not sure about that one.

kbadkar · Post by **kbadkar** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:48 pm

Oh, by the way, Love Geiger beat you to the "horn blower" name or shape or whatever. It's here in the gallery somewhere.

Calumet · Post by **Calumet** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 7:20 am

Hello all,

Here are better pictures,better than before anyway.
photos of the pipe with the mouthpiece bent
But it 's a new mouthpiece I made from a sadlebit.
Just doesn't feels the same.
But still,I am very happy with it,beeing the first pipe I made.
I call it "Horatio", Hoping that nobody beat me on this one:P

Thanks again for al the usefull information you all gave.

Frank