Perhaps I could get opinions and remarks from the forum members about these pipes:
www.tsptc.org/unfinished.htm
I was was under a bit of pressure to get photographs taken, and a couple of these pipes are unfinished....well, they didn't get a chamber coating so the stain is showing at the top of the chamber wall.
Anyway, I'm looking for the truth about my work. I picture isn't as good as rolling a pipe over in one's hand, but please have a go with just a picture.
Cheers,
Paul
take a look and post your thoughts
Hello Paul, welcome to posting on the forum!
These are nice pipes. You are clearly doing careful work and have developed good skills with the tools. It would be great to see pictures of them from different angles to get a better feel for the overall aesthetics and symmetry of them, as well as a better view of the shank to stem fits and stem work, but the overall fit and finish look very good to me.
Are your stems hand cut or pre-molded? I can't quite tell from the photos.
I myself am a very new pipe maker. You have been doing this longer than I have by several years. I will be interested in what some of the more experienced guys might have to say.
When I post pictures I'm hoping for some pretty specific feedback, and you mentioned about "truth" so I'm assuming your after something similar. To me that is more important than a pat on the back. You have a lot to be proud of with your work on these but.....
It may just be my own lack of experience or personal aesthetic, but to me, while they look nicely executed, the bowls on Billiard, Poker, Cherry Wood, and Pot look too cylindrical. To my eye these look a little forced somehow. The lines are straighter and more parallel or perpendicular than I am accustomed to seeing. To my eye it's a little less flowing than pipes that tend to jump out at me. The shank on the Billiard also looks just a little thick to my eye. I like the Volcanos better, but would still like to the transitions between bowl and shank to flow a little more somehow. It may just be the angles of the photos too. I've never found that particular angle very flattering on my pipes.
The Poker/Dublin and the Sea Slug are my favorites. To me these shapes are much more interesting and flow better. These two in particular I'd like to see from more angles to get a better feel for the pieces over all. That Sea Slug shape looks promising. The shank looks a little thick, but that might just be the angles. To me that pipe has a much more interesting flow to the shape than the others.
Again, I thing you are doing excellent work and hope you will take my comments with a grain of salt. They are meant to be helpful. I'm sure these pipes will be a big hit with the club!
Great to have you on board!
These are nice pipes. You are clearly doing careful work and have developed good skills with the tools. It would be great to see pictures of them from different angles to get a better feel for the overall aesthetics and symmetry of them, as well as a better view of the shank to stem fits and stem work, but the overall fit and finish look very good to me.
Are your stems hand cut or pre-molded? I can't quite tell from the photos.
I myself am a very new pipe maker. You have been doing this longer than I have by several years. I will be interested in what some of the more experienced guys might have to say.
When I post pictures I'm hoping for some pretty specific feedback, and you mentioned about "truth" so I'm assuming your after something similar. To me that is more important than a pat on the back. You have a lot to be proud of with your work on these but.....
It may just be my own lack of experience or personal aesthetic, but to me, while they look nicely executed, the bowls on Billiard, Poker, Cherry Wood, and Pot look too cylindrical. To my eye these look a little forced somehow. The lines are straighter and more parallel or perpendicular than I am accustomed to seeing. To my eye it's a little less flowing than pipes that tend to jump out at me. The shank on the Billiard also looks just a little thick to my eye. I like the Volcanos better, but would still like to the transitions between bowl and shank to flow a little more somehow. It may just be the angles of the photos too. I've never found that particular angle very flattering on my pipes.
The Poker/Dublin and the Sea Slug are my favorites. To me these shapes are much more interesting and flow better. These two in particular I'd like to see from more angles to get a better feel for the pieces over all. That Sea Slug shape looks promising. The shank looks a little thick, but that might just be the angles. To me that pipe has a much more interesting flow to the shape than the others.
Again, I thing you are doing excellent work and hope you will take my comments with a grain of salt. They are meant to be helpful. I'm sure these pipes will be a big hit with the club!
Great to have you on board!
Scott E. Thile
Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
---------------------
Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
---------------------
Nice work! I would be one of the LAST people that should be offering feedback (being a rookie to the craft).
There was one thing that drew my eye, and maybe it's just photographic gymnastics... The bend of the stem of the Seaslug looks like a sharp bend (based on the reflection off the stem). Almost like it has a kink in it.
Perhaps photos from other angles would help.
Again, nice clean shapes! I LIKE!
There was one thing that drew my eye, and maybe it's just photographic gymnastics... The bend of the stem of the Seaslug looks like a sharp bend (based on the reflection off the stem). Almost like it has a kink in it.
Perhaps photos from other angles would help.
Again, nice clean shapes! I LIKE!
-
KurtHuhn
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5326
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: United States/Rhode Island
(finally found a moment to offer thoughts)
Hi Paul,
The Billiard, Cherrywood, Poker, Pot, and Poker Dublin are all really good looking pipes. The fat stem on the pot in particular caught my eye for some reason - nicely executed. The big meaty billiard is also very attractive. The shank might be a little thick for the bowl size, but I don't object at all. The military mount stem is a nice touch too.
The Seaslug is difficult to visualize from those pictures. Based on those two, it seems to be a rather formless design without any real flow. The piece of acrylic between the stem and wide, flat shank seem out of place, considering that it's cylindrical in cross-section, while the shank is oval. The transition seems halted and somewhat forced. The grain on the bottom, however, looks really nice, and I like the staining.
The Volcanos are interesting, and I don't object to either. I have found, however, that pipes like that become much more interesting when the shank emerges from the bowl down closer to the base. Check out these volcanos by Jeff Gracik:
http://www.jalanpipes.com/093%20Gallery.html
http://www.jalanpipes.com/114%20Gallery.html
http://www.jalanpipes.com/080%20Gallery.html
Notice where the shank is in relation to the bowl, and how the bottom of the bowl is shaped. Also worth noting is that the bowl is not round - a common misperception. It looks round at first glance, but upon close inspection, it's nowhere near. The only round area is right at the rim, to provide a starting point and an anchor for the tobacco chamber. However, it doesn't appear that any of those will stand up on their own, and yours will - that's the benefit of using a poker-like shank/stem arrangement on a volcano.
Hi Paul,
The Billiard, Cherrywood, Poker, Pot, and Poker Dublin are all really good looking pipes. The fat stem on the pot in particular caught my eye for some reason - nicely executed. The big meaty billiard is also very attractive. The shank might be a little thick for the bowl size, but I don't object at all. The military mount stem is a nice touch too.
The Seaslug is difficult to visualize from those pictures. Based on those two, it seems to be a rather formless design without any real flow. The piece of acrylic between the stem and wide, flat shank seem out of place, considering that it's cylindrical in cross-section, while the shank is oval. The transition seems halted and somewhat forced. The grain on the bottom, however, looks really nice, and I like the staining.
The Volcanos are interesting, and I don't object to either. I have found, however, that pipes like that become much more interesting when the shank emerges from the bowl down closer to the base. Check out these volcanos by Jeff Gracik:
http://www.jalanpipes.com/093%20Gallery.html
http://www.jalanpipes.com/114%20Gallery.html
http://www.jalanpipes.com/080%20Gallery.html
Notice where the shank is in relation to the bowl, and how the bottom of the bowl is shaped. Also worth noting is that the bowl is not round - a common misperception. It looks round at first glance, but upon close inspection, it's nowhere near. The only round area is right at the rim, to provide a starting point and an anchor for the tobacco chamber. However, it doesn't appear that any of those will stand up on their own, and yours will - that's the benefit of using a poker-like shank/stem arrangement on a volcano.
I like all except the billiard and the seaslug. The billiard, from only one picture, seems to be missing the vulcanite transition to the shank that I was expecting. The seaslug shank seems a bit wide, the segue to the bowl not as smooth as I was expecting.
I hope this helps!
Oh, and by the way, the volcanos are superb, the others seem to be very tastefully done, the finishes very fine. Very nice job, you should get top dollar for them all.
Best wishes!
I hope this helps!
Oh, and by the way, the volcanos are superb, the others seem to be very tastefully done, the finishes very fine. Very nice job, you should get top dollar for them all.
Best wishes!