"Scofield Pipes"

[bscofield]

"Scofield Pipes" is what I think I'll call them when I start to sell them. Well I'm not sure if this is what Tyler intended but I guess I'll start a post with my "work" and then whenever I post something new it will be bumped to the top of the list. That's how we can keep track of who has posted new pics... is that how it was supposed to work Tyler? Do we do on-going posts with our stuff or new one's each time? My vote's for on-going, seems more simple to keep track of everyone.

Here's my first:


(see other angles at: http://www.scofield.cc/pipes/)

I would like the "harsh" opinion please. This is what I know about what I did wrong:

Did not sand enough. Personaly I'm not happy with a 400 grit finish. Next time I'll go 600.

A few errors were when I put it in the drill press and dented the wood after it's final sanding. Then sanding it with the 400 grit and thinking it was "gone" only to have the stain and wax bring it out again, you can see those pictured in a few pics with the rest of 'em.

Angles. My angles are off in the stummel to shank transition and in the position of the mortise (it's off center on the shank). Also the shank appears to be a bit "crooked" when compared to the rest of the pipe.

Anything else anyone can see?

[KurtHuhn]

Whoops! posting to the right topic now. Sorry.

Okay. Honest opinion time:
- Your stem is round, and the bowl/shank are square. That seems to through off the aesthetic "balance" of the pipe. Bowl and stem should integrate smoothly, one flowing into the next. It helps if you mimic stem shapes or "movements" in the shank and transition them into the bowl.
- The shank is a little clumsy because the angle of the top and bottom of the shank are different, and neither match the angle of the stem.
- I can tell in the photo that you've got more a satin finish than a glossy one - as you mentioned, go to at least 600 grit, and higher if at all possible.
- The angle of the bottom just doesn't "feel" right to me. That might be fixed by having the bottom of the shank more closely match the angle of the pipe. Hmmm... yeah, I think that would fix it.
- I either want more curves, or absolutely no curves. You've got curves in the side-to-side narrowing of the shank, as well as the top of the shank/bowl transition. Meanhile, every other planar transition is a hard angle. I think if you made hard angles at all the various transitions, you'de have a real winner.

All in all, I still like it. It's outside the box of what most people would make, and that says a lot. If I were you, I'd make another one, and be careful to pay attention to aesthetics and composition. Pipe making requires skill, artisitic vision, and the patience to couple the two. I think you've got a good start on all three. Judging by the "cracked" pipe, I'd say you've got it in you, you just need to develop it and let it grow.

Keep this pipe, smoke it, and learn from it. Most pipemakers make dozens of pipes before one ever hits the market. Each one is a learning experience, and each one will teach you something new. I don't know how many pipes these other guys made before selling, but I think I made somewhere close to 100, a lot are in the hands of friends that still smoke them, some ended up as firewood, some smoked like poop-on-a-stick, and some are too ugly to see the light of day.

It's a very good start on what will hopefully be a rewarding hobby/pastime/career.

[bscofield]

thanks kurt... that's what I was looking for.

Question: Could you define "aesthetics and composition."

Question2: Could you explain "It helps if you mimic stem shapes or "movements" in the shank and transition them into the bowl. "

I noticed some of the things you were talking about but I was kinda "done" and to be honest was too anxious to finish the pipe to go back and do anything about it...

Thanks for the input. It was cool for me to have noticed the same things as someone who has been doing this longer and also very good for me to have heard/learned other things that you said.

ANY other posts for this are welcome!

[Tyler]

OK. I'll give it a shot.

I'll start with this photo:



Let me begin with the disclaimer that photos can be very deceiving. Things that appear to be "issues" in the photos can often be caused by funny lighting, shadows, etc.

First, symmetry. Symmetry is hugely important, and takes lots of effort to acheive (at least for me). From the top of this pipe I spot several symmetry issues. The first is the wall thickness. While this is often a place that there isn't perfect symmetry in 360°, there is typically symmetry along both the x and y axiis. Likewise, the shank is not symmetrical either. In the above photo, on the right side there is a much more steeper bend to the shank from the bowl, as compared to the left side.

Along the lines of symmetry, in the instance of this panneled pipe, there is the issue of the sides being square with one another. While resting on the front of the bowl, the stem is not perfectly perpendicular to the table, pointing to a lack of squareness.

For the bowl, I notice that the drilling has a very sudden taper at the bottom of the bowl. I'm not sure if there are any negative impacts on such a chamber shape, but I will point out it is very atypical, to the point of being a construction concern. Who knows though? I can't say for sure that this is a bad thing.

To the next photo:



I'll say on this photo that I don't mind the difference in the angles between the top and bottom of the shank. Something more important, in my opinion, is that the bottom of the bowl near the shank be in the "right" place. By this I mean, my eye travels along the back edge of the bowl starting from the top left edge of the bowl, and I slide down the bowl, and expect the bottom left portion of the bowl to be over to the left just a bit. The other main thing that I notice in this photo is random roundness. The corners of the panels are rounded off in an irregular way, and I believe it gives it a stronger-than-accurate perception of assymetry.

Another:



For this side, I notice immediately something not right about the shank to bowl junction. The bowl for the top half seems to be on a good line going down, and then it seems to randomly sweep back along the shank. I think it needs to continue along its original line down to the bottom of the bowl where it rests on the table. Again, I would point out random edge and corner rounding.

Next:



Squareness and symmetry again. On this photo, that the stem is at an odd angle is apparent, and the top line of the pipe shows the left side to be taller than the right.

Lastly:



The front of the pipe shows excellent symmetry. That is a perfect rectangle, and look sgreat. As it angles back on the bottom of the bowl (top of the photo) there is apparent assyemtry with the left beng higher than the right.

I hope you are still reading! In all, though I've picked on lots of things, this pipe is not far off. The symmetrical failings are easily adjusted and close enough to see the intention of the shape. I think it is a very nice early effort. I'll also mention that I find panels VERY hard to get right. Though it would seem like an easy assignment, I think you've chosen a rather challenging one from the standpoint of trying to get everything just right.

Though I am not a fan of the "freehand" stems with the beading in them, a highlight of the pipe in my mind is the bend of the stem. It is my opinion that many makers make very nice stummels only to ruin the overall flow of the pipe with a sharply crooked stem. Anytime a stem has a visible corner, I feel damage has been done to the shape. I think that the bending of stems should be graceful and flowing, and curved over as long a distance as possible. You did this very well, and that is unusual for a "newbie". Well done.

In conclusion, smoke the pipe with pride. As I look over early pipes that I made, I can comment on them in the same way that I commented on yours. I have restrained from "fixing" those early efforts both for sentimental and learning reasons. It is good to see that I have progressed. I think you will feel the same way in a few more pipes.

Fire it up, and enjoy!!

Tyler

[bscofield]

Drat!! The biggest compliment (the bend of the stem) is not mine to claim! That is a stem that I had (I have purchased no stems cause I thought it looked good with the pipe) from a previous pre-drilled briar kit.

DOH!

Thanks for the help.

Question: Could you explain randomly rounded corners? Meaning they shouldn't have been rounded or they are not rounded evenly? Any tips for corners on a square or "paneled" pipe?

[Tyler]

Well, bummer on the stem! You at least did a good job matching a stem of the appropriate curve to the pipe! It is my opinion that most makers over-bend the stem. Of course, there is a balance between aesthetics and comfort, but when in doubt I suggest a lesser bend for elegance.

As for randomly rounded edges, I mean that the edges and corners are rounded in uneven amounts. Some are rounded quite a bit, and some are much less rounded.

Is that more clear?

Tyler

[KurtHuhn]

thanks kurt... that's what I was looking for.

Question: Could you define "aesthetics and composition."

Question2: Could you explain "It helps if you mimic stem shapes or "movements" in the shank and transition them into the bowl. "

Aesthetics and composition is *really* hard to quantify and explain. It's what makes Frank Lloyd Wright architecture so fun to look at and be around, it's what make Rembrant paintings works of art instead of just another splattering of pigment on canvas. "The Artisitic Eye", is a way of saying that someone understands aesthics and composition. A big part of this, as Tyler mentioned, is symetry. There's also balance and flow.

To put in topical terms, a pipe should "flow" from the front of the bowl all teh way back to the button. Some people need to practice and refine this , for others it comes naturally. Would you be surprised if I said that I almost never *think* about a pipe while I'm making it? In fact, when people point out aspects of a pipe they like and how they "flow", it's not something I conciously did - most of it subconcious, it just flows into the pipe.

Okay, that sounded like bragging - it sure wasn't meant to be, but hopefully you get the idea.

You need to be able to complement the shape of the stem in the stummel, and vis-versa. To illustrate, this pipe by Tyler:

The first thing I notice is that the bottom of the pipe is one smooth line from the front of the bowl all the way back to the button. The pipe flows in a long sweeping arc that, while it may change radius or direction, has no abrupt changes. The top of the shank mimics the bottom, and even though there's an abrupt change where the stem is made into a half-saddle, the overall line never deviates. Also, notice how the top of the bowl and the sides are at complementary angles. Any sharper, and the pipe wouldn't flow as well. Any more oblique, and the pipe would seem heavy and unwieldy. There's actually quite a bit of wiggle room in there to get a good "feel", but too much either way and you lose it completely.

(hope that was okay, Tyler. It didn't feel right using one of my own for illustration - to much like bragging and pride.)

For stem movements, what I mean is that if the stem has a bend in it, that bend should complement the angles of stummel, and the stummel should complement the angles of the stem. In the previous example this is readily evident.

Also, for stem shapes, it is <b>typical</b> for makers to use square stems on square pipes, and round stems on round pipes. The lone deviation to this is the bulldog/bullcap/saucer, which usually (but not always!) has a diamond shank/stem. But even here, the stem and shank are the same shape - in order to "flow" one into another.

In my early days of pipemaking I used stems that differed in shape from the stummels they were attached to. Most of these turned out feeling very clumsy and clunky. You have to look at it and "feel" that it's right. This is usually part of the design process anyway, and where you visualize the design in your head and see it in three dimensions. A lot of pipemakers draw an absolutely stunning amount of pictures. This helps them understand the construction of the pipe as well as the shape.

Jeez, I hope that helps. Stuff like this is difficult to explain if you're not an art teacher.

[Tyler]

Kurt,

I don't mind you using that picture at all. If I might comment on that pipe, it is one of my favorites. If I had it to do all over again, the only thing I would do differently is make the half-saddle a smooth transition instead of an abrupt one.

Tyler

[bscofield]

Kurt, that helps a lot, thanks!