*sigh*

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:43 pm

In the midst of frustration I would just like to say: Making attractive stems is hard.

smokindawg · Post by **smokindawg** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 6:18 am

Ben, from where I'm sitting, and my couple attempts. I have to say, making any stem from scratch is hard.....

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 11:39 am

I feel ya... I can (though it may take multiple attempts) make a stem that I'm comfortable with in it's size and it's dimensions. But making a stem that compliments the rest of the pipe has proven to be as tough as shaping a pretty pipe. Not that this is any surprise- I've always seen and admired the beauty of stems on a amazing pipes. I knew it would be hard- never looked easy to me... but in the midst of it I'm frustrated none the less.

At present I'm working on a stem for a "devil's tooth" sort of pipe. I had in my head what I wanted, on paper, etc.. But no dice on the lathe. Not to mention my famous gaff of having not pre-planned the right details appropriately. In this case it's a non-flush stem whose face sits in a round mini-mortise area on the face of the shank. It was supposed to come out of there and flare out a bit and then back down into the stem- very common. BUT- I made the diameter of the mini-mortise too small- therefore the stem's starting point at the base of the face was too small, so to flare it out to a size that is complimentary to the shank... well you get the picture. So, my frustration lies in the fact that I couldn't adapt the the problem presented and come up with an attractive alternative.... Yet!

FredS · Post by **FredS** » Thu Feb 12, 2009 9:41 pm

bscofield wrote:.... Yet!

Ahhhh, the key word.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:23 am

bscofield wrote:In this case it's a non-flush stem whose face sits in a round mini-mortise area on the face of the shank. It was supposed to come out of there and flare out a bit and then back down into the stem- very common. BUT- I made the diameter of the mini-mortise too small- therefore the stem's starting point at the base of the face was too small, so to flare it out to a size that is complimentary to the shank... well you get the picture. So, my frustration lies in the fact that I couldn't adapt the the problem presented and come up with an attractive alternative.... Yet!

Like this?

I did something similar yesterday. I just etch-a-sketched it on the metal lathe. It probably would have been easier on the wood lathe, but my collet chuck is threaded for the South Bend. I wonder if a half-round, smooth-cut file would be helpful getting the saddle area shaped.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:39 am

Yes, that's basically the one. Who is that pipe by? I can't quite make out the stamp... if I had to take a wild guess I'd say Heding.

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:43 am

Lindner.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:03 am

I should have said Lindner... I'm sure he uses brindle, but I mostly see ebonite on Heding stems.

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:33 pm

I do a LOT of shaping with a full-round file that tapers from about 3/8" to about 1/4". I've had that sucker for years, and it's amazing what kinds of shapes it navigates with ease. The only danger is cutting a trough when you are trying to shape a shoulder, and a half-round file would definitely be safer from that point of view. That said, it sure as hell is easier to shape the important bits on a lathe and "knock off" the parts you don't want later.

But of course, I sell a lot more cabinets than pipes, too....

Back on topic, yes, it surprised me how easy it is to make a stem that looks completely crappy, and the slightest change completely alters the look of the pipe. I am not a "fussy" guy in terms of aesthetics, but I've really had to swallow my pride when it came to pipe stems, because it's much easier to make a nice pipe look bad then the other way around!