Bent Dublin

[Alden]

Well I finished the first pipe I'm really happy with (My 8th).
This was commissioned as a medium-large 1/4 bent Dublin. It made me realize I'm not entirely sure what the definition of 1/4 bent is, or really the definition of a Dublin (other than the top is wider than the bottom).
I would like some critique as though this is a professionally made pipe, not one from an amateur. For instance, I really lost the grain on the back of the bowl and to a lesser extent on the front. Is this a matter of choosing the wrong angle in those areas, or is it a matter of the grain itself being screwy ? I tried and tried to find the grain in those spots, and got it to pop a bit more, just curious if someone with more skill might have made this into a 360 degree straight grain pipe.
I am commissioning and selling pipes at this point. It is my profession whether or not I am actually a professional (and I'm not, yet). The only way I know to make pipes is take every scrap of knowledge I have picked up and stay focused on making every detail the very best I am capable of.
Please critique viciously (you bastards).

[wdteipen]

The stem is overbent. Other than that it looks real nice to me. Real nice grain on the right side.

[Alden]

The stem is overbent. Other than that it looks real nice to me. Real nice grain on the right side.

Thanks Wayne.
Now that you point it out, I suppose that is right. I sort of like a pipe to tilt away from me. That is a big lesson I am having to wrap my brain around, what *I like* and what is proper can be two very different things.
Does everyone agree its overbent ?

[The Smoking Yeti]

I agree it is a smidgen over bent. I don't feel like the flow on the bottom line of the pipe really jibes with that big of a bend. It's a more subtle line through the rest of the piece, I'd say rebend the stem a tetch less bent.

[PremalChheda]

Nice finish and shape!

[maxmil]

Classical Pipa and good execution.
Best regards.
Félix

Pipa clásica y buena ejecucion.
Saludos.
Félix

[DMI]

Yep the stem is over bent and the button is a tad thick but..............

The view from the top shows that the shank flares slightly on the bottom line (in the pic).

This is confirmed in the shot of the underside which also reveals that something is off centre, quite clearly one side of the bowl appears wider than the other and that the stem is either bent or flares on one side at the bit.

There is also a ring of denser stain around the rim.

David.

[wmolaw]

The stem is overbent. Other than that it looks real nice to me. Real nice grain on the right side.

From which viewpoint? LOL Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[d.huber]

I'd agree it's over bent. If you rebend, keep those bent lines arching.

The stain around the rim, as David said, appears to be a bit thicker. There's a line there.

As far as the grain goes, falling off on the front and back is not entirely unusual for a lot of pipes. That being said, you're not holding yourself to the standard of a factory pipe. Given this block and this shape, I'm not sure you could've gotten a 360 deg straight grain out of this pipe. But that's my newby, unskilled opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Hey, at least you sanded the chamber!

In all seriousness, this is a really nice pipe and I think the only tweaks with immediacy are simple to fix. Also, the grain on the right is really beautiful!

[wmolaw]

Yep the stem is over bent and the button is a tad thick but..............

The view from the top shows that the shank flares slightly on the bottom line (in the pic).

This is confirmed in the shot of the underside which also reveals that something is off centre, quite clearly one side of the bowl appears wider than the other and that the stem is either bent or flares on one side at the bit.

There is also a ring of denser stain around the rim.

David.

Surprises me that when others see issues that I don't see, I can spot them right away!

The bend I saw, but did not see the bowl issue until you noted it.

[Alden]

I relaxed the bend in the stem, and suddenly I like the pipe a lot more.
David, the button is .24 in height, too tall ? I agree the bowl is not even where it meets the shank, but I am trying to understand the problem at the shank/stem junction. When I twist the stem, top of shank is slightly taller than the bottom but its perfectly even side to side. The top/bottom is an issue I tried to work out but I dont see the flare you're pointing out?
I was hoping to hear some feedback regarding proper degree of 1/4 bend pipes.
Proper definition of a Dublin ( other than wider at top ).
Following grain.
Execution of shape (I didnt base this on another pipe, this is just what my brain/hands decided a Dublin looks like)
How to win friends and influence people.

I've been hanging around here talking shit for over a year now and finally have something to show. I was hoping RAD or SAS or one of those other assholes with 3 letter names would chime in.

[JMG]

I agree with the stem being overly bent. However, that's some of the nicest grain I've seen in a while.

[DMI]

The height of the button is not the problem it's the thickness.

Your overall shaping is pretty good, you have nice lines and with the bend eased it probably made a lot of difference.

You are overly concerned about the grain, it may not be a super tight 360 straight grain but it is a nice piece of briar, are you prepared to scrap the pipe if following the grain means a hole in the chamber? You/we/I have to balance design and looks, with a 'classic' shape you have to come down on the side of design rather than looks.

The shank going out of round is something you need to watch out for all the way through the shaping, I use a delrin plug instead of the stem up to 320 grit so the delrin can be turned back to round easily.

Go to an online shop and search for Dublin and you will see all sorts of variations on the shape and chamber, there are two basic chamber shapes a straight V and a parrallel taper which is the most common.

The degree of bend is about right for a 1/4 bent if you want to be super accurate use a protacter thingy when you mark out the drilling, you know 22.5, 45, 67.5 degrees.

David

[Leus]

Is the stem handcut?

[Growley]

Nice pipe. Well done. I think you did a great job on it, especially if it's only your 8th pipe. The only critique I have to offer is on the stem. I would say that from looking at pic #3 you could get a beter polish on it. The polish looks a little flat. I mean, it is shiny, but compare it to the glossy look of a black grand piano and see if you're there yet.

I'm not there yet with mine, but I'm getting closer to being abel to see myself well in my stems. I've recently found that if I sand to the red trip, then finish with white diamond and wax, it looks shiny...for while, but the white seems to put a polish on that comes off eventually, like pledge on a table. It looks great at first, but fades eventually.

Here's what I do now that seems to work much better: (for what it's worth)

Sand - 220-320-Red Trip -600-800-1000-1200-1500-2000 white diamond and then wax. Once you get a good base with your 600, meaning a true 600 sand, you don't have to spend as much time on the rest of the stages, except the white diamond. I sit on that one for quite a bit.

I'm not sure if that will help, but there it is. Sorry I can't give you any advice on traditional shape and so on. I'm still learning that myself.

Brian.

[Alden]

Ok, I see exactly what you are saying David. I did notice something was twisted a bit on the stem, I thought I just had the button a little crooked but your edit makes it clear as day. I did get it straightened up when I unbent it, but it is nice to see exactly what the problem was.
Also see your point on the button, I will probably take it back just a bit before sending this off.

[Alden]

Is the stem handcut?

Yes its SEM Rodstock.

[Alden]

Nice pipe. Well done. I think you did a great job on it, especially if it's only your 8th pipe. The only critique I have to offer is on the stem. I would say that from looking at pic #3 you could get a beter polish on it. The polish looks a little flat. I mean, it is shiny, but compare it to the glossy look of a black grand piano and see if you're there yet.

I'm not there yet with mine, but I'm getting closer to being abel to see myself well in my stems. I've recently found that if I sand to the red trip, then finish with white diamond and wax, it looks shiny...for while, but the white seems to put a polish on that comes off eventually, like pledge on a table. It looks great at first, but fades eventually.

Here's what I do now that seems to work much better: (for what it's worth)

Sand - 220-320-Red Trip -600-800-1000-1200-1500-2000 white diamond and then wax. Once you get a good base with your 600, meaning a true 600 sand, you don't have to spend as much time on the rest of the stages, except the white diamond. I sit on that one for quite a bit.

I'm not sure if that will help, but there it is. Sorry I can't give you any advice on traditional shape and so on. I'm still learning that myself.

Brian.

Thanks Brian. To be specific, this is my 8th finished hand made pipe. I have a pile of mangled misaligned pitted or otherwise DNQ'd rejects
I actually split my time between my shop (40 minutes away) and just a small workbench here at home. I do handwork here so I can have a little bit of time at home, but it sucks because all my power tools are at the shop. I had buffed the pipe and half of the stem at the shop but still had some filing/sanding to do at home to get the button down. The finish at this point is just micro mesh which is shiny but not that shiny. I think once I put it to the buffer it will look good.
Thanks for posting your technique.

[Alden]

Heres the updated pics with corrections.

[d.huber]

Oh yeah. Hella better. It's amazing what a little tweak will do.