My Third Pipe

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:37 am

I've attached photos of my third completed briar pipe. After cracking the shank of another to-be-pipe in half trying to turn a tenon, I got some help from Tyler and John Crosby (thanks, guys!) who taught me some things I may have been doing wrong turning tenons. This was my first attempt at rustication, using a tool I made from Tyler's instructions here. Rusticating is not as easy as I thought! Anyway, I did not originally intend to have the bottom of the bowl extend beneath the bottom of the shank like this, but because of the way I drilled the block I could not get a nice continuous line on the underside of the pipe. So I decided to make the change in curvature look a little more deliberate, which is something I have seen (Tyler does this very well). Unfortunately when I do it it doesn't look as graceful!

Anyway, here it is. As a funny side note, I was talking with John about his use of Portuguese terms to name his pipes. Basically he said he found the Portuguese word for something that he felt the pipe resembled. So with is help I found an appropriate name for this one: testículo! Can you tell I am not a big fan of the shape of the underside of this one?

Anyway, rather than dwell on this one for two more weeks like I did with my second pipe, I decided the best approach would be to finish it, smoke it, and do a better job on the next one.

Please let me know how you think I can improve. I would really be interested in hearing from Tyler and Todd about how to pull off this type of shape (where the underside of the pipe is not one continuous curve) more gracefully.

-Scott

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:56 am

As you can see, I gave up on the idea of a contrast stain.

I do have one question - how do you shine up a rusticated pipe?

I made the mistake of trying to buff this one. What a disaster. Picture buffing compound and wax imbedded in the rustication, along with white fibers from the wheel. Yuck. There must be a good way to do this, though, right?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 10:17 am

Shelac is how you'd do it. I have no idea about shelac. I haven't moved into that arena yet. I want to tho, just haven't been able to as of yet. But I have heard the answer given enough times on here that it stuck. Hmm... I guess that's that thing people call "learning."

I have an opinion about the curve on the belly, if you'd like to hear it. The elements that I seen in this pipe that do not lend to the curvatious underbelly are that the arch that "points" downwards (coming from the bowl) is all bunched up in the corner underneath the bowl. That and the line is severely interrupted where it meets the shank with a corner and a change in angle. My opinion is that this would be better accomplished if you were able to create the arch that comes bowl spread out and gracefully and then match it's symmetry going up the shank... This opinion comes from more observation and less "hands on" experience.

jeff · Post by **jeff** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:02 pm

Scott,

That is a nice pipe, but I'm having difficulty making it out. To be clear, this is no fault of the photographer. There is a lump on the end of the stem that creates a haze over the rest of the photo for me. My eyes are drawn toward it and I cannot seem to see past it to the rest of the pipe. There is a SOFTIE on the stem! 8O 8O Seriously, I think that you should find whatever you did to cause some malicious or vengeful person to slip one of those on your pipe while you stepped back to grab your camera. Such malfeasance disgusts me, especially if it is done at random (sorry, Random)! Perhaps you should hire an investigator or call a detective. Surely you would not put one of those on a pipe of your own volition! So, it is clearly an act of violence against your pipe and the entire pipemaking and pipesmoking community. This will not stand, IT WILL NOT STAND!!!!

Jeff

P.S. If I squint one eye to blur the abomination on the stem I can see that you've made quite a nice pipe. The bottom line is pretty good for your third briar pipe. There is a certain degree of intentionality that can be perceived there, although as you have mentioned, it is not as graceful as it could be. This is something that is much more intuitive than explainable though. You would also do well to surf through some high-grade websites to see how other pipemakers have handled similar designs. Overall, though, it is indeed a nice pipe and one that you should be proud to smoke as soon as you take the copper pipe insulation off the end of the stem.

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:16 pm

LOL!

Tell us, Jeff, what are your *true* thoughts on the softie?

I use them on all my pipes because I am picky about getting bite marks on my stems, but I can see that these pictures have backfired a bit because they fail to show the thin, comfortable bit that I have so carefully honed from the pre-molded stem I used (hey, baby steps...).

We are in agreement about the shape of the bottom of the pipe. Give me some time, I guess, and some browsing of sites selling pipes I can't afford.

Ben, I am trying to picture what it is that you are saying. This is one of those times I wish this thing had a sketch pad attached...

Give me a few more reads - I am trying to figure it out to see if it will help me the next time I try something like this.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:41 pm

Nice pipe bud! You did an excelent job on the shank/bowl transition on th top of the pipe. Very clean and smooth. The fit of the stem looks excelent as well. As far as the staining goes, I like the looks! Though the pics are kind of dark, the red undercoat looks very attractive. I like the smooth areas left on the pipe too. A nice touch. How big is the bowl? And what did you drill the draught hole with? The softie is a nice touch too.

One last note, nd I simply had to ask: what's it like having your testiculo in your mouth?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 2:48 pm

ScoJo wrote:Ben, I am trying to picture what it is that you are saying. This is one of those times I wish this thing had a sketch pad attached...

Let me illustrate:

this is obviously done half-assed but see what I'm saying with the "butt or chin." it seems to gravitate "away from the pipe." Anyway, I had said that originaly to indicate that it "threw" off the look of the pipe, for me that is. Does the illustration show what I'm saying? How the arch "points" or pulled towards that angle?

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:17 am

This could be taken the wrong way... but I did it anyway

This is what I'd have done to remove the "warhammer" look

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:29 am

Not bad! I think I understand more what you guys are talking about. My 4th warhammer is nearing completion - this time with a more full bend to it - part of the reason I don't like the third one is the straight shank. Like random says I think this type of shape with the protrusion on the bottom looks better when the shank has a bend to it. On the 4th warclub I tried finally drilling the mortise and draft hole at two separate angles, which allows more liberty in the shape. Of course I found doing this presents other problems (at least for me).

The 4th one still looks like a club, though.

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 2:30 am

One of the problems I would have had creating your version, Ben, is the shape of my tobacco chamber. It's a pimo bit, so the bottom is very round, and it went too deep to create something like what you pictured without thinning out the wall on the bottom. Live and learn.

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:51 am

ScoJo wrote:One of the problems I would have had creating your version, Ben, is the shape of my tobacco chamber. It's a pimo bit, so the bottom is very round, and it went too deep to create something like what you pictured without thinning out the wall on the bottom. Live and learn.

Some pro can correct me if I'm wrong but... Sometimes you end up with a thin chin... or a thin wall for that matter. I think you just go for a balance between aestheticaly pleasing and functional. But I do see the quandry...

alexanderfrese · Post by **alexanderfrese** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:00 am

It might help if you could somehow put a line on the pic showing the angle of the draught hole through the stem. If it is parallel with the stem, I don't understand the problem. It should be possible to do it the way the retouched photo shows.
If the drilling is at an angle, I can't see, why. Am I trapped in my thoughts or is it the trap that made it impossible with that pipe at all?

Alex

ScoJo · Post by **ScoJo** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 12:10 am

It's parallel with the stem, but the chamber shape is very round and flat on the bottom. Perhaps I am too paranoid about the thickness of the "chin" that I need?

alexanderfrese · Post by **alexanderfrese** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:27 am

Assuming this:

is what is inside the pipe, it might as well be some kind of paranoia. How should all the classic Billiards be done? They cannot have any more wood under the chamber than half the thickness of the shank.
No matter what shape the tobacco chamber drill has, the deepest point is (or should be) the junction with the draught hole.
So there is some wood you can engage on…

Alex

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:25 pm

Scojo... Maybe you should just stick with your gut feeling! Here is a very similar pipe that is going for 250.