pipemakersforum.com

RDPowell wrote:

PremalChheda wrote:Unless your pipes are priced too high, they are not turds. It is all price relative. This is a nice bulldog.

Your finish needs improving to get even and vivid color. Experiment on some scrap with a few different techniques.

Premal, I'm not selling my pipes, there not up to my expectations yet, everyone has at least one fault.
Thank you for the compliment but, as I stated earlier, I've turned in to one by trying to improve on it but, only ending up ruining it.
As far as my finish I'm afraid it won't get much better because I'm color blind. Basic colors are about all I can really do cause I can't see
the changes. I used a red secondary stain and I can't even see it, so I don't know if it took or not. Besides I like brown anyway

The color is off in various places due to application and buffing I suspect. I am not versed in what you may or may not be able to see, but call me when you get a chance, and I will go over some techniques that will help you achieve a more consistent finish. My number is on my website during business hours.

PremalChheda wrote:

RDPowell wrote:

PremalChheda wrote:Unless your pipes are priced too high, they are not turds. It is all price relative. This is a nice bulldog.

Your finish needs improving to get even and vivid color. Experiment on some scrap with a few different techniques.

Premal, I'm not selling my pipes, there not up to my expectations yet, everyone has at least one fault.
Thank you for the compliment but, as I stated earlier, I've turned in to one by trying to improve on it but, only ending up ruining it.
As far as my finish I'm afraid it won't get much better because I'm color blind. Basic colors are about all I can really do cause I can't see
the changes. I used a red secondary stain and I can't even see it, so I don't know if it took or not. Besides I like brown anyway

The color is off in various places due to application and buffing I suspect. I am not versed in what you may or may not be able to see, but call me when you get a chance, and I will go over some techniques that will help you achieve a more consistent finish. My number is on my website during business hours.

Thank you sir, will do.

Mind posting them here, too? Just for posterity.

Ratimus wrote:Mind posting them here, too? Just for posterity.

Posting what sir?
You mean the pipes I've made? Heck, I've only made 6 and I've posted them all here at one time or another except one that I made from oak that's now back in the wood pile.

RDPowell wrote:

Ratimus wrote:Mind posting them here, too? Just for posterity.

Posting what sir?
You mean the pipes I've made? Heck, I've only made 6 and I've posted them all here at one time or another except one that I made from oak that's now back in the wood pile.

I think He was referring to Premal posting His techniques for finishing, Norm.

notow1 wrote:

RDPowell wrote:

Ratimus wrote:Mind posting them here, too? Just for posterity.

Posting what sir?
You mean the pipes I've made? Heck, I've only made 6 and I've posted them all here at one time or another except one that I made from oak that's now back in the wood pile.

I think He was referring to Premal posting His techniques for finishing, Norm.

Oh!

Ratimus wrote:Mind posting them here, too? Just for posterity.

Its been posted by many over the years. Just check out the finishing section.

I do not post detailed finishing process publicly but I can help an individual to use the materials they have to their best ability.

R.D.'s case is unique due to colorblindness. I think I have a solution, and I will share something with him so he will be able to get a consistent result.

I was just thinking if there was some secret sauce being shared it couldn't hurt to ask, as others might benefit from hearing it as well.

Ratimus wrote:I was just thinking if there was some secret sauce being shared it couldn't hurt to ask, as others might benefit from hearing it as well.

There is some "Secret" Sauces, hence the word "Secret" Posting it up on a forum would not be advised.

Ratimus wrote:I was just thinking if there was some secret sauce being shared it couldn't hurt to ask, as others might benefit from hearing it as well.

When I first started making pipes, I was obsessed with learning the secrets behind good finishes. I saw all this stuff in the finishing section of the forum and figured it was garbage, because whenever I tried it, I got unsatisfactory results. Then one day, I realized it wasn't the instructions that were at fault. It was me! It takes a lot of practice to get your technique up to snuff. Until you do that, any "secrets" will be worthless to you.

All I was saying is that if you're going to share some information or answer a question for one person, there are probably other people who have the same question. I wasn't trying to ask for anybody's "proprietary shortcuts to instant fame and success" (note the sarcasm) but I thought if there is information being shared that could be helpful to one person, why not share it with other people so they can benefit as well?

It's perfectly understandable if somebody doesn't want to go publicizing their techniques all over the internet and I totally get that. I just figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Finishing is a finicky thing. It is difficult to explain and your products/climate/shop conditions/skill level can make a finish great for one carver and useless for another. That's why we don't typically go beyond the basics in an open forum. Not generally out of secrecy. There are just so many variables that going beyond the basics can take copious amounts of time and yield unsatisfactory results for those trying to apply the techniques.
I have been waiting for a chance to use "copious"... my week is complete.

That makes perfect sense. Also, congratulations on achieving your lofty vocab goal. Bask in your success but never allow it to quench your thirst to continue striving for ever higher planes of linguistic mastery. Or something.

Ratimus wrote:All I was saying is that if you're going to share some information or answer a question for one person, there are probably other people who have the same question. I wasn't trying to ask for anybody's "proprietary shortcuts to instant fame and success" (note the sarcasm) but I thought if there is information being shared that could be helpful to one person, why not share it with other people so they can benefit as well?

It's perfectly understandable if somebody doesn't want to go publicizing their techniques all over the internet and I totally get that. I just figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

It has already been shared on the forum. There really is no definitive way to finish. You just learn as much as you can and then start practicing and experimenting until something works well for you.

Here are some options for staining:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=10401

Here is a good start on finish with shellac:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=7023&hilit=+shellac

Practice and making adjustments to your technique.

Do some searches on "finishing wood" on google.

Back in 2003 and earlier, it was nearly impossible to find this kind of information with a few clicks on the keyboard. Good ole woodworking magazines and books about wood working were the only reliable sources.

RD needed a more specific method that everyone else does not.

Premal, thanks for taking the time to post that. I am pretty happy with my finishing process for now, but I'm kind of obsessive about quality and efficiency in tools and processes (I'm an avionics engineer in my day job; who can fault me? This week I helped an intern save half a day's labor by showing him a simple tweak to the way he was soldering).

I'm definitely of the mindset that you shouldn't fix what's not broken, but I also love collecting pro-tips. I'm always looking for new ways of doing things, whether or not I adapt them to my own process. So if somebody says, "let me tell you about a special technique..." my ears perk up. I didn't realize you were giving RD advice that was individualized to his own workflow, so I was like, "Hey, I wanna hear about the cool trick, too!" My bad.