Then and Now

[Alden]

My first pipe

My second pipe

My 2012 entry in the GKCPC ! Why the hell didn't I win ?!?!?!!

My first bent bulldog


I got better





The last surviving baby Dik Dik, right before Micah Redmond ate it !

[Sasquatch]

I ordinarily wouldn't believe that Micah could do such a thing, but now that I've read it, I know it's true.

What a sad world we live in.

[Alden]

Reading it on the internet makes it double dog truthy too.

Heres what my first two pipes looked like halfway through... the third pipe pictured still looks just like it does in the pic! Handcut stems aye wot.

[mredmond]

I ordinarily wouldn't believe that Micah could do such a thing, but now that I've read it, I know it's true.

What a sad world we live in.

They're like the veal of venison. Once you've had baby dik dik, there's no going back. I don't know whether to praise or curse Ryan for introducing me.

[W.Pastuch]

This is a fun thread

Here's my very first pipe (a photographer friend took the pictures for me, so at least the photo is nice, makes it less painful to look at this early attempt )



And this is one of my latest work:


I will not comment on some of yours progress 'cause it makes me fucking jealous. I'm off to work. Hard.

[d.huber]

Awesome stuff, you guys!

Don't know if they'd be willing, but I'd like to see a Then and Now from some of the senior members of the board.

[Sasquatch]

That's a wicked horn, Wojtek.

[scotties22]

That's a wicked horn, Wojtek.

Yeah, but too bad the grain is soooo crappy I really like the rim on it.

[W.Pastuch]

That's a wicked horn, Wojtek.

Yeah, but too bad the grain is soooo crappy I really like the rim on it.

Thanks!
Yeah, I knew someone was gonna point that out... I should have rusticated it.

[scotties22]

You have a shot of the front? I want to see the birdies

[Alden]

One thing I want to add, in a rare serious moment, is the sheer amount of effort and force of will I think all of us have invested to get these kind of results.
Pipe making is easy, two holes line up and it's a pipe. Making pipes that are all aesthetically pleasing, fully functional, engineered to hold up for the long run and having a high degree of fine detail is excruciatingly difficult. I wanted to give up more times than I care to admit and often felt like what I was trying to accomplish was actually impossible.
There is a reason why this traditionally was learned over the course of years in apprenticeships.
I think I speak for everyone here, but certainly the majority of us, it ain't easy !

[Alden]

I ordinarily wouldn't believe that Micah could do such a thing, but now that I've read it, I know it's true.

What a sad world we live in.

They're like the veal of venison. Once you've had baby dik dik, there's no going back. I don't know whether to praise or curse Ryan for introducing me.

Just cuss me, it will come to you more naturally !

[W.Pastuch]

If you go to my flickr gallery (link is in my signature) you will find all the photos of that pipe. The birdseye isn't as spectacular as it could be, a little contrast stain would have made it pop some more. But now someone will have the joy of seeing it color with time, the grain should look really nice after a couple of years of smoking and handling.

[d.huber]

One thing I want to add, in a rare serious moment, is the sheer amount of effort and force of will I think all of us have invested to get these kind of results.
Pipe making is easy, two holes line up and it's a pipe. Making pipes that are all aesthetically pleasing, fully functional, engineered to hold up for the long run and having a high degree of fine detail is excruciatingly difficult. I wanted to give up more times than I care to admit and often felt like what I was trying to accomplish was actually impossible.
There is a reason why this traditionally was learned over the course of years in apprenticeships.
I think I speak for everyone here, but certainly the majority of us, it ain't easy !

Well said, Ryan.

[JMG]

I'm nowhere near the same league as you guys, but this thread is really cool (started super cool too, thanks Wayne.) Anywho, here's my "then and now"

I think these are #2 and #3 (#1 was dubbed "the gonad" by some so I'm opting it to leaving it out, ha.)




Some newer stuff...

[LatakiaLover]

How can a pipe named "The Gonad" possibly be omitted?

Sorry, JMG, but ya gotta post it. You know, for science.

[JMG]

How can a pipe named "The Gonad" possibly be omitted?

Sorry, JMG, but ya gotta post it. You know, for science.

Despite my shame, I will humor you...all in the name of science, of course.

[LatakiaLover]

You weren't kidding, were you?

You realize that after you become famous that pipe will be worth $10,000.

[JMG]

You weren't kidding, were you?

You realize that after you become famous that pipe will be worth $10,000.

There's always a sucker.

[e Markle]

Nice pipe, Scottie!