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So I'll post an album below of the process of making my 3rd pipe and please call me out on anything I'm doing horribly wrong.
I don't have a ton of tools. I use some shitty little HF grinder that I attach 4 inch buffing wheels to because my drill doesn't have enough RPMs for tripoli. Most shaping is done with files and rough grit sandpaper by hand. Holes drilled by hand with a power drill. Because I don't have a lathe, the stem/shank junction is insanely hard to get flush, but I did my best.

I sand basically from 120 or so then 220 to wet 400/600 then hit with tripoli, white diamond, carnauba. I originally thought I was done except for a stem bend until I analyzed my pipe and noticed tons of tiny microscratches. I assumed this was from filing/rough grit so I re-sanded everything starting from the beginning before bending and buffing again. The last two photos are after I re-did the sanding, buffing, and bend.

Even after redoing it, I have lots of microscratches in the stem. Unfortunately, I don't have any good photos of them because I gave the pipe to my dad.
Should I be sanding the stem past 600? Or did I just introduce too many deep scratches with rough grit to get them out with 400? I used the 400 for a really really long time and removed any scratches I could from the stummel. I couldn't see any of the scratches until after all the buffing/waxing was done, which is really frustrating.

Anyway, thanks for looking/helping. Please give me some criticism, because God knows I need some.

Chris

http://imgur.com/a/vzqHI

The short answer is you aren't sanding long enough with each grit. Before you move to a higher grit you need to make sure every, and I mean every, scratch from the last grit is completely gone. You can't get the deep scratches out with 400. You need to remove them as you go.

An even shorter answer: what Scottie said.

Also, in the future, watch the thickness of the wall on the bowl. If you are a hard puffer it will get uncomfortably hot and could crack.

Thanks for the info both of you. I think I needed longer at 220 I suppose. I spent the great majority on 400 but if scratches were too deep, that doesn't help! And yeah, I know the bowl is super thin. It's actually quite thick at the bottom because I didn't have a rounded bit and had to dremel. But also it was for my dad who doesn't really smoke so I imagined it as more of a desk piece.

For the hell of it and because I'm procrastinating, I tried my hand at pseudo (meaning photoshopped) product photography.

When you heat a stem unseen scratches will come to the surface. I get a better finish by sanding very well up to 600, then quickly with 800 1000 and 1500. very brief sanding with those three grits.

An afterthought: If you are not already doing so, consider that (with the 3M brand paper at least) there are more grits available: 240, 320, 360. Not a lot between them but it helps.

oklahoma red wrote:An afterthought: If you are not already doing so, consider that (with the 3M brand paper at least) there are more grits available: 240, 320, 360. Not a lot between them but it helps.

Thanks! I appreciate the help. I just had a bunch of old grits at home from years ago so I used what I could find. But in a recent PIMO order I ordered a pack of some extra grits.
I really think I also may have used even rougher grit than 120 at some point which could have caused an issue. I had some of those sponges with some really rough stuff on them, like 60 and 80 so I'll shy away from real rough stuff on the stem next time.

Bending the stem ( the heating) can cause scratches to appear. I scrape and sand my stems to 320, then I bend them before wet sanding to 500 then 1000 before buffing. No scratches!

you only buff the stem after bending? think I might try this

mcgregorpipes wrote:you only buff the stem after bending? think I might try this

I don't do the final sanding until after bending either, it allows me to remove any scratches that pop up after heating and if for some reason I should get some rippling or kinking from bending (rare but does happen from time to time) I can very quickly remove this with the 320 without having to go through the grits again.

Always buy the best sandpaper you can afford, never the cheap stuff at Harbor Freight or the big box stores. Always sand to one grit higher than you think you need to sand to. No great finish ever started with a sloppy sanding job, the quality of the finish depends on the quality of the sanding job.

dogcatcher wrote:Always buy the best sandpaper you can afford, never the cheap stuff at Harbor Freight or the big box stores.

10X this. It makes a LOT of difference.

In my experience, without question, the best stuff out there for stems is Norton "Black Ice." (It was developed for the high-end custom auto painting trade. It has EXTREMELY uniform grit, and lasts a long time in the bargain.)

http://www.nortonautobodysandpaper.com/ ... wet-paper/

I've also had great success with Klingspor, but it's not often distributed in local stores. I buy it in bulk from surf shops.

I use black ice and klingspor. Both are good. I use black ice for anything above 400 grit.

No no no, the BEST stuff is made by Mirka!

This could get nasty!

caskwith wrote:No no no, the BEST stuff is made by Mirka!

This could get nasty!

That's cuz us Yankees don't like no Finlanderizers makin' fun of how we talk... It's spelled 'Murrica, dammit!

I don't think I've used mirka. We have it readily available around here, but not in sheet format. Its in stupid round disks for sanders.

andrew wrote:I don't think I've used mirka. We have it readily available around here, but not in sheet format. Its in stupid round disks for sanders.

Their sanding discs are superb, they are all I use for pipe work and DIY. Their sheet paper and other products are also excellent. The only thing I have to buy from elsewhere (because they don't seem to make it) is cloth back paper.

Mirka, Norton, Klingspor?

Ha!

Sia abrasives please.


You guys make me laugh though!

Sasquatch wrote:Mirka, Norton, Klingspor?

Ha!

Sia abrasives please.


You guys make me laugh though!

Inquiring minds want to know: Out of the zillion products they make what have you settled in on? Have you stayed in the wood line or ventured into the automotive products? What has sold you on Sia above all others?