Pipe #14, A Volcano

[clickklick]

This just went out to a "customer", no charge, and I even covered postage. Although this type of thing is only going to be sustainable for 3 or 4 more pipes.

As for the pipe:

Side of the bowl by the shank is too vertical. Slot could use more refinement, I am still trying to get the tapered drill bit depth correct as I am going too far with it. Flare of the saddle part is a bit lopsided. From the pics it appears one side of the bowl juts out farther than the other, and there are tooling marks on the button, although these weren't apparent to me looking at it physically. Overall I'm happy with it and the customer reports it smokes great.

[NathanA]

Generally, on a volcano (both pipes and actual volcanoes) the "slope" of the mountain, or sides of the pipe, have a concave curve rather than a convex one like you have here. It makes it look like the pipe is bulging rather than graceful. Also, the lines from bowl to button should be harmonious and consistent from every angle. There is a lot of waviness that could be smoothed out. Look at the pipe in silhouette from every possible angle and make sure the lines are right. The biggest thing that stands out to me is the stem. It lacks definition in the sides, in the saddle, in the bite zone and in the button. Take a look at some high end stems and you will see that all these areas are well defined and fall just short of being sharp. You don't want it truly sharp because it is in your mouth, so I guess a better word is crisp. Crisp lines, not amorphous ones.

You mentioned that you needed more refinement in the stem. I would say that if you recognize that don't send it out until you have refined it. If you keep at it in terms of refinement and eventually screw it up, stems are cheap and easy enough to replace and you will learn quite a bit in the process. Sometimes you just want to be done with a pipe but tenacity is rewarded.

As far as drilling stems, drill the bit side first with your small bit, probably 1/16, a little less than an inch in. Then drill with the taper from the other side. Use some sort of depth gauge, I use a slice of a synthetic wine cork, and stop when the holes connect. You will feel the taper bit grab when it hits the other hole so you know just when to stop.

From a design perspective, it doesn't seem very harmonious. I know that is ethereal and hard to do anything with but I'm not sure how else to say it. You have very curvy portions, very square/angular portions, lots of different colors and, overall it just feels a little disjointed. The design portion of pipemaking is a long road and one I feel that I am only just now starting to make any progress on. I would just say: be intentional. Make color choices, stem material choices, design choices with a clear goal in mind. That is why I say that copying design is much more productive until execution is more or less spot on.

Hope that helps.

[clickklick]

Helps a lot. I often look at pics of high end pipes and think, how the hell do they get the lines so crisp.

How long does one take to truly crisp the shapes out? I know it depends on the pipe, but in general.

I think I've pretty much had the mindset of, I'm giving it away so its good enough because it'll smoke well regardless. On to the next pipe... Which you stated pretty clear above.

[NathanA]

How long does one take to truly crisp the shapes out? I know it depends on the pipe, but in general.

On the wood its a matter of being good with a wheel (the convex style work best), being able to hand sand without rolling edges and good buffing technique. On the stem, it is a matter of file work. Draw lines down the side, shape top and bottom to meet the lines; don't be afraid to remove more material; take a little then stop and look at all angles. All of it comes down to practice. I can honestly say that I am just now getting to the point where I feel my stems are good enough and if it was possible I would replace all of my older stems. Not because they don't function properly on they inside and not because they were ugly but because I wish I had the skills then that I do now. Its a long process. Something that I tried when I first started hand cutting stems that I think helped was to take some old premade stems I had, which usually have pretty amorphous and unattractive lines, and try to make them look good. Basically just practice with file and sandpaper.

The reason I am hitting on this is that from this and previous posts you seem to be very eager to get your pipes out there. I am not sure if it is a financial reason or just excitement about the craft. I would just say that you should be prepared to eat a lot of materials and cost before you worry about recouping expenses. Concentrate on execution before you worry about sales. In the long run it will help your brand be viable long term. Don't be in a rush to get a stamp and a website and business cards. You are on the right path just be prepared to take it slow.

[clickklick]

Thank you for taking time to help.

I think I need to reset my thoughts. My excitement was to make a handmade pipe at machine made prices... At least for a while . that being in the 75 to 150 dollar range. With full time job and young kids, I don't think it is feasible for myself to expect to make high grade 400 to 500 dollar pipes even five years from now. With that not being my intent from the start, I am slowly starting to realize that the pipe world may only accept as close to perfection as possible. In which case I have no significant thing to offer in an already flooded market.

I'm gonna need to go digest some thought for a while and reevaluate what I need.

[mightysmurf8201]

Don't think of it as an all or nothing venture. Just because you don't have the time to make it what you want to be right now, doesn't mean that things won't change in the future. I made my first pipe about 7 yrs ago, and for the 1st 4 yrs of that, I only had time to make 2-4 pipes a year. Even though I made so few, I don't regret it one bit because it was part of the journey to where I am now, and I enjoyed it. I'm still not where I want to be, but at least the groundwork has been layed to get there. If you really like making pipes, there's no reason why you shouldn't do it.

[seamonster]

IAWMS unless this is a business venture, cut your productivity down, and put the time in each pipe. I'm new to this too, and I've been challenging myself to slow down and really pay attention to each step. process, not product.... the goal is to really advance the action, not have a finished pipe. the more you consider, the more you tune your eyes and hands... hard earned lessons stick.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[NathanA]

Thank you for taking time to help.

I think I need to reset my thoughts. My excitement was to make a handmade pipe at machine made prices... At least for a while . that being in the 75 to 150 dollar range. With full time job and young kids, I don't think it is feasible for myself to expect to make high grade 400 to 500 dollar pipes even five years from now. With that not being my intent from the start, I am slowly starting to realize that the pipe world may only accept as close to perfection as possible. In which case I have no significant thing to offer in an already flooded market.

I'm gonna need to go digest some thought for a while and reevaluate what I need.

I wouldn't sweat it too much and sorry if I came across as a nihilist. The pipe market is just really saturated right now especially in the $75-$200 range. I think that if you can sell them you should but just remember once your name is on it you can't take it off unless you break in to someone's house with sandpaper in hand. I am sure every single pipemaker looks back and wishes they hadn't sold the first few they did but everyone starts that way. I look back at pipes I made a year ago and see things I wouldn't repeat on the pipes I make now. My only advice, considering the market right now, is that you look carefully at your competition at any price point and make sure you are offering a better product at the same or lower prices. I wasn't saying your pipes aren't good enough to sell I was just trying to promote a more thoughtful approach and point out areas that could be improved in order to make handmade at a hundred bucks more palatable than factory made at a hundred bucks. If you want to sell pipes for the 75-150 range (or any other range for that matter) I say make the best pipe you can in that range. You always want your customer to feel like they got a good deal.

[PremalChheda]

This is my opinion.

If you are interested in selling pipes for income or partial income, the right thing to do is practice and make the best pipe you can without spending too much time. This includes learning everything you can in order to make a stable, consistent, saleable pipe that is free of technical faults including finish, fit, and stable materials. You should have an expertise in your final product and it should have been fully tested multiple times with success. There should be many failures and responses to those failures until there are no more failures in craftsmanship. Until then, it is all research and education. And yes, it will take some investment in both money and time.

[clickklick]

Turds are turds regardless of how much you sell them for. Got it.

I appreciate all your guys input. My wife has given me an ultimatum. If I want to keep making pipes, I have to at least start recouping raw material and postage cost I think that is reasonable as long as I'm selling turds for 50 bucks shipped. Time is free of course. I have 3 more individuals getting pipes for free until then. And 3 more asking for pipes after that. Unless someone asks, I won't be making pipes to put up on a website any time soon.

I think this is fair to all involved. At least I hope so. Of course respect from this community is paramount to all for me.

[NathanA]

I appreciate all your guys input. My wife has given me an ultimatum. If I want to keep making pipes, I have to at least start recouping raw material and postage cost I think that is reasonable as long as I'm selling turds for 50 bucks shipped. Time is free of course. I have 3 more individuals getting pipes for free until then. And 3 more asking for pipes after that. Unless someone asks, I won't be making pipes to put up on a website any time soon.

I think this is fair to all involved. At least I hope so. Of course respect from this community is paramount to all for me.

That seems like a pretty solid philosophy. Keep it up. I look forward to the next and hope I can help in some way.

[clickklick]

Thank you!

I'm working on a lovat. I think before staining and finishing I'll post a few pics for advice so I can try and improve on things before it is "finished".

[PremalChheda]

Turds are turds regardless of how much you sell them for. Got it.

I appreciate all your guys input. My wife has given me an ultimatum. If I want to keep making pipes, I have to at least start recouping raw material and postage cost I think that is reasonable as long as I'm selling turds for 50 bucks shipped. Time is free of course. I have 3 more individuals getting pipes for free until then. And 3 more asking for pipes after that. Unless someone asks, I won't be making pipes to put up on a website any time soon.

I think this is fair to all involved. At least I hope so. Of course respect from this community is paramount to all for me.

I do not think the pipes you are making are turds. They do look like decent pipes, and re-couping cost of materials plus a little extra to improve equipment is respectable. Like others said above, be very patient with branding and marketing until you can produce a tested product consistantly.

[sandahlpipe]

I agree. Do your best work, and sell them for raw materials cost. As long as the fit is solid and there aren't any scratches and you don't have a wobbly finish, you can sell an ugly pipe. Put the money you make into buying more supplies and tooling.

Nathan already covered the shaping stuff here, and he knows better how to do a volcano than I do. Keep at it and you'll make headway.