Is this up to par for my first sale?

[WillAndersonpipes]

This is my latest pipe, pipe #9, and will be my first sale depending on this critique. so what do you guys think?
http://imgur.com/a/mHDpj

[oklahoma red]

Definitely "sellable". Well done for the ninth.

[sandahlpipe]

I think you can sell it. Sand out the top of the chamber to remove that stain first, though. I wouldn't go hog wild on the price, but it's decent, especially for number 9.

The one thing I'd recommend working on is the fit between shank and stem. You've got a little bit of rounding on the junction that indicates the fit may have a slight gap or may have been sanded with the stem pulled out slightly. The saddle is interesting and not really what a standard saddle would be, so you might want to study well shaped saddles and see if you want to hone your saddle skills more, but I wouldn't say it's wrong, just maybe a taste thing.

Keep up the good work!

[WillAndersonpipes]

Alright cool. Yeah I was trying to do a different style saddle to kind of keep the smooth flow of the pipe going with out doing just a straight taper stem. it Isnt quite as steep as a typical saddle Ill work on that. thanks for the feed back

[Sasquatch]

Sellable for sure and better than lots of pipes out there right now. The shaping on the bottom line isn't great, it's a little wobbly, but you aren't talking about a collector-grade pipe yet either.

In all the shots, dead on, the button looks like it's thinned out a bit much on the bottom left. Visually unappealing but the big thing is if it's sharp where it transitions to the slot, that sucks - tongues are VERY very very very sensitive and that's a really important area to have smooth and really perfect - you could shorten the length of the button some and re-shape slightly if this is indeed the case.

As we in the trades say, you cut that part TOO perfect!

[caskwith]

Don't get too hung up on early pipes, sell, accept constructive criticism, sort out dodgy pipes later on if needed and put your profits back into tools and raw materials. My first pipes were really quite dodgy at times, very rarely will they come back to haunt you though.

[WillAndersonpipes]

Alright I'll check that out and fix it if that's the case.

In regards to the wobble in shaping if I sent you a good picture against a white background is there anyway you could show me where the wobble is? I'm not arguing that there isn't one I just want to know where it is so I can get a better eye for that sort of thing you know


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[Sasquatch]

So this is where the technical and the artistic collide.

I would argue that you establish a nice curve with the shank, and also a nice curve with the bowl. They don't flow into one another seemlessly however, and they should. There's a "flat spot", a place where neither curve continues it's mathematical trajectory. This is the red arrow. The yellow curve is the single mathematical curve you established from shank to bowl (or an approximation of it for demo purposes). So that's a shaping "error". It's a weird thing to understand - you can cut whatever shape you want, and make the pipe however you want, as long as you do it "right". And in THIS school (ie Danish shaping ideals) that means not breaking up those curves.

[WillAndersonpipes]

So this is where the technical and the artistic collide.

I would argue that you establish a nice curve with the shank, and also a nice curve with the bowl. They don't flow into one another seemlessly however, and they should. There's a "flat spot", a place where neither curve continues it's mathematical trajectory. This is the red arrow. The yellow curve is the single mathematical curve you established from shank to bowl (or an approximation of it for demo purposes). So that's a shaping "error". It's a weird thing to understand - you can cut whatever shape you want, and make the pipe however you want, as long as you do it "right". And in THIS school (ie Danish shaping ideals) that means not breaking up those curves.

Is it possible that it is the shadow that is giving it an effect of a flat spot being there or do you see it in this picture too?

[Sasquatch]

The shadow makes it look worse, but the curve is still shallower than it should be given what you established on the shank. Follow the curve up off the shank and it goes up into the front of the bowl. You could correct it (honestly don't bother, this is fussy fussy stuff) by changing the shank shape (reverse taper) but that's not what the pipe is. Sell it and move on.

Another way to say this: the curve established on the bottom of the bowl does not naturally flow as low as where your shank does, therefore the curve up from the shank doesn't match. I took a curved area OFF the shank and the line cleans up, giving the pipe better visual flow because the curve is one gesture, not two.

[WillAndersonpipes]

Ok I think I see what you're saying. The curve once you reach the shank is just a little too steep?


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[WillAndersonpipes]

I was afraid I had an actual flat spot in the curve that I didn't notice. What I try to do to keep a consistent line is just shape the pipe until I can rock it like a rocking chair smoothly and not feel wobble or resistance in that motion


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[Sasquatch]

Ok I think I see what you're saying. The curve once you reach the shank is just a little too steep?


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Yes. It should blend out more into the bowl's curve.

[WillAndersonpipes]

Alright thanks that'll be helpful for next time


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[Sasquatch]

Yeah I'm giving you advice that is probably more appropriate for pipes 30-50 than pipe 9. As you go you'll just be able to incorporate more and more "right" into your pipes as you learn to see it in each shape.

[WillAndersonpipes]

Basically you want the same radius throughout the pipe?


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[Sasquatch]

Yeah, or if the radius is changing (go look up "French Curve") then do that. But just mix-and-match random curvature to fit doesn't work on most pipes.

[PremalChheda]

Saleable? Yes, but be very conservative on price.

Your coloring is very inconsistent throughout the bowl. There is also a bit of greening from the colors you are using unless it is the camera that is creating the effect.

How to achieve a more consistent color? Careful application of finish and buffing. There are many ways to go about this but if you want details, I can give you a suggestion for the next one you are working on over the phone.

[WillAndersonpipes]

Yeah I'm not really happy with my finished yet. I'll contact you for some help with that, thanks.


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[maxmil]

Very Nice.
Best regards.
Félix