pipemakersforum.com

I'm making this for a friend at work. I guess you could say it's my first commission/sale, but all he's specified is something rounded with a bent stem, and smooth.
I just wanted to get some feedback on the shaping before I get too far with the sanding.
I've really tried to take my time on this one to make sure I don't take too much material or make an irreversible mistake. I've been taking progress pictures and looking at them for a few days to figure out what to remove next before going back out to the shop. These pictures are at 220 and wet to show the grain a little bit. I'm not expecting for this to be a master piece but I'd like it to be good enough to pay for the materials for the next one.
Let me know what you think. How can I improve it?

Thanks for posting the pictures. With traditional shapes like this, a few pointers.

1. Work on a sharper definition between bowl and shank. This is achieved with a thin round file (something in the 2-3mm diameter range) and practice. You've left too much material around the shank and bowl.

2. Work on symmetry. The cheeks (sides of the bowl near the bottom) are not the same shape. To see this while you're working, hold the pipe against a contrasting surface and see where the lines are different. Shaping the bottom of the bowl and getting it all symmetrical isn't an easy task, and it takes patience and practice to get it all looking the same on both sides.

3. The bottom line of a bent pipe (at least in the Danish style) should have its lowest point under the shank/bowl junction, not in the middle of the bowl. I don't know how you drilled this one, and if it will even be possible to correct the bottom line on this one, but something to keep in mind for future bents.

4. The stem/shank junction needs some attention. A proper fit wouldn't show any gap between the two materials.

There are other details to work on after these, but these would be the big ones to start with.

Thanks for looking and for the great feedback. Note that those issues are pointed out by a trained eye, I totally see them. I get file shy around the bowl shank junction, but I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and keep working.
I think there should be enough meat left to shift the loss point to the rear some, but I don't think I could get it to the bowl shank junction on this one.
As for them stem joint, I know there have been threads on how to do that well. I will dig through them and see if I can't get that joint tightened up.

Is there a good resource out there to learn about different pipe styles? I've heard the more experienced carvers on here talk about English and Danish style pipes. If be curious to educate myself on the subject.

Thanks again,
Blakens

The best teacher on styles of pipes is just to study them. After a while, you get a feel for how the styles differ from each other. Most of the high grade guys out there today borrow from the classic Danes (Nordh, Ivarsson, etc) mainly, it's the curves that have come to be known as the Danish style.

Hey Jeremiah, can you give a little more explanation for point 3 from above? I have been studying shapes and looking at the pipe above and I'm having trouble understanding the explanation of the bent.

Hopefully this image works from my phone. There are several differences between my quick sketches, but the top one has more graceful curves because the lower line has the lowest point under the shank. The bottom example looks crowded whereas the top one looks free and unrestrained. It took me a fair amount of practice both sketching and making bents to see it.

Noooooo. Image didn't work.

If you're using the tapatalk app, try looking at the post in web view. Otherwise, I'll try to upload it via another method later on.

sandahlpipe wrote:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445660375.109484.jpg

Hopefully this image works from my phone. There are several differences between my quick sketches, but the top one has more graceful curves because the lower line has the lowest point under the shank. The bottom example looks crowded whereas the top one looks free and unrestrained. It took me a fair amount of practice both sketching and making bents to see it.

J.S. you got two completely different shapes drawn. Not a good example. I understand what you are trying to impart, but make a better drawing for the second example if you really want to show the difference.

PremalChheda wrote:

sandahlpipe wrote:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1445660375.109484.jpg

Hopefully this image works from my phone. There are several differences between my quick sketches, but the top one has more graceful curves because the lower line has the lowest point under the shank. The bottom example looks crowded whereas the top one looks free and unrestrained. It took me a fair amount of practice both sketching and making bents to see it.

J.S. you got two completely different shapes drawn. Not a good example. I understand what you are trying to impart, but make a better drawing for the second example if you really want to show the difference.

I think what he is trying to say is this:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10658

Holy smokes! That makes way more sense now.

Thanks, Walt. Yes that's what I was trying to convey with my sketchy sketching skills. I should have just bookmarked that post and shared it instead.

Problem is Walt, I really liked the bamboo pipe on this link how you made it! Even more than the correct bent.

Thanks for the input and explaination of the curves and lines.
On this pipe, I was trying to make the bowl symmetric from all sides (Obviously I hadn't exactly succeeded at that yet), then making the stem fit onto that shape. From the feedback, I take it that is the wrong approach. I guess I should create the curve from the outward face of the bowl to underside and through the stem, then make the inward face of the bowl "fit" into that? (Sorry I can't remember which side is the front or back of the bowl, I know there's some debate about that)
Am I over thinking this?