pipemakersforum.com

As only a pipe smoker, I am curious about all the things that need doing well to be a pipe maker, and thus I joined.

But I was also hoping to ask a few questions now and then. Would the questions be acceptable, and if so, is this the correct forum in which to ask them?

I certainly don't mind questions. Bear in mind though that the dynamics of this forum can sometimes seem a little unfriendly to some. Not on purpose. The guys who have pipemaking experience on the forum donate generously of their time, experience, and knowledge to help new guys and each other learn the craft. It's generally expected that a reasonable search is performed to find the answer to your questions before asking a question that has been asked and answered many times before. So long as that's the case, the guys and gals here won't give you too much grief and if they do, don't take it personally. We like to razz each other a lot. Many on this forum are good friends in person and online and forget that new folks coming in may not realize this fact and not realize when we are busting each other's balls. Glad you're here.

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to ask questions. That's what the forum is here for.

Speaking very generally, questions of the form "Tell me how to X because I'm too lazy to research it or try it on my own..." will get silence as a response. Questions where the asker says "I am trying X and have a problem here and here.... what am I doing wrong/how can I improve?" will get a lot of positive interaction.

I get pissed off at the guys who go on Facebook and have no idea about ... anything.

"How do I make the bit for the chamber?"

"Grinding down a spade bit is easiest."

"How do I grind down a spade bit?"

"Do you have a grinder?"

"No."

"Well, that's going to be hard then."

"Also what's a spade bit?"


SOME level of SOME kind of tooling, crafting etc experience is required here. But if you are genuinely trying to make pipes, and making an effort at that, you'll get genuine help here.

As a beginner the best thing you can do is educate yourself by reading a lot of the old threads. As you go through a thread there will be things that you will think are important. That info you should save in what I call electronic notes. Electronic notes are copy and pastes of the info and a copy and paste of the link to that info with any other info that you think is important. Your information will be worthless if you can not search it next week or next year, that will be up to you to determine how to save this info. I use an email account and key words. If I am needing dye info, I can enter dye in the search heading of my email account and all saved info will pop up. Or you can make pdf documents. More work but in my opinion the best method.

Almost every possible question has been asked before, a good notebook of the info on the forum should enable almost any person with basic wood working skills make a basic pipe. It maybe ugly as sin, not work perfectly or have other flaws. But that is the art of learning a new skill. Mistakes are learning experiences, might as well make them and learn.

Now for the kicker, I am not a pipemaker, I am also fairly new to this. I am a woodturner, actually a game callmaker that stumbled on this forum when I was researching dyeing and staining wood. After searching my stuff about dyes and stains, I had to try a pipe, and then another and another, pipemaking is addictive. The pipes worked, not as perfect looking as these other gentlemen, but good enough to satisfy my pipe smoking friends.

I would recommend watching a few videos on basic pipemaking to get some basics before your studying of the old threads, it will help you get a ideas of what is important and what is really nothing but some bull being put out by the posters of the information.

I am an old pipemaker from the 1970s, and returned about a year and a half ago to the craft. It was,like waking up ( like Rip Van Winkle) after being asleep for 40 years. I could still make a pipe that my friends would "ooh and aah" over, but eventually realized that the standards had left me in the dust.
This forum is a gold mine of information and techniques when you,learn how to use it.
All that is expected of a new person is a sincere effort to utilize this wonderful resource.
It is in the Gallery where you will slowly 'get' the difference between a nice amateur effort and a true artisan pipe.
Do your homework, make a credible effort, avoid an attitude, swallow your pride, make a lot of pipes and post them in the Gallery.
DocAitch