Benjamin Niesen
Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:39 pm
Real name: Ben
Age: 33
Location: CO
Years a pipe smoker: 3 (I smoke only casually, sometimes twice a day, sometimes once a month)
How you got into pipe making: I love wood and working with it, unfortunately my back is jacked up from the Army and I have a hard time negotiating large pieces. I still have a lot of passion for it and wanted to make my own pipe for a while. I am now considering working towards professional grade products, I hope to sell a few once I get good enough to supplement my income. I am studying industrial design in pursuit of a bachelors degree, and form study is an important element of this field, so gaining a mastery in pipes will help that career as well.
I don't have visions of grandeur, and most of the equipment for making pipes I already own, so my investment was pretty minimal. The things I don't have are buffing equipment, I have one stitched wheel on an older variable speed grinder, I use it for white diamond. I will pick up a couple more buffs and figure out motors for them when I have the capital and space available. I did make a french wheel out of a nylon cutting board and some scrap neoprene, I am enjoying it immensely.
Age: 33
Location: CO
Years a pipe smoker: 3 (I smoke only casually, sometimes twice a day, sometimes once a month)
How you got into pipe making: I love wood and working with it, unfortunately my back is jacked up from the Army and I have a hard time negotiating large pieces. I still have a lot of passion for it and wanted to make my own pipe for a while. I am now considering working towards professional grade products, I hope to sell a few once I get good enough to supplement my income. I am studying industrial design in pursuit of a bachelors degree, and form study is an important element of this field, so gaining a mastery in pipes will help that career as well.
I don't have visions of grandeur, and most of the equipment for making pipes I already own, so my investment was pretty minimal. The things I don't have are buffing equipment, I have one stitched wheel on an older variable speed grinder, I use it for white diamond. I will pick up a couple more buffs and figure out motors for them when I have the capital and space available. I did make a french wheel out of a nylon cutting board and some scrap neoprene, I am enjoying it immensely.