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Hey guys. Not my first pipe, im still pretty new to this though. My first time uploading, hopefully i got the format right. I'd appreciate your honest feedback

Length: 5-7/16"
Bowl Diameter: 3/4"
Bowl Depth: 1-1/2"
Weight: 1.80 Oz

Hey Brian-
I'm still very much a novice at this, but there are two things that jump out to me:
- You can open up that slot to create more of a funnel - Kurt's method of using a small drill bit has been working relatively well for me (and will do so more consistently once my skills improve ).
- It looks like there's something uneven going on with the finish. I can't tell if it's shellac that got partially buffed through or if it's stain that was sanded off more in some places than in others.

Yeah i think i sanded too much of the finish off - It looked blotchy to me at first and then i ended up making it worse by sanding too much off and not evenly enough. I may have used too little shellac - i'm not sure. I just wanted to use enough to make it shiny and not have any build up

I'll definately try to open up the slot to more of a funnel next time - i only did it enough to stop any whisting. I also used a small drillbit to open it, though i ordered a slot-funneling tool from vermont freehand with my most recent order of briar. Figured it was worth it for 5 bucks. So im looking forward to trying that

Get a hold of a cheap basket pipe and study the shape.
The pot shape can be analyzed by considering it to be constructed of geometrical shapes.
The lower bowl should be part of a sphere ( from South Pole to the Tropic of Capricorn ), similar to a billiard, only larger. The upper part of the bowl is a cylinder. The shank is a cylinder with a slight taper toward the stem joint, and it meets the spherical part of the bowl. The joining area is a tear drop with the pointy end at the South Pole. The transition from shank to bowl is a smallish neat radius. That blends these geometrical shapes.
Your pipe is basically a cylinder with a slightly rounded bottom, and the shank flares out to the stem. The saddle is uneven. Both faces of the saddle should be at the same level.
DocAitch

Probably would have been a good idea to learn about the shape before trying to make one...

I wanted to use that stem(its pre-formed) and i didnt think it would work on a billiard. So i figured a pot would be a pretty simple shape to go with. Ah well

Definitely know what you mean about how the shank flares out to the stem. Gotta work on getting the sides on my shanks more parallel.

As for the uneven saddle - It had a nasty gouge on the top so i filed it back. I thought it looked alright but i probably should have just pitched it

Thanks guys

For the next pipe, work on the bowl/shank transition. The tendency is to not take off enough from the bottom third of the bowl. Keep the bottom line of the pipe flat.

As for finish, the reason it's blotchy is most likely that it was either dirty or not evenly sanded when you applied the base coat. You may have also over-buffed the corners. Use a gentle touch on the buffing wheels.