I've got a bent Dublin cut and drawn on a piece of briar and I'm wondering what would be the best length of stem for this kind of pipe?
Should I use the stem length rule for a Billiard and make the stem 3 3/4"?
Can I make it smaller and use a saddle stem or just make the stem shorter as long as the line drawn from the mortise to the face of the bowl will equal the half way point of the pipes length?
Thanks in advance for comments and advise.
Also, know there is no right answer here. I would get yourself a sketchbook, lay this block on top of a blank page and draw several full-scale stem "ideas". Follow the measurements you have presented. Draw one of each. Draw a saddle, draw a long taper, draw a short taper, draw a gentle bend. You can get a real sense this way. Sometimes the numbers aren't the only story, sometimes you have to look at it, or an approximation of it, and decide what looks "right".
I agree, I don't think it's a math thing so much as "what does the pipe look like". If you establish a hugely tapering shank, maybe that's going to point to a shorter stem to carry those lines. Likewise a super long thin stummel probably gets a long thin stem to carry the idea. What you have drawn here is pretty close to classic proportions, there's nothing dramatic going on with the stummel. So starting with a stem that is something like half the stummel will probably work pretty well.
Sask, One question, I’m a bit confused about your the last part of your comment stating, “starting with a stem that is something like half the stummel ...”
The stummel length is 3 3/4”
Are you suggesting something like half that length?
Drew it out several times. Decided on a length that I thought was best suited for the pipe.
Sask, I think you are trying to have me think, and make these decisions for myself.
Appreciate it.
That's the only way to move forward. I sent 5 pipes to a friend recently, a small time retailer. He's happy with them. But one of them he's having a hard time selling - he wants to keep it. And I also thought it was the best of the bunch. There's nothing wrong with the other pipes, but when that one was done, it just worked. And everyone who sees it agrees on that. I don't hit it every time, like I say, there's nothing "wrong" with the other pipes, but sometimes everything just gels, and it does it more and more often as you practice, and practice making these very intentional decisions about size and shape and proportions and curves....
