Wow, pipe shows are fantastic!
At the LA show last spring, I asked a dealer in high grade pipes to go over mine and give me some feedback. He was extremely critical and it was very hard to hear. But I really needed to hear it. I am very grateful to him for the feedback and the help.
I came back from the show and attacked all of the problem spots.
I saw him again yesterday at the NorCal show and he was impressed with the change and only had a few minor suggestions. What a relief!
There are still quite a few things to work on, but mostly it's refinement and creativity as opposed to technical aspects or design and engineering.
The feedback this time was all very positive. So I'm now able to go ahead and work on other stuff as I have a good feel for the previous issues.
If you haven't been to a show, or have and haven't sought out feedback from collectors or dealers, do so! It'll be worth the trip just for that.
The learning will never end.
Get Thee to a Pipe Show!
Excellent points.
People critiquing your pipes in person can see things that they can't from pictures, and if you can take the constructive critisism, listen to what these folks are saying, and apply it to your pipes, they will be the better for it. I've incorporated many things into my pipe making that came from constructive critiques.
And you are right, the learning never stops.
People critiquing your pipes in person can see things that they can't from pictures, and if you can take the constructive critisism, listen to what these folks are saying, and apply it to your pipes, they will be the better for it. I've incorporated many things into my pipe making that came from constructive critiques.
And you are right, the learning never stops.
I can totally agree to that point: Pipe shows are great for learning more about pipemaking!
As a beginner from March 2006 I finished 13 useable pipes so far. The first ones are only good for the gallery but then I visited the German Pipemakers Show in August. I met some German pipemakers and got a lot of hints and advieces. Rainer Barbi and Frank Axmacher told me a lot about technics and they looked very critical at some of my best pipes so far. Rainer Barbi told me how to make better stems and Frank Axmacher a lot of shapes - you can see the result in the Gallery-part of the forum and I think the improofement is realy big!?
The only thing I never heared from other pipemaker is something about asthetics of a shape...
But the facts of how to make a good working stem and what to look after by shaping a bowl - things about drillings, thickness of the walls, lines, etc, - are very invaluable for me and I think for anybody who's making pipes.
As a beginner from March 2006 I finished 13 useable pipes so far. The first ones are only good for the gallery but then I visited the German Pipemakers Show in August. I met some German pipemakers and got a lot of hints and advieces. Rainer Barbi and Frank Axmacher told me a lot about technics and they looked very critical at some of my best pipes so far. Rainer Barbi told me how to make better stems and Frank Axmacher a lot of shapes - you can see the result in the Gallery-part of the forum and I think the improofement is realy big!?
The only thing I never heared from other pipemaker is something about asthetics of a shape...
But the facts of how to make a good working stem and what to look after by shaping a bowl - things about drillings, thickness of the walls, lines, etc, - are very invaluable for me and I think for anybody who's making pipes.
Greetings from Germany,
Heinz_D
Heinz_D
Hi Nick,One year, Tonni Neilson said he hated one of my pipes. And then he told me why.
I sat next to Tonni at Richmond, and Steve Morrissette brought some of his pipes to the table for Tonni to look at. (I hope Steve doesn't mind me telling this
)Tonni went through several of Steve's pipes telling him what he liked and didn't like about them. They were mostly very positive comments.
Finally he picked up the last one and said with that lilting Danish accent, "This is an ugly pipe. That's all I can say about it. Very ugly."
Steve and I cracked up!
Rad