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FredS wrote: And, although I use do Everclear for staining, I'll save my wine for it's more traditional use.

Denatured alcohol is *much* cheaper for staining. You can get it at Ace for $13.00 a gallon.

I've read a lot of Gierach and really enjoy his work. Your quote is very apropos.

Todd's not the only one who knows some fancy German words.

Rad

RadDavis wrote: Todd's not the only one who knows some fancy German words.

Rad

Apropos is French you redneck!

ToddJohnson wrote:

RadDavis wrote: Todd's not the only one who knows some fancy German words.
Rad

Apropos is French you redneck!

Scheissdreck!!

Stephen King's book, "On Writing", is one of the best books out there for anyone interested in learning the outlook and work involved in professional pipemaking, even though his book has absolutely NOTHING to do with pipes (It's about how to make a living as a writer).

FWIW!

TreverT wrote:Stephen King's book, "On Writing", is one of the best books out there for anyone interested in learning the outlook and work involved in professional pipemaking, even though his book has absolutely NOTHING to do with pipes (It's about how to make a living as a writer).

FWIW!

A very good book indeed. One of the things I've always said is that if you're going to be a professional pipemaker, you need to account for every minute of your time spent in the shop. Each one should be productive in some way, and contribute to your end goal. Now everything from reading pipe-related newsgroups to experimenting with new stains can be a part of this, but it must be strategic. Otherwise, you fall back into tinkering, and tinkering doesn't keep the lights on. [/i]

Todd, I think this is very good advice, especially for those looking to become serious carvers. It seems there are at least the realms of engineering, craftsmanship, production methods, and design/artistry that each serious carver will be judged on at market. Others such as personage, the heart behind the work, I've found also mean a lot to me when I purchase a pipe.

For the folks out there who aren't so serious and aren't looking to grow, slow step by slow step, to making a name for themselves, I'm sure tinkering is fun and fine, so please have at it.

My background is an art one, and while my day to day still exists in creative, it's decidedly more corporate than my love of making art in my studio (garage.) Prior to being classically taught, my first real work of art at an early age was decidedly surrealist. Much later in life, I find myself working in the abstract (non-objective) vein. That early work, when I was a kid, just worked for me and fit nicely with who I was at that moment. My learning of anatomy, aesthetics, and the rest of it came much later, when it made sense to me.

So there may be some poor tortured souls out there, who find themselves doing some crazy thing with a pipe kit and beet juice because they just gotta do it. So be it, but heed Todd's words as well. Maybe now isn't your time, but sometime should be.

And so my confession begins. I don't tinker. I butcher. I buy kits and I use a whittling knife and various other bad ideas, and I have an absolute blast. I make Monstrosities. But I'm no pipe carver like you good people, so much as I am a guy who makes art that happens to be smokeable and vaguely pipe shaped. I do not plan on becoming a full time carver who is concerned with finer engineering and exquisite care like you good folks.

My Monstrosities will be offered for free when you contribute at a certain level (not much mind you) to my podcast (www.oompaul.com.) It is a way to fund the pipe podcast in a pipe related way. I apologize in advance for birthing the beasts, but for now, it's an imperative for me. The Monstrosities will be shown both in and out of their cages sometime later this month. They are not for the faint at heart.

The job of the podcast is to spread the word (we're currently being listened to in 44 countries around the globe) about the great carvers and other good folks of our community. No matter what the heck you're working on tonight, we have more in common than not.

Goodnight friends.

Olie

www.oompaul.com

New to making pipes but I can relate to this conversation very well. I am just comming of of a 15 year obsessive run on building primitive bows and arrows from wood. Same arguements on finishes, wood types, designs. Bow making has been rediscovered a couple of times in modern history and each time it was reinvented with the end result comming out the same. I remember many times having these "aha" moments where I thought I discovered something no one else had discovered. The more I study the work of the old long gone masters the more I realize they had it figured out just fine. I spent almost 5 years isolating myself from anyone who might polute my thinking, I wanted virgin thoughts on the process, biggest waste of time in my life. I learned in 1 month on the internet what took me 5 years by myself. I am approaching pipe making with a much more open mind, I want creative control obviously but tecnique I want to learn form the guys who allready know it. I did eventualy reach a level of excellence in the archery field just through pure bull doggedness and have been published and became fairly well known. Not looking for that with pipes, I just want to smoke them and decorate my man cave and show my friends, give a few away now and then. Steve

Steve, you learned the hard way, in your bow making, what many beginner pipemakers tend to learn for themselves (myself included on occasion) - listen to what the experienced pipemakers have to say. The smart ones learn this pretty quickly, while the real geniuses (sarcasm) try to reinvent procedures that have worked perfectly for decades. Admittedly, someone does, very occasionally, come up with a fiendishly clever idea, but not often.

BTW, although my interest never went as far as primitives, I do have a few Longbows.

You all suck. I'm making my stems out of titanium steel.

TreverT wrote:You all suck. I'm making my stems out of titanium steel.

There is a high potential of corrosion with a steel alloy. You should switch to a Grade 5 or Grade 9 titanium aluminum alloy. That said, I myself take that chance because I use 4130 Chrome Moly. It's the ex-BMX racer in me; I can't let go.

Next pipe has pegs front and back and a goose neck saddle, T3?

Trever's a dork!!

Nick wrote:Trever's a dork!!

And, obviously, one great advantage of the titanium steel pipe is for throwing them at people....

Nick wrote:Trever's a dork!!

Everyone knows Trever's a dork. Trever knows Trever's a dork!

TreverT wrote:

Nick wrote:Trever's a dork!!

And, obviously, one great advantage of the titanium steel pipe is for throwing them at people....

D'OOH!

I am not a dork, I am a geek. There is a decided and distinct difference, mostly relating to whether or not you had a teen lust/crush on Wilma Deering or not. Geeks did. A passion for Erin Grey in skin-tight lycra spacesuits is what joins us and binds us together, and separates to totally from the dorks who were still watching post-shark-jumping "Happy Days".

TreverT wrote:I am not a dork, I am a geek. There is a decided and distinct difference, mostly relating to whether or not you had a teen lust/crush on Wilma Deering or not. Geeks did. A passion for Erin Grey in skin-tight lycra spacesuits is what joins us and binds us together, and separates to totally from the dorks who were still watching post-shark-jumping "Happy Days".

That's not "geek", that's just teenage 'nads discovering a whole new world of sensuous curves. If memory serves me correctly (OK, it does), my teen passion was for BB. What a pair of eyes... what a pair of lips... what a pair of... yowzer!!

TreverT wrote:I am not a dork, I am a geek. There is a decided and distinct difference, mostly relating to whether or not you had a teen lust/crush on Wilma Deering or not. Geeks did. A passion for Erin Grey in skin-tight lycra spacesuits is what joins us and binds us together, and separates to totally from the dorks who were still watching post-shark-jumping "Happy Days".

Erin Grey....

Met a guy tonight that made a pipe from his leg. He's got artificial legs and stuffs up the ankles every now and then. So he used the titanium to make himself a pipe.

I stand corrected big T. But as far as bone fides are concerned, are ypu speaking of the season 1 outfit or the season 2?