bamboo questions

[pennsyscot]

I've noticed that most bamboo pipes have the severed branches on the top and bottom of the shank.
If I wanted to use the natural curve of the piece I have, the branches would be on the side.
Do I try to rebend the bamboo?
Can a gently curved boo be drilled as is?
Does anyone make pipes with boo branches on the side?
5/32" OD tubing comes in a variety of wall thicknesses. What is the appropriate ID for pipemaking?
The boo has surface cracks between the knuckles, this ok?
These fine cracks are on the portion of the boo with closely spaced knuckles, the part I want use.
thanks, Scot

[KurtHuhn]

You can bend bamboo. I have used a heat gun to bend bamboo and it works. I've heard that folks have been able to steam bend bamboo, but for me it has always collapsed.

If your bamboo is only lightly curved, you should be able to drill it as normal without too much work. In these cases I have drilled from each side so that the airway meets in the middle. It may help you to use a tapered drill bit so that it will try to follow the natural hollow in the bamboo. Once you've got it meeting in the middle, use a long longth regular drill bit to be sure the airway is open all the way through.

Turn the bamboo however you want to turn it. Side, top, whatever. There's no rule that I'm aware of, though I'm not sure I'm a proper member of the DHPM.

The tubing you want is also called hypodermic tubing. The wall thickness is typically .010.

Yes. And no. that surface crazing will pose no threat from a functionality standpoint. And pretty much all bamboo will develop that after some time (how much time depends on how it's treated). However, buyers tend to like to see clean and crack-free bamboo when they're shopping.

[Tyler]

<snip> However, buyers tend to like to see clean and crack-free bamboo when they're shopping.

Kurt has more experience than I do, but I haven't found the cracks to be an issue. In fact, I know one prominent maker that prefers them. I've also seen pipes made by the "uber-makers" that had the cracks and there was certainly no price break involved.

Tyler

[RadDavis]

<snip> However, buyers tend to like to see clean and crack-free bamboo when they're shopping.

I've also seen pipes made by the "uber-makers" that had the cracks and there was certainly no price break involved.

Tyler

Me too. One bamboo collector at Chicago last year was showing a bunch of his examples at the pipe making seminar (they were focusing on bamboo shanks), and most all of his pipes had cracks in the skin of the bamboo. All of them were very expensive pipes.

Rad

[KurtHuhn]

That's interesting. For some reason I've always gotten questions about those cracks - but that might just be the local customer base. Because of that I've been very selective about the bamboo I use.

[ToddJohnson]

Cracks shmacks.

TJ

[KurtHuhn]

Crack AND smack? Usually you only do one or the other. That's a recipe for living behind a dumpster off South Broadway....

[SimeonTurner]

Crack AND smack? Usually you only do one or the other. That's a recipe for living behind a dumpster off South Broadway....

Maybe that's how Walle comes up with his crazy inspiration though...