Striaght Billiard

[wdteipen]

It's been a long time since I've had the time to complete another pipe. I'm working on my photography skills and am having difficulty getting the lighting just right. I'll likely post more photos if I can take better ones. The stem is German ebonite and the band is nickel silver. The tobacco chamber is 3/4" diameter and approximately 1.5" deep. The overall length of the pipe is 5 1/2". I'd say it's a group 4 in size. Let me know what you think and what I can do to improve, especially on the shape. I'll try to get better pictures up.

[Sasquatch]

Wayne it's really hard to tell what the shape is because it just disappears into the background, particularly on the bottom front of the bowl. I'd say it looks like a bit too much material was taken off there, but it could totally be the picture.

Looks like a hella piece of briar, and I like the top of the chamber, that bevel is a sweet touch.

I'm not a good enough photographer to tell you how to get better pics. I take mediocre pictures and am happy when I reach up to mediocrity...

[Abi Natur]

It is a Gentleman's pipe with a wonderful grain that reminds me of a modern drawing of faces hidden in the pattern of the grain.
Maybe you should try a white background with 3 sources of light in a triangular position to the objekt.
The line of the stem is not in contrast to the background,so it is hard on the eyes.

Great work on the pipe that is!

[pennsyscot]

Wayne, nice to see you posting pipes again. This one looks great. I agree, beveled rim is cool. The contrast and finish look excellent. I think it would be much easier to see against a white background. Is that a military mount? It would be nice if you could show a shot of the shank face and tenon.

[INSilverado]

Good to see ya had some time in the shop, Wayne. Good lookin' pipe!


-Jameson

[ricebiscuit]

fantastic looking pipe! That looks like one of the nickel/silver bands you can get from PME... How did you get em on there and polish it up? I bought some bands recently and thought it would be pretty self explanitory, but when they came in I was a little less sure of myself. Maybe it is simple and I am just missing it. Again great looking pipe - Trey

[wdteipen]

Thanks for the compliments. The easiest way, I think, to do bands is to turn the shank on a lathe to the right size then sand the rest of the shank and stem flush with the band. This one, though, I didn't flush with the rest of the stem or shank because I was modeling some of the Dunhill bandings. Just sand the shank and stem close to the diameter you want it to be then find a band that fits snugly. Epoxy it in place once your sure you have a good fit. Sand and buff and that's it. If you want a thinner band you can put the band on the shank leaving the excess sticking off the shank end and sand it as close as you're comfortable to the shank face without sanding the shank face then finish removing the remaining excess with a straight file again taking care not to file the shank face. You are correct that this band is from PME. The nickel silver bands are fairly stiff so you can apply a fair amount of pressure to get a snug fit without damaging the band. For tapered shanks you might want to heat the band so that it conforms to the shape of the shank. The silver bands are much more flimsy. I haven't used them yet so I can't advise on how best to use them. I'm sure there are much more experienced guys on here that can give you better advice than me. There's a good chance that I'm going it wrong.