I've lurked and read and looked at you guys making pipes and decided I'd try to make a few. I'm working on my first pipe and I really don't know how you guys do it. My piece of briar has so many sand pits in it I don't know how any smooth pipes get made! I think I'm going to do a partial rustication sort of like a Wessex Londoner and was wondering a couple things.
1)I know lately people have recommended bowl coatings for pits in the tobacco chamber, but this is my first pipe; it'll stay with me until it's sold at my estate sale after I die. Is it OK to leave it and let it fill with cake? Will that crack my bowl? What if I use sawdust and honey to make a paste and fill the pit?
2) I have a sand pit up on the top of the bowl, if I'm doing a partial rustication will the pit on top give the pipe character, or be a blemish?
3) How smooth do you sand down the inside of the bowl. I've read 120, but looking in the gallery it looks like a lot of people go much smoother than that. If I sand it too smooth will the cake still stick?
example of how I'd like to rusticate
![Image](http://www.cupojoes.com/images/wessex/lr08.jpg)
my pipe in progress
![Image](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5986229296_93f4a74056_b.jpg)
![Image](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/5986229280_6013b5a64b_b.jpg)
It's a pipe for me, but I really want it to look professional. I want people to see me smoking it, ask who made it and not believe me when I tell them I did. Also, the only power tool I have is a dremel so it's kind of hard to make it perfectly round. Do most of you guys have lathes and if you do, how big is it (bench top model?) and what do you guys recommend?
Thanks for the time and help,
Nick