1st poker attempt

[Boekweg]

I finished my first poker. I made the bowl kind of think because this pipe is for me and i like heavy pipes. Anyway, sorry about the picks, i just have my web cam and i used an old T shirt for the backgound. Critique away.

[e Markle]

There's an ENORMOUS crack on the bottom of the bowl.

[SchmidtN]

I like the shape and color, but what happened to the bottom? Did it get dropped?

As long as it smokes, it's good with me.

[Sasquatch]

Overall, that's recognizeable as a straight poker, so that's the first victory. I think being caught between shapes and offering a "dublin/blowfish" or some such goofiness is to be avoided on early pipes. Try to do a specific thing and nail it.

You're close - symmetry could be better, I'd say the right side of the bowl is wider than the left, looking along the shank, it just seems off of center somehow. The big flaw on the bottom of the bowl is nothing but that - a flaw, and a guy should really think about what shape he is going to pull from any piece of briar and try to cut that kind of thing out.

Proportions look pretty good and the stem/shank junction looks pretty good. Overall the lines could be harder/straighter, one can tell where some areas got more or less shaping and sanding, and on a hard-line shape like this you need to really keep the straight parts straight.

[Boekweg]

@e Markle,
Thank you for your comment. Its not a crack on the bottom, although it looks like one. Its just a flaw. However, the bowl is thick enough that it wont effect the pipe. just the looks.

@SchmidtN,
Thank you for your comment.

@Sasquatch,
Thank you for the critique. I was going for a poker. The ebauchon block i used looked poker shaped, so thats what i went for. Your right about it being off center. the shank is off to one side, im glad you caught that. I was wondering if anyone would notice.

Back to the drawing board.

[Mike Messer]

About the flaw..depending on who is looking and other factors ...sometimes a flaw or an area of rough plateau can work to give a pipe an unusual and creative effect. ..sometimes it just looks like a flaw.

I understand trying to stick to the original design idea, but when I hit a flaw or a bad sand pit, usually, I redesign in progress. I might let it sit for days until I have a new idea that works good and eliminates the flaw, but it could be done more quickly, depending on how you work.
For example, Instead of a Poker, you could have redesigned and made a more Dublinish bowl, tapering it, and rounding off the corner at the bottom and maybe this would have eliminated the flaw.

About the off-center shank, or a tilted angle shank. It usually isn't too extreme, and it is usually posible to tilt the sides of the bowl unevenly and disguise the error.

More advanced, pro pipemakers making a lot of pipes, probably would just throw it and start another pipe, but when you're just starting out there is a tendency to want to finish every pipe. If you threw every pipe with a flaw, you would have to throw them all. I hate waste, and I try to salvage every pipe, and to make it good, too, but it's time consuming.

About the images, if you don't have much exposure control with your web cam, you might try using a more neutral background color so the pipe will be brighter.

Altogether, not a bad pipe, considering how long you've been working. Keep at it.

M.M.

[e Markle]

@e Markle,
Thank you for your comment. Its not a crack on the bottom, although it looks like one. Its just a flaw. However, the bowl is thick enough that it wont effect the pipe. just the looks.

@SchmidtN,
Thank you for your comment.

@Sasquatch,
Thank you for the critique. I was going for a poker. The ebauchon block i used looked poker shaped, so thats what i went for. Your right about it being off center. the shank is off to one side, im glad you caught that. I was wondering if anyone would notice.

Back to the drawing board.

Just to clarify, I was giving you a hard time. I initially thought you were trying to incorporate some of the plateau. There's nothing you can do about a flaw like that, but you made the right decision in finishing the pipe out - as beginners, we need all the practice we can get. We can't let factors outside of our control stop our learning.

For the record, it's not a bad pipe. It's a long way from perfect, but I think you've only made a handful, and for that level of experience I think it's fine.

[Boekweg]

@ M.M. Thank youfor you critique, and advice.

as beginners, we need all the practice we can get.

I agree, without practice, i canot get better. I'm just glad this pipewas for me lol.

PS. sorry, man, i am "f"ed up tonight.

[Massis]

PS. sorry, man, i am "f"ed up tonight.

being drunk/high/stoned + forum = bad idea...

[Boekweg]

being drunk/high/stoned + forum = bad idea...

I agree, but i want to be honest incase of misspelling or offence.

PS. Drunk, sorry.