And then there were 4...an apple

[scotties22]

Hi guys. I am still working on this. I just finished (I think) sanding with 220. I gave her a quick buff to help me see what I needed to fix. Any suggestions?













Thanks for looking.

Scottie

[Massis]

I'd remove some more material on the shank/stem connection, it looks a bit fat to me.
Same goes for the shank/bowl transition on the topside. If you remove a bit more there, the curve on that side (not calling it front or back here Wayne...) will resemble the other side more closely.

[Ocelot55]

You can already tell you're getting better! Make sure the bowl doesn't bulge out like that on the bottom. It should be a smooth line until you start curving around the front (back for some of us) of the bowl. Make sure you do a lot more sanding to get all of those scratches out too.

Excellent work so far!

[scotties22]

Thanks Ocelot. This is actually one of the pieces of wood you sent. It has quite a few pits on the one side, I'm still trying to decide what to do with them. I was actually thinking about making them bigger..kind of rusticating that one spot..and then calling it "the wormy apple".

[PhilipMarc]

This is definitely an improvement from the last. The most noticeable thing to me is that your stem is too long, and your shank is too short (especially in relation to the size of the bowl). If you're going for a graceful length, it's better to have the length on the shank rather than the stem. The only way to get the stem length down is to use either a Pimo-style tenon turning tool, or a lathe (which not all of us have). I have done it with the Pimo tool but it can be difficult.
The shank does need to be evened out a bit, but you said it yourself--you're not finished with it yet. My recommendation, though, is that you do 90%+ of your shaping with the highest grit possible. Toward the end of your shaping, take your time, because ONE wrong move with 40 grit sandpaper at 2750RPM (that's what I use, and it's probably way too aggressive) can completely ruin your shaping. Impatience is your worst enemy. As you get better, your masterpieces will take less time, but for now, take all the time that's necessary until the pipe is the absolute best that you can do, unless it's passing 20 hours, then you should probably pick up the pace. For reference, my first pipe took me about 6 hours to complete, and it was horrible. My last pipe isn't finished, but I only have about 2 hours' work into it, and I anticipate another hour of work, and it looks OK so far. You'll get faster! Don't worry.
Also, Ocelot said it and it's true, you're not quite done sanding! Sanding stinks. But it's very important. If you're getting really tired of hand sanding, get abralon abrasive pads. They're less abrasive than sandpaper if you ask me, but you can literally quarter your sanding time. They're not too expensive either--they were the best investment I ever made in pipemaking to be sure. They have a short learning curve too. There's only so many mistakes you make with them (burning the wood by pushing too hard or too long in one spot, and ripping the pad by shoving sharp edges of wood into them...not that I've, like...done that, or something).

In any case, I'm glad to see you're posting often. Keep it up!

[scotties22]

I don't have a lathe or tenon tool. I am using delrin for my tenons....I really like it, it's super easy to work with. This is a 3 1/4 inch stem and it was the shortest blank I had. About the only thing I could do is cut the stem down and put a new piece of delrin in. I do have a few more of this same stem. Maybe I will play around with one to see what I come up with. I am going to take some of the width out of the shank anyway. This was a very short, length wise, piece of wood and that is literally all the shank I could manage.

I actually don't mind sanding by hand. I would say I'm right around 5 hours right now. My problem is that my times comes in 15 or 20 minute chunks between chasing the kids and answering the business phone. I did have a rare night last night. Everyone, including my husband, was asleep by 9. I sat out on the patio for about an hour sanding away listening to the frogs. Tonight will be hell, I'm sure

[Cory]

Big improvement from your last few!

Everyone is spot on with their comments. I would post my own, but it would be redundant. Just listen to what everyone has already said and you will be well on your way.

[Ocelot55]

Thanks Ocelot. This is actually one of the pieces of wood you sent.

I gave you that crappy briar? Sheesh, some friend I am.

[scotties22]

I finished this last night. This morning I decided to try a new, last minute, rustication technique.....I call it "Hurled by Buffer". Have any of you tried it before??? It really didn't seem to work out all that well as it only "rusticates" a few very small spots at a time. I do plan on hitting it again with sandpaper and refinishing it to get the dings out. Any and all comments are welcome.

I did take into consideration the comments I received earlier. I decided to leave the stem alone and not to rusticate it. It is slightly unbalanced and I will keep that in mind on the next one. But, I kinda like the way it turned out.

Length: 5.375 inches
Bowl Height: 1.5 inches
Chamber Diameter: .80 inches












And now for a bonus.....This is the fourth alongside my prop.....My first pipe. I carved it for my husband for father's day (I know, I know....It's really ugly. And yes I do love him dearly). He made me promise him the next pipe I make



Thanks for looking.

Scottie

[sam a]

huge improvement between #1 and this one... keep it up!

[The Smoking Yeti]

That is one sexy #4! I love the shaping and the finish- huge improvements for sure! I actually kinda like the stem despite it being a tetch unbalanced. Who is this one for? (they'll love it!)

[scotties22]

This one is going to my aunt's boyfriend. He said he hasn't smoked a pipe in quite a few years. I figured why not get him started again.

[Hudson]

Not perfect but a huge leap forward. Way to go!