#6- brandy

[scotties22]

Hi guys. This is what I have been working on the past few night. Things are going fairly well and I'm almost done with shaping. The bowl is still off a little, left to right, at the bottom and the shank is fatter at the bowl end...all to be fixed soon. My question is about the stem. I am very, very limited on material and this is the shortest stem I have. I think it is a bit too long for the stummel, but thought I would ask for some help. Right now the overall length of the pipe is 6.25 inches. The stem is a 2.25 inch round saddle. Any suggestions on stem length and style would be appreciated.







Oh, and this is what I'm going to attempt on the shank.....attempt being the key word



Sorry for the crappy photos, it was pretty late last night when I took them.

Thanks for looking.

Scottie

[taharris]

The profile from the front of the bowl looks pretty good, but when you look at the bowl from the side it has a very prominent "chin".

The profile from the side should match the profile from the front.

It's a nice start though. Make sure you post pictures when it is done.

Todd

[The Smoking Yeti]

Well, if you could clamp that stem under the drill press and shave down the chunky part before the saddle with a forstner bit that might help with your proportions. Otherwise I'd say crack on with this and see how it looks.

[scotties22]

Well, here she is. I ran into a huge crack in the shank. I got most of it out and I think that's as good as it's going to get. I was afraid to make it any smaller for fear of breaking it off.

Length: 6.25 inches
Bowl Height: 1.5 inches
Bowl Diameter (at bottom) 1.75 inches
Chamber Height: 1.375 inches
Chamber Diameter: .78 inches
Stem: Vulcanite, length 2.25 inches













Thanks for looking.

Scottie

[Cory]

You could use a little more shaping to make it symmetrical (top and bottom views really highlight this issue). I don't think I would call it a Brandy. Looks more like a straight diplomat that needs some shaping to me.

Here is a good standard for Brandy: http://www.aspipes.com/Shapes/Brandy.htm

The stem could loose a lot of material (too long - easy enough to put it in a vice and use a forstner to cut down about 1/2" or so off the shank-side)

Stem/shank looks pretty good, but could be better.

[pipeguy]

I agree with Chris more shapeing is needed. also I think the stem is a tad long A longer shank and a shorter stem may give you a sharper line good job!

[Cory]

Who the hell is Chris?

[scotties22]

Yeah, I need another light in the garage (something I will have my husband rectify this weekend). I have a shadow that really plays tricks on my eyes. I thought I had it pretty symetrical and didn't bring it in the house to take a better look before I stained it. I'll make sure I give the next one a better look before I start staining. This is a preform stem and is really all I had. I thought about trying to get rid of the saddle and just tapering it. I do have another one of these stems and might give that a try. I haven't tried hand cutting a stem yet...soon, precious, soon.

Cory, I do agree that it does look more like a diplomat than a brandy. I hit a huge flaw that I decided to sand out and lost the roundness in the bowl.

Thanks for the critiques guys. A few more things to keep in mind for the next one.

Best,
Scottie