Some Latest Works

[WCannoy]

I ordered some acrylic faux ivory rod a while back. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of acrylic, but some people are. I like the looks of this stock and have been working through it pretty steadily.

[The Smoking Yeti]

Great work as always Walt! You've got a very distinctive style for sure. I'm particularly fond of the second pipe- pretty cross grain, and I think that ivory stock is pretty awesome. Where did you get it from? PME?

[Sasquatch]

IS the chamber on that bulldog angled a bit? It's a nice shape.

[Ocelot55]

Beautiful pipes, Walt. I don't suppose you'd share the secret of the suede blast with us?

[Sasquatch]

He dips 'em in Frank's Red Hot for 45 minutes.

[wisemanpipes]

then tempers em in worcestershire sauce.

nice hambu....uhh.. pipes walt!!

[Charl]

The 2nd is my fav. Love the combination of the stummel vs stem colour. Nice shape as well.

[oklahoma red]

Without experimenting, one can only speculate as to the method of attaining a suede finish. Obviously a much gentler process than regular blasting.
The only "gentle" blasting processes (media) I am aware of are NaHCO3 (soda) and CO2 (dry ice pellets). Both require special equipment tho soda blasting is fairly straight forward. I imagine that plastic media is still too aggressive. Careful selection of the stummel would be important. Any special pre or post treatment such as Frank's Hot Sauce or Worcestershire, heating, cooling is again pure speculation. Perhaps certain phases of the moon are involved. One thing is for certain for the time being and that is that Walt is not talking.
Chas.

[WCannoy]

Yeti: Thanks! Yes, the rod came from PME

Sas: Nope. The chamber is drilled perpendicular to the rim.

Ocelot: No, not anytime soon...

Sas: Sriracha

Wiseman: Seriously though, I know some pipemakers have been known to use corrosives, or chemicals, or whatever to texture their pipes. Personally, I would not think of such a thing. I don't like that idea at all...

Charl: Thanks!

Red: I wouldn't call it "gentler", just very different. Very different media, very different equipment. Most important, I think, is an intimate understanding of exactly what is happening when a block of briar is being blasted. It seems simple enough, the media is eroding the wood, and at an uneven rate, to create a texture. Ok, but that's about as detailed of a description as saying that "a car moves because the wheels turn"... Well, there's a lot more to be understood, and even some "sandblasting misconceptions" to be sorted out, if one were looking to improve the results.

Now, don't get me wrong. I started on the road to the suede-blast finish with a half way educated understanding all this and of what needed to happen, but the other half of my understanding developed only after I had started working with the new *process. It certainly yielded some unexpected results, and not only did I pour through pages and pages research on how wood grain grows and develops, but I even went so far as to enlist the help of a friend who does repair work for a lab/medical microscope manufacturer here in Lakeland (seoenterprises.com) so I could get a first had look at the structure of the briar, all to help me try to piece together an understanding of what exactly was really happening when the wood is blasted.

* I use the term "process" as an all-encompassing descriptor of both the equipment, media, and technique. Although, honestly, there is very little technique; Point the gun at the briar, push the button, sweep your way slowly (and this does happen very slowly) around the surface of the wood while watching the grain develop... One pass, no tricks. I could probably train a monkey to do it.

[oklahoma red]

I use the term "gentler" only in comparison to conventional media (glass beads, aluminum oxide or silicone carbide). I sure as hell would not want to let any of them hit my skin, not even talcum powder at high speed. There are lots of other media to consider such as corn cob, walnut and pecan shell. Back in my shooting days and was loading my own I used to polish the brass casings in a vibratory bowl with corn cob media with a little brass polish mixed in. Shine like a diamond in a goat's arse. Jet engine turbine blades are often cleaned by shoveling ground walnut shells into the engines while they are running.
Soda and dry ice are at the bottom of the Moh scale in terms of hardness. Both have been used to strip furniture with mixed results.
Dry ice is certainly not DYI friendly. Soda blast is well within the reach of DYI.
Newest of the media/processes is so-called sponge blasting. The media is a urethane based sponge with varying coarseness of abrasive mixed into it. Ground up whale turds are the ultimate tho horrendously expensive due to collection and processing difficulties. Does the term "lower than whale shit" come to mind?
Chas.

[WCannoy]

Ground up whale turds are the ultimate tho horrendously expensive due to collection and processing difficulties.

You're kidding, right? I mean, I know people will try anything, but... I hope you're kidding

[oklahoma red]

You're kidding, right? I mean, I know people will try anything, but... I hope you're kidding

I can already hear the wheels being set into motion. People are frantically Googling for whale turd collecting equipment/suppliers/distributors.
Whatever your process is the results are stunning. Kuddos.
Chas.

[d.huber]

Sweet work, Walt! The last one if my favorite.

[Dscott]

Nice great work great

[BigCasino]

awesome lookin pipes Walt, I am diggin those Ivory stems

[billiard]

Very nice. I really like that Suede finish!

[bandkbrooks]

Always a fan of your stuff Walt. If I ad the bank the Canadian would already be in my hands. Absolutely stunning work.

Brandon.

[WCannoy]

If I ad the bank the Canadian would already be in my hands.

You'd have to be a little quicker, the Canadian shipped out yesterday! (And to Canada, no less!)

Thanks for the comments though!

[bandkbrooks]

I blame Sas.

[pipedreamer]

charge more money. MAGNIFICENT!