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French Briar
Cumberland stem

Length: 5.56"
Height: 1.43"
Width: 1.82"
Chamber: .75" x 1.08"
Weight: 42 grams

The pictures are a little grainy....need to break down and get a better camera.

Check the top and bottom lines of the stem (meaning in profile) with a steel straightedge. Hold up against a bright background/wall. You haven't gone too low anywhere, but there are still a few high spots.

I see it now that you pointed it out, damnit!! I'll fix it before I put it in the mail tomorrow.

For me, the color changes are off putting. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

Hope this helps.

Rad

RadDavis wrote: Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

+1

An excellent lesson to learn!

I made one of these a while back and the piece of briar was almost white. The contrast looked a lot better on the first one. This was a commission and the customer picked (the bottom is a lot redder than the first) the colors. I think had I not put an undercoat on the top of the bowl (which I did not do on the first one) it would not look so muddy. Here is the first one I made back in May.




Rad, You have given me this advise before....probably this time last year on a little apple I carved a faux band around the shank on. I do TRY to remember what you said.....but, I'm a hard headed asshole and a woman Seriously though, thanks. My husband will tell you that I have NO fashion sense and can't match or contrast colors without something clashing horribly. He even went as far as picking paint colors and decorating the house

I write all of this to tell you that I do NOT consider myself an artist and want the honest truth about my work. My feelers don't hurt easy at all and I don't ever want anyone to pull their punches. And I wasn't trying to justify or defend my color decisions.....just giving you the back story, so to speak. Hearing the hard stuff is what makes me a better carver......

Scottie, to me the earlier one you did is much more elegant. I think this has to do with the weight still on top of the shank. Your earlier example does not taper that drastically, and there is a well defined transition on the back of the bowl (front for Tyler and crew).

There are a few places where this version gained some unnecessary weight, IMO. The sandblasted ring breaks the lines of the bowl and there's some extra meat on the top of the shank where the shank and bowl meet. The second issue could be easily corrected several ways (and likely more than I'm listing here): 1. Make the shank closer to the original, in effect raising the widest point on the bowl; 2. Make the shank thicker so that it meets the bowl at its widest point (not sure this would look great); 3. Get your needle file into that crevice.

The widest point on the bowl is undefined, like you tried to stack the rings. No matter how many rings you cut in the bowl of future rhodesians, I'd recommend tapering the top and bottom of your bowl to a shared line which goes all the way around the bowl. This line can be hard or soft, but should be an apparent spot on the bowl where your eyes can transition from the lower lines to the top lines comfortably.

Exhibit A:



Exhibit B:

scotties22 wrote:I made one of these a while back and the piece of briar was almost white. The contrast looked a lot better on the first one. This was a commission and the customer picked (the bottom is a lot redder than the first) the colors. I think had I not put an undercoat on the top of the bowl (which I did not do on the first one) it would not look so muddy. Here is the first one I made back in May.




Rad, You have given me this advise before....probably this time last year on a little apple I carved a faux band around the shank on. I do TRY to remember what you said.....but, I'm a hard headed asshole and a woman Seriously though, thanks. My husband will tell you that I have NO fashion sense and can't match or contrast colors without something clashing horribly. He even went as far as picking paint colors and decorating the house

I write all of this to tell you that I do NOT consider myself an artist and want the honest truth about my work. My feelers don't hurt easy at all and I don't ever want anyone to pull their punches. And I wasn't trying to justify or defend my color decisions.....just giving you the back story, so to speak. Hearing the hard stuff is what makes me a better carver......

That one looks better, but the color changes still look all gimmicky. Most times, especially with pipes, "less is more".

Rad