My attempt at something more traditional.

[meathod]

Apple wood with African blackwood chamber. The unique grain in the wood is a result of yearly pruning for decades, you can see many central rings of branches that have been pruned back.

The stem accent ring is ebony, with an African blackwood mouthpiece.















Final leather case photos will be updated later..

[wmolaw]

Wow.

[d.huber]

In the photo from the bottom of the pipe, it looks like you've got more meat on the left hand than the right (from the photo's perspective) where the bowl meets the shank. I'd also recommend tucking the top line of the shank where it meets the bowl in a little more.

Stem looks pretty good. I'm not sure what diameter your airway is, but the stem might have a more elegant look (matching the rest of the pipe) if it tapered to a shorter height behind the button. When viewed from the top, the stem isn't quite symmetric, specifically closer to the saddle.

All that aside, I think it's beautiful.

[meathod]

Yep, you're totally right. In fact, not much on this pipe is exactly symmetrical. I don't often like the look of symmetry in pipes. I was going for a more raw feel, hence the lack of any buffing or wax.

I understand that it's a tough style to pull off though, and that the billiard shape traditionally implies symmetry. There is a fine line between sloppy work, and intentionally imperfect work... It's still a learning experience for me.

I've been trying to achieve the aesthetic of Wabi-sabi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

That said, I agree that the stem thickness behind the button could be thinner. But, since the stem is made from wood, I decided to play it safe and keep it a bit thicker so that there's no chance of cracking under the pressure of teeth. This also gives some room for sanding out any bite marks if the pipe requires refinishing years down the road.

The airway at the button is quite large though, I think there is room to flatten the airway and taper the stem towards the button better. This will be something I keep in mind for the next one,

thanks!

[Yak]

Deleted as irrelevant.

[meathod]

The ring is ebony dust, stabilized with CA glue. Has the same look in a thin ring like this, without the moisture problems. Also, the mouthpiece continues on through the bamboo and into the stummel, so the ebony and bamboo don't actually touch the airway.

[e Markle]

As always, I enjoying seeing pipes from you, and I think this is a cool pipe. I like how you finished the bamboo. It fits well with your style, and it sure makes oversanding the bamboo a moot point.

I think you generally do a good job of incorporating that organic, wabi-sabi feel to your pipes without making them look rough-hewn or unfinished, albeit with a bit of a New World, hippie vibe thrown in (not that that's a bad thing). Or at least, to this Westerner, it looks pretty decent. The only thing that I find visually arresting on this piece is the lack of harmony on the bamboo node lengths (bowl to first node, first to second, second to saddle). This is the only thing that looks unfinished, and they even feel a bit dissonant to me. Just to clarify, I don't think they need to be equal lengths (that would probably throw the whole thing off), but maybe just less inconsistent? In other words, you may have just added too much wabi and not enough sabi to this particular recipe. I don't think the other issues pose a problem for you.

[meathod]

Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.

Node spacing will be the death of me! haha.

[d.huber]

As always, I enjoying seeing pipes from you, and I think this is a cool pipe. I like how you finished the bamboo. It fits well with your style, and it sure makes oversanding the bamboo a moot point.

I think you generally do a good job of incorporating that organic, wabi-sabi feel to your pipes without making them look rough-hewn or unfinished, albeit with a bit of a New World, hippie vibe thrown in (not that that's a bad thing). Or at least, to this Westerner, it looks pretty decent. The only thing that I find visually arresting on this piece is the lack of harmony on the bamboo node lengths (bowl to first node, first to second, second to saddle). This is the only thing that looks unfinished, and they even feel a bit dissonant to me. Just to clarify, I don't think they need to be equal lengths (that would probably throw the whole thing off), but maybe just less inconsistent? In other words, you may have just added too much wabi and not enough sabi to this particular recipe. I don't think the other issues pose a problem for you.

Good points, Ernie. Now that you've pointed it out I see the dissonance in the distance from the bowl to first knuckle and last knuckle to the saddle.

Meathod, thanks for clarifying some of that. I completely agree about intentionality and I think you do a good job of making the imperfect appear beautiful. I might debate about whether this is a billiard or not (I'd say it's a dublin).

[meathod]

hahah, oops, you're right. This is totally a dublin. I need to brush up on my pipe shapes.

[Ocyd]

It's awesome and a wonderful philosophy to have when dealing with materials that always tend towards having a unique indiviuality all thier own. If you were worried about the stem needing sanding down the line there are always those removable bite guard ring things. It seems like the constant moisture from saliva would be more of a concern with wood though. I mean since it's starting to sound like you're souring on it, I'd be happy to give it a good home for you. free of charge even

[BobR]

I really enjoy seeing something completely different. Cool pipe.

[meathod]

It's awesome and a wonderful philosophy to have when dealing with materials that always tend towards having a unique indiviuality all thier own. If you were worried about the stem needing sanding down the line there are always those removable bite guard ring things. It seems like the constant moisture from saliva would be more of a concern with wood though. I mean since it's starting to sound like you're souring on it, I'd be happy to give it a good home for you. free of charge even

Hahah, Pipe is sold actually.

And, African blackwood has a natural resistance to saliva, which is part of why it's used for making bagpipes. So, no worries there!

[PremalChheda]

I like it.

I do not know the properties of African Blackwood in terms of resistance to heat, fire, & moisture, but I am guessing it is not as good as briar. Also there may be some toxicity issues with African Blackwood. Do you have any information on this?

[Ocyd]

It's awesome and a wonderful philosophy to have when dealing with materials that always tend towards having a unique indiviuality all thier own. If you were worried about the stem needing sanding down the line there are always those removable bite guard ring things. It seems like the constant moisture from saliva would be more of a concern with wood though. I mean since it's starting to sound like you're souring on it, I'd be happy to give it a good home for you. free of charge even

Hahah, Pipe is sold actually.

And, African blackwood has a natural resistance to saliva, which is part of why it's used for making bagpipes. So, no worries there!

Gimme! .... Wait a minute how did ancient Scottish highlanders get African blackwood for their bagpipes?

[Chuck]

First post on the forum! BEAUTIFUL pipe!

[meathod]

Here's the finished case,

[CJN]

That looks amazing! A real head-turner.

[Literaryworkshop]

It's awesome and a wonderful philosophy to have when dealing with materials that always tend towards having a unique indiviuality all thier own. If you were worried about the stem needing sanding down the line there are always those removable bite guard ring things. It seems like the constant moisture from saliva would be more of a concern with wood though. I mean since it's starting to sound like you're souring on it, I'd be happy to give it a good home for you. free of charge even

Hahah, Pipe is sold actually.

And, African blackwood has a natural resistance to saliva, which is part of why it's used for making bagpipes. So, no worries there!

Gimme! .... Wait a minute how did ancient Scottish highlanders get African blackwood for their bagpipes?

The English ruled both Scotland and the waves for centuries.