My third pipe

[fiddlestix]

This is the third pipe I have made. I don't have all of the angles that I should have. These are just the few pics I have on my phone. I can try to add some later.

I'm really pleased with it in general, but there are still several things that I notice that I need to improve on.

The slot and button are slightly mid aligned.

The bend of the stem could be a little more smooth.

I sanded through the stain on the edge of the rim. I can't seem to avoid this. Any suggestions?

The bit mic's out at 4.3. Should I be taking it down thinner?

I am having a little trouble getting the stem to meet the shank perfectly.

If anyone has any thoughts, suggestions or critiques, is appreciate hearing them.
Thanks






I found this pic that was taken before I had buffed it that shows the profile a little better.

[Alden]

Pretty damn good. Really nice piece of briar, the Rosewood (or cherry burl?) looks good, nice choice of stem material.
You sure didn't fuck it up.
The taper on the stem could be a lot more graceful, and its not quite bent far enough.
Would probably look better if the stem insert was shorter.
The angle of the shank is not ideal, but I can't decide whats wrong with it. I think the top line of the shank should rise a little so the shank gets slightly taller as it moves toward the bowl.
Good job keeping the sides of the shank and stem mostly nice and straight.
Shaping on the bowl could use some tweaking, but not bad at all for #3 that is something that comes with practice. The shape is fine, but picture if the bowl was a balloon and you added just another puff of air, enough to plump the cheeks out a bit from where they are.
The top of the bowl would be improved with a bevel around the tobacco chamber.
All in all, it looks like a pipe and not a turd. That is a huge accomplishment for #3 congrats

[fiddlestix]

Thanks for the advice and kind words!

The stem was originally going to be a split, half saddle stem, but I decided I was neither confident in my ability to pull it off nor how snug the fit was between the cocobolo insert and the tenon I had turned on the stem. That's why it's so big.

I really dislike stems that are overly bent, so I erred on the side of less bend. I do agree though that it should be bent a little more.

The cheeks are a little slim because I made too big a pipe for the block I had. I could have sized everything else down a little to make that look better.

Thanks again for the critique!

Mark

[baweaverpipes]

I like the bend and wouldn't bend it more.