pipemakersforum.com

When I first joined the forum I was taking a sculpture class at a local community college. The instructor pretty much let us use any medium we cared to and I started working with briar. I had done kits before, but bought some blocks off ebay, some hand tools at garage sales, and some education off this forum, and went to work.

The results were OK and I promised to post some pics here, but thought the better of it 'cause from seeing what was on the gallery and reading the critiques, I could see the errors and make some, but not all, the fixes. I didn't want to put up crap.

Last week, I went to the Southern Fried Pipe Show in Nashville and in addition to meeting two of my heroes, Tonni Neilsen and Fukuda from Tsuge, I ran into Tyler Lane who I knew from the Forum and whose work I've admired. We discussed the gallery and through his encouragement, herein my first submission for critique.
Apologies in advance that it ain't a billiard.

Your comments appreciated.

The photos aren't loading for me.

Not for me either!

Very sorry.

I attached the jpegs and they seemed to upload. They display on my screen and on my wife's computer.

Is there another way to make sure you can see them???

Any tech guys out here?

Photos loaded for me. Not bad. Looks like you took a bit too much off the top of the shank closest to the bowl. Aside from that you just need more practice to tighten up the shaping. That's tough with only basic tools. Keep at it.

I see what you're saying on the junction at the shank and agree on the shaping and the need for more practice. I've added a sanding wheel to the shed, but still new to it. Beats the dremel and belt sander, albeit harder on the knuckles and nails at times.

Thanks for commenting.

Hey there. Good work, i especially like the staining on that pipe, it has a nice contrast.
I won't say much, because i'm also very new to pipe making. Just keep practicing, and everything will be better

First off I think the pipe looks pretty good. I'm very new to pipe making myself so I'll point out the first thing that jumped out at me, which will be easy to address in the future. The stem looks to be bent in one spot rather than over a larger area. This can be remedied by find something that has the same radius you need and use that to draw your heated stem over rather than just bending it. Keep it up!

Thanks gents. I'm learning from the exercise and appreciate your input.

Could you possibly elaborate on this point:

2combs wrote: The stem looks to be bent in one spot rather than over a larger area. This can be remedied by find something that has the same radius you need and use that to draw your heated stem over rather than just bending it. Keep it up!

Stem shaping has, at times, be a problem and I've been doing it manually. This has lead to sharper bends than I want at times, this being an example.

ronps wrote:Thanks gents. I'm learning from the exercise and appreciate your input.

Could you possibly elaborate on this point:

2combs wrote: The stem looks to be bent in one spot rather than over a larger area. This can be remedied by find something that has the same radius you need and use that to draw your heated stem over rather than just bending it. Keep it up!

Stem shaping has, at times, be a problem and I've been doing it manually. This has lead to sharper bends than I want at times, this being an example.

It was great to meet you! Glad you posted.

The kink happens when you have a softer spot in the stem from uneven heating. Get the whole length of the stem equally malleable, and the curve will naturally be smooth along the length on the stem.

My main comment is your shank "bulbs". From the top view the stem is pinch at the bowl (which is fine), flares out (which is fine), and then pinches back near the stem (not fine, in combo with the other two moves). Either go totally straight, or flow the line out in a taper. Same applies to the top line of the shank when viewed in profile.

Nice work. Time for another!

Tyler, thanks for taking the time to chat at the show and getting me moving this stuff onto the forum.

Still learning. I guess I've tended to direct heat (flame) to the area where I think the bend ought to occur. Tomorrow I'll try it evenly along the
entire length and see if I can get a better result.

I'll see if the bulb can be fixed as well.

Hope you had a great time at the show. I was glad to see alot of talent there and surprised by the number of young guys producing some really stunning work. Speaks well to the future of the craft.

Got back home inspired and ordered another 60+ blocks of ebauchon to continue practicing in the hope that I'll be placing some better stuff in the future.

Take care.

It's tough to offer critique on early pipes simply because you're learning every single facet of pipe making. It would require a lengthy write-up to critique any first time maker. That being said, I would focus on making your lines consistent from start to finish (that would rectify the stem issue). Take long, complete passes with your sanding wheel (if you're using one).

Guys,

Liked your suggestions on this one and made some adjustments.

Got rid of the hump on the shank, reworked the stem as best I could, and refinished.

Appreciated the input.

ron