#21 - bamboo billiard

[BrianMadsen]

New pipe from the shop.
Some of you might remember i thread i started some time ago about trouble with buffing.
This time i tried with white diamond for the first time, and i like the result much better.
Some days ago i visited Erik Nielsen in his workshop, and i showed this pipe to him, and he thought it looked good.
That was a nice experience

Anyway, fire away with comments and critique!

[sandahlpipe]

Overall, it's not too bad. The bowl shape and bamboo look good. The transition of bamboo to ebonite could be more organic-looking. The stem is too narrow (pinched) right after the saddle on the sides, which means you don't have enough room to properly round the edges so it looks thin at that point. Make the stem wider and that will clean up nicely.

The slot also needs to be sanded. At least so there aren't any jagged edges inside. That's both a comfort and aesthetic issue that's easy to fix and makes a big difference.

Other than that, I think you've got an attractive piece.

[kamkiel]

The work you put into the pipe is good! Working with bamboo is hard. Everytime I mess up a shank (something I'm really good at), I pull out a piece of bamboo and start sizing it up. Got a few pipes waiting for a bamboo shank in the shop right now, but it might be a while before anything happens to them.

I think that there is something proportionally wrong, like you need a taller bowl or a little bit more of a forward cant of the bowl. The top and bottom profile shots look good in my opinion, but the left and right look a little off. It could be because the bamboo curves slightly up that makes it feel like the pipe is leaning backwards a little.

I haven't tried doing this myself, but somebody told me that if you heat the bamboo you can bend it. If anybody has tried this it would be great to hear your results; if not, I can give it a try report back later.

Sorry, I couldn't be more helpful, like tell you exactly what is right and wrong with your pipe, but I am still learning too. If I knew how to use photoshop, I'd post something fancy.

Kiel

[sandahlpipe]

I've heard of people trying to bend bamboo even with steaming and it doesn't work, but I haven't tried it myself. Most who work with bent bamboo select a bent piece and drill from both ends if necessary.

[kamkiel]

I just was in the workshop and tried to bend the bamboo. I used my heat gun and about a foot length piece of bamboo. Heat it up (don't burn it) and bend. Hold it in its bend until cooled and it is bent. I did this real quick, and it was easy. I'll try it again later with some pictures and start a new post if people are interested. It is not complicated though.

Kiel

[sandahlpipe]

Did it stay bent after a while, or did it straighten back out?

[BrianMadsen]

Hey guys, thanks for your replies.
I think the bowl may be a bit small for the size of the bamboo, and maybe a tad too long.
It sold after a couple of hours though, and the customer was really stoked about it, so i don't feel terrible

About bending bamboo, i've heard that it's possible to put a piece of bamboo in warm water until it softens, then you can bend it.
I haven't tried it, but i sure want to at some point.