I’ll start with my own thoughts. I would have liked the shank to be longer. I started with a very small and oddly shaped block, so briar selection was my first error.
There are a few asymmetries in the shape of the bowl. First, bowl is thicker near the shank than in the front. I stopped here because there was a crack in the bowl. I posted a picture the illustrates this. I suppose My options are to keep sanding to try to get through the other side of it(it does not go all the way through to the chamber) or toss the stummel and start over. For sentimental reasons, I didn’t want to take the risk that I might make it worse and thus not be able to smoke my first briar. Also, the shape at the heel of the bowl in profile is different from the shape when viewed from the front.
There are a few small pits. T echnically I should have rusticated this pipe. For my own pipe, I’m happy to tolerate a few small pits in order to be able to look at this beautiful grain.
The stem is pre-molded vulcanite. For that reason, the proportions of the lengths of the stem, shank and bowl are completely off. I ordered a hand-full of the pre-molded stems and I’ll use up what I have before I start using vulcanite rod. That being said, I think I need to take a small amount off the top and bottom of the stem in order to continue the tapered lines from the stummel to the button. It also needs to be thinned at the bite zone. There is also a small gap at the bottom of the stem/shank joint. The button also needs quite a bit of work.
The pipe has obviously not been polished. I do not yet have a buffing wheel. I knew this would be my own pipe and so I wasn’t too worried about it.
I used a fiebings alcohol based dye for the contrast color, sanded to 600 grit and then used tongue oil. Then, I put on a thin layer of shellac.
Your feed back is appreciated.
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