Pipe "Alchemy"

[ToddJohnson]

It's really interesting to have been somewhat removed from the pipe community for a couple of years--especially the online community--and return to find it basically unchanged. That's one of the things I love about it, it stays pretty constant. What's funny is that the characters change, but the same roles are filled year in and year out. One of my favorites is the one I like to call "Pipe Alchemist."

This is the guy who wants to make pipes out of fossilized potatoes, stems from pressed rubber bands, and stain the whole thing with a combination of cat urine and beet juice. Now this is all well and good--I don't want to get labeled as someone who wishes to stymie progress--but that constant tinkering leads to only one thing . . . more endless tinkering.

So what's wrong with tinkering? Nothing at all. If your goal is simply to have some sort of an introspective hobby that helps you relax and hide in your man-cave, cool. Tinker away. If, however, your goal is to progress in your skill sets as a pipemaker and eventually bring your product to market with a receptive audience, then stop tinkering and learn to make pipes. What I mean by that is the following.

There are long-established methods of accomplishing the end goal--to make a nice pipe. Use them, follow them, perfect them. Once you have become consistent, and have established processes for each of the steps you use to make a pipe, then you can start "tinkering" again.

Here's the problem. If you don't know what you're doing as a pipemaker--and let's face it, if you have questions about how to drill or face or stain a pipe, you don't--then you've got to minimize your variables. If you're trying some new method of drilling, using some sort of homemade drilling rig with a bit no one has ever used for pipemaking, how are you going to determine what caused your holes not to line up? Was it the bit, the rig, the method . . . ? You don't know. With so many variables, it will be nearly impossible for you to know what you're doing wrong, and therefore impossible for you to know how to improve.

If, however, you're using a drill press with the block chucked in a vice, and instead of using a regular chamber bit, you opt for a homemade drill bit shaped from rebar , you'll know your culprit if things don't work out as you had planned. The next time, you'll know not to use rebar, and that can be chalked up as one of the experiment that didn't quite work.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is this. Learn to use the methods that have been perfected over the past hundred years, and vary them slightly where you think they can be improved. You'll learn consistency, train your hands to do what you want them to do, and ultimately progress toward greater skill as a pipemaker. Then, down the road, once you can make a beautiful pipe nine times out of ten, go back to experimenting, and you'll know how to process your results.

That's my advice after eleven years of doing this. I've certainly diverged from my own teachers in a number of ways, but only after becoming proficient in the methods they taught me. That's a method I can certainly recommend.

Todd

[RadDavis]

What great advice!

Step number one: Learn to make a pretty pipe.

Everything else should come after that.

FWIW, I have recently learned that a solution of Biz and NuGrape does not make a good bowl coating. Makes everything taste a bit "soapy".

Rad

[ToddJohnson]

What great advice!

Step number one: Learn to make a pretty pipe.

Everything else should come after that.

FWIW, I have recently learned that a solution of Biz and NuGrape does not make a good bowl coating. Makes everything taste a bit "soapy".

Rad

Rad,

It's Biz and Cheerwine. That's your problem.

Todd

[Nick]

Great to hear from you Todd!

I have to admitt, that I probably fell into that tinkerer catagory. Man, it is just alot of fun to experiment. God knows i wrote some really silly stuff on the topic. Some of it may even make sense. Hehehe. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the same thing. Maybe go see more pipe makers and see how they do it. But I never wanted to be a pro or even part time professional. I just do it for fun. So, who cares.

If I ever was serious, I'd do just as Todd and Rad suggest. But I am so rarely serious, that i imagine i'll just keep tinkering.

[sethile]

.....There are long-established methods of accomplishing the end goal--to make a nice pipe. Use them, follow them, perfect them.....

This is fantastic advice. I've used a similar philosophy in most pursuits, and fell right into it with pipe making. In terms of mechanics, I'm producing dependable results with one established method and getting better with a second. Aesthetically I'm still a bit hit and miss, especially in the area of symmetry. In terms of originality--if I can ever make anything close to being considered a copy of one of my influences I'll consider myself ready to start on a more unique style

[pierredekat]

Well, I guess I'm going to have to chime in here, seeing as how I pretty much fall into the alchemist category.

But mark my words: within the next 20 years, ebonite rod is going to be priced like gold after the two or three companies currently producing it stop doing so.

You've got the anti-tobacco groups doing their thing. Older pipe smokers are essentially "aging out". And most young people have never even seen a pipe in person, let alone tried one.

These companies making ebonite aren't like us pipemakers. A lot of us here on the forum will make pipes because we smoke them and we love them.

But ebonite producers will only make ebonite for as long as it's economically viable to do so. And it will only be that way for a few more years.

So a pipemaker can just keep on doing what he's been doing for as long as he can do it, right up to the point where he goes to place an order for ebonite, and it's no longer available.

Or he can start looking for alternatives now, while he still has enough ebonite on hand to keep up with his orders.

Now, I do appreciate what you're saying about methods, especially since these methods were developed by some truly awesome pipemakers through many years of experience.

Of course, those guys didn't just do things the way that the guy before them did it, either. They were experimenting with buffing compounds and drill bits before a lot of us were even born, and that's how pipemaking reached the point where it is today.

But moreover, I think that frowning on experimentation could create an atmosphere here on the forum, and in the pipemaking community in general, that eventually leads to the overall demise of pipemaking.

Let's not be dinosaurs watching the snow starting to accumulate. Let's be like those animals that scurried into caves and learned how to survive in an adverse environment.

[RadDavis]

Hi Robert,

No one is frowning on experimentation. New stuff is always good.

The point Todd is making is that a new maker should learn the basics first, i.e., making a well shaped, well proportioned pipe, before going off in a bunch of different directions and experimenting with different processes, oil curing, polishing airways to 1200 grit, etc.

None of this is worth the time and effort required if the resulting pipe won't catch the eye of a potential buyer. Concentrate on shaping and drilling first.

I even recommend to those new pipe makers who ask, not to even worry about hand cut stems until they've gotten the shaping down to where they're making good looking pipes. A comortable pre-made stem is better than a thick, uncomfortable hand cut one IMO. And a clunky pipe with a clunky hand cut stem won't even get a first look.

As far as the Ebonite manufacturers, they make a ton of stuff that has nothing to do with pipes, so they're likely to be around for a while.


Rad

[bscofield]

Rad, stop frowning on experimentation!





j/k - couldn't resist.

[Frank]

There are pros and cons to what has been said above.

As has already been mentioned, ebonite is still used in many applications totally unrelated to pipemaking, so it will be around for awhile. In the meantime, the pipemaking alchemists and tinkerers are constantly trying alternative materials for stems and stains and suchlike. I'm still waiting with expectation for the material someone mentioned that has very similar physical properties to ebonite, sans the oxidation.

If the alchemists and tinkerers have the time to experiment, I say "go for it". We all just might benefit from their efforts, even the professional pipemakers. As with Ye Olde Tyme alchemists, they just might stumble upon something useful.

[RadDavis]

I'm still waiting with expectation for the material someone mentioned that has very similar physical properties to ebonite, sans the oxidation.

One of these days soon, hopefully, Frank.

Once again, no one is saying, "don't experiment" or "don't tinker". It's just much easier to experiment and try new things once you actually know how to make a pipe.

An extreme example of how experimenting can really backfire on you is Random.

He made a very amateurish, plug ugly pipe with a stem material that no one had ever heard of, glued them together permanently, called it the "OnePiece" or some such and expected that it would be very well received.

Needless to say, it wasn't.

If he had learned to make nice looking pipes *first*, and sold a few, built a bit of a reputation, and then introduced his idea, people probably would have taken notice and maybe given it a try. Then it would have succeeded or failed on its merits. As it was, his first pipes were so ugly that the idea never had a chance.

He made some very nice looking pipes later on and abandoned the one piece idea, but by then he was fighting an uphill battle.

Rad

[Frank]

An extreme example of how experimenting can really backfire on you is Random.

<---- Need I say more?

[Fuente81]

Todd,

I am not sure what motivated you to post this (organic staining with wine perhaps) lol! But I must say that it is sound advice in one respect yet unfair in another. Here is why I feel that way.
There are two types of talent out there. One is taught and learned through tedious practice and diligence. Eventually leading to perfection with the field of study.
And the other is simply natural talent.
So we have these two archetypes within the spectrum of any given field. Now we all know what the first type represents and how they work. But what about the second? He is that rare guy who not only knows the specs but he knows how to improve on them! So what would your advice to him be then? How do you tell the guy who can simply pick up a block of wood and make a gorgeous pipe from it with no experience at all, that it is incorrect? Would you have his work abolished because he did not use a proper chamber bit? Or the mortis hole is not drilled according to the book? Is his work any less valuable than the guy who studied pipe making? I would certainly hope not. Otherwise, we would have nothing but a lot of boring pipes out there and then who would even want to pick one up? Whats the difference between a joe pipe and a john pipe now? So not to be argumentative with you but feel I had to chime in for all the natural talents out there. Pipe making / crafting is what it is and nothing more. The value of the work is in the individual who values it and nobody else…

A good friend of mine always used to say to me “You go so far left, that you end up going right.” And these words stick with me today.

[kbadkar]

I don't understand the dichotomy between natural talent and taught/learned. Couldn't both a natural talent and no-talent hack learn from commonly used techniques and principles of pipe design and construction? Neither needs to re-invent the wheel to roll with it and neither lives in a complete vacuum. Of course, a natural talent will make a gorgeous pipe sooner than a hack, if he ever can. And perhaps a natural talent is more curious and willing to explore tangents to the craft, but it may take time and energy away from the task at hand - making a beautiful pipe. I think Todd's point is simple, don't get lost on tangents when you are just starting out. Focus on proven techniques and making a nice pipe, and once you do that, experiment on variables one at a time. That is the best way to learn, even for auto-didacts.

[Frank]

...Would you have his work abolished because he did not use a proper chamber bit? Or the mortis hole is not drilled according to the book? Is his work any less valuable than the guy who studied pipe making?

Based on all the contributions to this site from pipemakers ranging from amateur to professional, there's no such thing as a "proper" chamber bit or a "proper" way to drill a pipe. There are a few phamphlets and "how to" booklets on pipemaking, but there most certainly isn't any "Pipemaker's Handbook" which will thoroughly teach the profession. Lacking a Master or Journeyman to work under, this site is probably the best place for any solo pipemaking apprentice.

[Fuente81]

The difference between the two is simple. One has to work at his craft and the other can simply do it. Like a prodigy. As for both learning from from commonly used techniques, a true natural talent learns from example, very visual and physical people. As where the other will learn from standard learning methods of trial and error. So in a sense yes, you are correct, both will learn from commonly used techniques by learning from each other:-) neato! lol!

[sethile]

The difference between the two is simple. One has to work at his craft and the other can simply do it. Like a prodigy.....

I have never met anyone that can simply do something like pipe making without instruction or methodology.

I've worked with musicians and been one most of my life. Music is an area one typically associates with prodigies. I know some who might qualify for that moniker. But none them have appeared out of thin air. Each was only recognized as a prodigy after they combined natural (or God given) talent with a great deal of hard work. In music that work almost always includes lessons with gifted teachers introducing the "prodigy" to established schools of technique. As musicians develop, the most talented and hard working start pushing the established techniques to new areas, or creating new schools of technique. But I have yet to meet one that started out that way.

One great piece of advice I gleaned from the forum--I think it was from Rad--was to just make pipes! Like music, this is something you have to practice. Talent helps, good techniques and procedures help, but those alone will not make a pipe. You have to put your hands and eyes to work to develop the skill set.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts....

[ToddJohnson]

Todd,

I am not sure what motivated you to post this (organic staining with wine perhaps) lol! But I must say that it is sound advice in one respect yet unfair in another. Here is why I feel that way.
There are two types of talent out there. One is taught and learned through tedious practice and diligence. Eventually leading to perfection with the field of study.
And the other is simply natural talent.
So we have these two archetypes within the spectrum of any given field. Now we all know what the first type represents and how they work. But what about the second? He is that rare guy who not only knows the specs but he knows how to improve on them! So what would your advice to him be then? How do you tell the guy who can simply pick up a block of wood and make a gorgeous pipe from it with no experience at all, that it is incorrect? Would you have his work abolished because he did not use a proper chamber bit? Or the mortis hole is not drilled according to the book? Is his work any less valuable than the guy who studied pipe making? I would certainly hope not. Otherwise, we would have nothing but a lot of boring pipes out there and then who would even want to pick one up? Whats the difference between a joe pipe and a john pipe now? So not to be argumentative with you but feel I had to chime in for all the natural talents out there. Pipe making / crafting is what it is and nothing more. The value of the work is in the individual who values it and nobody else…

Clearly, you've misunderstood the basic message of my post. You've also brought value judgements into the equation which seems a complete non sequitur. I've not even suggested there is a definitive way to make pipes. Clearly, there are multiple techniques that will allow one to produce a well formed piece, but they weren't arrived at yesterday. My point, for instance is that you--if you are the "wine stainer"--are wasting your time creating a solution for which there is no problem instead of spending that time to hone your pipemaking skills. That, to quote one of my high school math teachers, "is stupid." The guy you speak of, the who "knows the specs but also knows how to improve on them" is the guy who first had to learn the specs unless they were somehow imparted to him through divine mediation.

My point is that anyone with pipemaking aspirations who does not first learn to make a handsome pipe before trying to revolutionize the pipemaking process is foolish. I'm not suggesting you need not do a formal apprenticeship and sign an oath of non-deviation from the established processes to create such a pipe. I'm just saying that you need to know and establish a process before you can improve upon it. The process you improve upon may be entirely your own if you are the phenom--the one none of us have yet met--who can create a beautiful pipe ex nihilo. So to answer your question, I suppose, the difference between a "Joe" pipe and a "John" pipe is that one is ugly and one is not. When you can make the one that is not, go wild with the experimenting, and I will glean from you what I can to improve upon my own process.

A good friend of mine always used to say to me “You go so far left, that you end up going right.” And these words stick with me today.

Was your friend Doc Hudson, Lightening McQueen's friend from the Pixar film, CARS?

[RadDavis]

I often wonder if people here actually read the posts before responding to them.

Todd tried giving this very same advice several years ago when everyone was all het up about oil curing and the responses were basically the same as here.

NO ONE has said don't experiment. What was said was, don't waste a bunch of time experimenting/tinkering until you know how to make a pipe.

It's like trying to learn 29 hot licks on the guitar when you can't even play a song yet.

A good example of what I think is natural talent is Zeeborn in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=3591

Those are two pretty amazing pipes for a first and second. Should he be trying to learn oil curing or exotic wood stem inlays or experimenting with new drilling techniques? If he does all of those things, he comes to a standstill with the actual making of pipes.

As good as Zeeborn's pipes are for a first and second, they still need a *lot* of work to look really nice, wouldn't you agree?

Rad

[KurtHuhn]

Todd tried giving this very same advice several years ago when everyone was all het up about oil curing and the responses were basically the same as here.

And look at where we are with that - nowhere. Everyone that was all obsessed with that method, from what I can recall, doesn't even post here anymore. They dropped off the face of the forum.

The folks that seem to be sticking around and making pipes are the ones that took Todd's advice the first time around. And probably the second time too, now that I'm thinking about it.

The point is not "never experiment". The point is "learn a process, any process, and get it down pat before trying to come up with something revolutionary".

I'm the worst offender when it comes to getting excited about something new in finishing. BUT, that's typically tempered with the realization that a new finish alone isn't going to make my pipes more attractive than someone else's. Hell, I've been doing this for... uh... a long time now - and I still don't consider myself to have really "gotten it".

[FredS]

As often happens, my life seems to have multiple threads going at once, which, up close, appear to be unrelated. But when have the time to puff on a pipe and putter around in the shop with nothing particular on my mind, I’m suddenly struck by similarities. Case in point:

Last night I was reading a book by one of my favorite writers, John Gierach. If you like to fly fish, or just fish you should find one of his books. Hell even if you just like being outside puffing a pipe and contemplating life at dawn you should read this guys work. Anyway, he’s discussing fly patterns and fly tying and I think it relates directly to Todd’s original thought.

Gierach writes ”The thing is, there are a lot more fly tiers (pipe makers) than there used to be, supported by a lot more books, videos, classes and live demonstrations (internet forums & youtube videos) and a whole new raft of plastic tying materials (staining/curing methods), and fly patterns (pipe shapes) themselves have become a form of self-expression. That’s neither good nor bad, although I am glad I learned to tie back when actual patterns were regarded with more reverence. I had even more trouble with discipline then than I do now, and I think it was good for me to have a recipe to follow and a model to copy. It kept me from wandering off on my own too much, at least at first. . . It’s like an old college art professor of mine used to say: ”Freedom must be exercised with – not instead of – restraint.” We made fun of him at the time because he was over thirty and a little pompous, but we knew he was right.”

As a new carver myself, I'm spending my time perfecting (OK, developing) an eye for pleasing, traditional shapes and the skills to create those shapes. And, although I use do Everclear for staining, I'll save my wine for it's more traditional use.