Martin Hansen - The Crocobee

[Martianh]

Hello again, everyone,

Here I would like to get some opinions on a pipe which is completely new for me in terms of style and color. This is my first sandblast and the coloring has about 5 layers of different colors. As you can see from the pictures, depending on if there is a flash used or not, the color of the pipe changes. I thought it was quite neat after I saw the pics. In the sun the colors really pop out of the wood.

Anyway, opinions and critiques are always welcome!!

Briar
Sandblasted with smooth bowl and shank ends
Ebonite mouthpiece, handmade


Enjoy!












Cheers
Martin

Kilted Pipes
http://www.handmadetobaccopipes.com

[PhilipMarc]

I've heard that sandblasting is very difficult to do well, especially when you don't have a lot of experience doing it. I have never done it myself so I'm only telling you what I've heard, but I think that your sandblasting could definitely improve! I respect you for making the jump though, I'm too scared and too poor.
Obviously you meant to make the shank larger than average, but I think the effect may have been more graceful if the shank was turned down a bit, and the stem was longer and less "chubby" if you can call it that.

If you refined the concept it could be a very beautiful pipe but still miles from a "classical" English pipe shape. Lars Ivarsson is a great example of that in my opinion. For instance, the pipe below is similar conceptually to what I think you were going for here, but obviously we're talking about a MASTER pipemaker (Lars Ivarsson). The shank is pretty large in proportion to the bowl and stem, but it comes together really nicely. If you revisit this concept, I'd encourage you to periodically look at a pipe such as this one as you progress in the shaping process. It may help you bring more balance to the overall pipe, and it never hurts to have some inspiration.

[Ocelot55]

I have almost no experience with blasting (3 pipes to date) so I won't comment on blasting technique. You did manage to see some nice ring grain on your pipe.

As far as the shape is concerned, and I could be way off, I think it needs a bit more refinement. I would like to see crisper lines and a more purposeful execution. Of course I consider those aesthetics to be subjective.

It's great that you got to play around with finishes. Keep em coming! Can't wait to see more.

[Abi Natur]

Hi Martin,
i find the overall thought behind this pipe well conceived and original.It has a organic-sea like texture supplementing the shape,as if it was lost for some time in a crate on a old sunken ship.Now surfaced again i seems like an old artifact, and in my personal opinion it has some typical Dutch lines.The MP is the only detail that does not fully implement into the whole shape,but other than this it is something you could develop and explore...there are plenty of possibilities hidden away in the depths of the sea.

Best,
Abi

[janne.k]

Well, I like it the way it is. Very organic looking, for some reason it feels just like the right pipe to smoke while reading Cthulhu-mythology related books . The shape reminds me of some of Walle's creations, but it's still original (as far as I can say). The coloring looks good to me, though it's hard to conclude what it would look like in real life . In my opinion the present stem suits it fine, in its off-center placement. I wonder what it would look like if the stem was placed in the center of shank end, and the shank-bowl angle adjusted approriately.

Nice work!

[Charl]

The idea behind the shape I like, but it can be refined a lot.
Stem needs work.