Sandblasting and stems

Sanding, rusticating, sandblasting, buffing, etc. All here.
User avatar
Sasquatch
Posts: 5147
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:46 am

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Sasquatch »

DocAitch wrote:
Sasquatch wrote:
I never trust anyone whose name starts with a W anyhow.
That hurts.:) :) :)
DocAitch aka “Walter”
Aside from George I think I got at least 50% of the thread participants with that shot. :lol:
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

Ok, so I took a lil of your guy's advice and incorporated a couple together. Came up with this setup, a junk stem with a washer to back up a piece of leather to protect the end of the shank. This is my first attempt at a sandblast with my new setup. I think I should feather a little easier on the mortise end of the shank, but I'm somewhat pleased with the outcome. What say ye?

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

Image
User avatar
seamonster
Posts: 380
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:43 am
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by seamonster »

Doug535 wrote:Image
It looks like your stem is now proud of the blast. How will you bring the stem down to the level of the stummel? Can't shape them separately, as you'll round over the edge....

PS great blast!
instagram.com/seamonster_workshop/
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

seamonster wrote:
Doug535 wrote:Image
It looks like your stem is now proud of the blast. How will you bring the stem down to the level of the stummel? Can't shape them separately, as you'll round over the edge....

PS great blast!

First actual try at a blast on a somewhat completed pipe, not gonna be anything more than a shop pipe. Proportions were off anyway. Hence my comment of feathering a lil easier on the transition to stem comment. It is just a few thousandths proud in a couple spots, will hopefully do better on the next one now that I know how the briar reacts to the new blaster. Thanks for the comment.
DocAitch
Posts: 1113
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by DocAitch »

That is a great blast.
The proud stem illustrates one of my preferences. I am lazy, and taking down the stem is going to be a shitload more painstaking work than I want to do.
Sasquatch's method of tapering his blast is the only way to avoid that, and that is going to be a skill that will take some time to acquire.
Good luck with that.
DocAitch
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
User avatar
sandahlpipe
Posts: 2106
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:49 pm
Location: Zimmerman, MN
Contact:

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by sandahlpipe »

It it ends up with the stem proud of the shank, you can carefully remove material with a file to bring it flush. Fading the blast towards the shank is a better approach though.
---
Fail early, fail often. Your success depends on it.

Jeremiah Sandahl
http://sandahlpipe.com
LatakiaLover
Posts: 3124
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:29 am
Location: Kansas City, USA
Contact:

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by LatakiaLover »

Do the final shaping of the stem after blasting, then level, then re-texture the leveled area by hand. It's the only way to get consistency. The English makers produced many millions of sandblasted standard-shaped pipes, and that's what they determined to be the only high volume production method that yielded the desired results every time. There's no need to re-invent that particular wheel.

It cures all sorts of problems, up to and including hourglass-shaped shanks from the occasional soft area or lingering blast nozzle. (Yours wouldn't look so dramatically bowed inward---or require so much leveling after blasting---if the shank had been tapered slightly to start with).


Image

Image
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

LatakiaLover wrote:Do the final shaping of the stem after blasting, then level, then re-texture the leveled area by hand. It's the only way to get consistency. The English makers produced many millions of sandblasted standard-shaped pipes, and that's what they determined to be the only high volume production method that yielded the desired results every time. There's no need to re-invent that particular wheel.

It cures all sorts of problems, up to and including hourglass-shaped shanks from the occasional soft area or lingering blast nozzle. (Yours wouldn't look so dramatically bowed inward---or require so much leveling after blasting---if the shank had been tapered slightly to start with).


Image

Image

George, the shank was tapered before. Just my heavy handed blasting. Spose you could call me the taper-eraser.

Image
LatakiaLover
Posts: 3124
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:29 am
Location: Kansas City, USA
Contact:

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by LatakiaLover »

Ah, so it was. Looks like the right amount, too.

Just be as careful through there---you'll get better with practice---and when an hourglass does accidentally happen just extend the leveling enough to correct/remove it when final-shaping the stem, and re-texture the flattened area by hand. She vorks goot every time, ja.

You can still do it, in fact:

Image
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

LatakiaLover wrote:Ah, so it was. Looks like the right amount, too.

Just be as careful through there---you'll get better with practice---and when an hourglass does accidentally happen just extend the leveling enough to correct/remove it when final-shaping the stem, and re-texture the flattened area by hand. She vorks goot every time, ja.

Mange tak!
LatakiaLover
Posts: 3124
Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:29 am
Location: Kansas City, USA
Contact:

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by LatakiaLover »

det var så lidt
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.
User avatar
RickB
Posts: 378
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:56 pm
Location: NC

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by RickB »

Doug535 wrote:Image
Highly envious of that blast. Damn am I itching to get a blasting setup. :cry:
Chronicling my general ineptitude and misadventures in learning pipe making here: https://www.instagram.com/rustynailbriars/
Doug535
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 3:49 pm
Location: Independence, Missouri

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by Doug535 »

RickB wrote:
Doug535 wrote:Image
Highly envious of that blast. Damn am I itching to get a blasting setup. :cry:
Rick, it went a lot quicker than I expected too. This was about 10-15 mins total. Just gotta work on feathering. Thinking I might use some of my scraps turned down to cylinders to practice with.
DocAitch
Posts: 1113
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by DocAitch »

Go ahead and re shape this pipe. Take off the wonderful blast on the shank, reduce the diameter of the stem, and then re blast it, carefully, using the trigger control to reduce blast flow as you approach the stem shank junction.
I would use files/nail emery boards only for this re shaping. Rotate the stem 90 and 180 degrees periodically to maintain the roundness, and be careful to carry out the taper to the bite area.
If this is a shop pipe, you have nothing to loose.
I think this is close to what Wojtec was proposing.
From the original photos on the other thread about this pipe, you should have some room.
DocAitch.
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
User avatar
W.Pastuch
Posts: 415
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 10:16 am

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by W.Pastuch »

So here is what I meant, achieved by masking, gentle blasting around the shank/stem junction area and sanding afterwards.
The area touching the stem is perfectly smooth and transition into the sandblast over about 4mm.
I like it this way, if you think it's ugly, well, what can I say, I don't really care... ;)))

P.S. On the photo you see the smooth area getting wider on the right side, that's where the smooth part for my stamp starts.

ImageIMG_20180515_112035_01 by Wojtek Pastuch, on Flickr
Attachments
IMG_20180515_112035_01.jpg
(184.02 KiB) Downloaded 5 times
caskwith
Posts: 2200
Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 am

Re: Sandblasting and stems

Post by caskwith »

I like that finish.

I think when it boils down to it, there is a personal preference thing here. The only thing that is really important in my view is that you have a good transition, it doesn't matter how you do it.
Post Reply