Pipe #2: Locomotive themed pipe

[WouldWorking]

A good friend of mine requested that he get my second pipe. He's been the sort of guy that makes me a better person by just being "around" him, so I wanted to give him exactly what he wanted.

His requests were that it be at least 2" deep, a decent sized button, and ideally it should be train themed in some way because his grandfather actually had patents for train parts.

That's when it sank in... "I have to make a choo choo train pipe?" Ha! Well, I set out to make the best choo choo train pipe I could make...

I realize the shape is a bit odd in general for a pipe, but the man it was intended for is happy, so I'll take that as a win. I have a 3/4" spoon bit so the bowl ended up 3/4 x 2.1". The pipe is right at 7" long, so this is definitely a big pipe for slow sipping of Virginias and VaPers. (At least that's what it's owner intends to use it for.)


While other angles might look odd because of this one, I love this angle. The stem reminds me of the roof of the engine where the engineer would be operating below. So it almost looks, to me, like a train rolling through the clouds so you only see the top part.








Sadly, I had to give up on the pipe stamp company that is usually recommended here as I just could not get the guy to send me a proof before I spent the money. He said he would, and then just never came through. I figured if he couldn't handle that part of the transaction I didn't have faith in the rest of it. I wont mention the name here as many of you use and love his product and I don't want to slander the guy, but if you know of other options please let me know as I would very much like to get a hand stamp. So, this pipe got stamped with just the build number.




Sorry that this, and other pictures here are such poor quality. I need to work on my photo taking skills and invest in a real camera at some point.



Over all I'm happy with the pipe. There is a lot I would do and plan differently next time, but since I'll likely never make a shape like this again, most of these lessons learned will just have to be applied to other shapes down the line.

Thank you in advance for any comments that can help me become a better pipe maker someday.

[DocAitch]

Looks pretty good to me. These observations are my personal take on shaping.
You did a good job with the shaping of the bowl and the transition looks pretty crisp. To my eye, the long lateral lines of the cone of the bowl also would look a little better if they were dead straight or very slightly concave. This bowl appears to bulge above the 1/2 way mark because the top tapers in slightly.
The first thing that really struck my eye is the angle of the bottom of the bowl. I think it would look better if that bottom were parallel to the bottom line of the shank.
Also the fish tail lateral lines of the proximal (to the button) 1/2 of the stem should be slightly concave (very subtle). Yours is slightly convex (beaver tail?) and that spoils the line. The shank and distal 1/2 of the stem looks good laterally, but the stem is bulgy/blimpy in the lateral views, and could have some material removed at the top and bottom. Careful file work is indicated here. Coarse emery boards/nail files are useful here.
These lateral lines also dip in at the button- that line should continuous.
It appears that you have enough stem material laterally to correct these lines. Even dead straight lateral lines would look better. Use long file strokes with a little more pressure in the convex areas and check frequently with a straight edge.
Also, the slot could be more symmetric and smoother. Needle files are useful, as are slim pieces of hacksaw blade with various grits of sand paper glued on (I can PM a photo of these if you wish)
These
DocAitch

[WouldWorking]

Thanks man! I frequently enjoy your work, so I take that as a good compliment.

The first thing that struck my eye is the angle of the bottom of the bowl. I think it would look better if that bottom were parallel to the bottom line of the shank.

Agreed completely. The entire bottom was longer, but it tapered enough that it just wouldn't rest on the bottom due to the heft of the long stem. So it was this, or grind more away to make it flat closer to where the draft hole is. I kept playing with that, but it made it look less like a smoke stack and more like a tall rhodesian, so I opted for the slant. I'm not happy with that part of it, but I still think it would look better than had a flattened it more.

Also the fish tail lateral lines of the proximal (to the button) 1/2 of the stem should be slightly concave (very subtle). Yours is slightly convex (beaver tail?) and that spoils the line.

As in the sharp "edges" on the side of the fishtail? I'm just trying to clarify what you mean.

If that's what you mean, then I think you're saying from the back of the bit to where the fishtail meets the round of the stem I should slope those hard lines in a bit more? To what degree should I do that? I wish I would have put more planning into shaping the stem before shaping it. It was a lot more challenging than I expected.

These lateral lines also dip in at the button- that line should continuous.

Noted, thanks!

Also, the slot could be more symmetric and smoother. Needle files are useful, as are slim pieces of hacksaw blade with various grits of sand paper glued on (I can PM a photo of these if you wish)
DocAitch

I swear it doesn't look as bad as in the pictures...but yeah, I agree. I hadn't heard the hacksaw trick before. I'll definitely give that a try on the next one!

[DocAitch]

When I speak of the fish tail, I am referring to the silhouette of the shape of the entire stem as seen from the top or bottom. The two lines that define that silhouette are the lateral lines of which I spoke and they should be slightly concave instead of convex.
DocAitch

[WouldWorking]

Ok, awesome. That's what I thought you meant but wanted to make sure you didn't mean something else.

Thank you so much for the tip, I will keep it in mind for the next one.

[LatakiaLover]

[DocAitch]

I was hoping you would step in with that app, George.
DocAitch