pipemakersforum.com

Those of you that hang out on the facebook page may have seen these already, but I'd love some critical feedback and this seemed like a better venue to request that. These are my first two proper goes at pipe making (not counting some tests in scrap wood I had lying around). The Briar came from oxtation via their eBay store. One piece was pretty flawless, the other had a massive cavity smack bang where the centre of the stem was, so it had to be cut right back and replaced. As disappointing as that was, it gave me the chance to try something I was planning on trying when I had a little more experience, but needs must, as they say.

Anyway, I've tried to follow the forum's guidelines with pictures, so here goes.

Something like a Billiard:












I made this stem (unlike the one below which is a pre-cast vulcanite one). Stems are hard.


And almost a Lovat












So this is where I had to amputate the original stem and replace it with something else. I went with a bit of old Lignum Vitae I had lying around, which is possibly not the best choice due to it's high oil content.. but I'm hoping it's not a catastrophically bad idea, as I've done it now. Hoping that because it's not in the actual chamber it won't be an issue, and I could always sleeve the inside of the airway along the length of it with a bit of stainless tube..

I participated in the discussion of the first pipe on FB.
Needs work on the transition. The second pipe is a little sharper but could still stand more tightening up.
DocAitch

Thanks DocAitch, I know the discussion you're talking about, that was a different dude, but yeah, the same criticisms more or less apply. Gauging the sharpness of the transition is tricky, and I think I agree that these are a little on the fuzzy side. That graphic is excellent reference material though.

FJWyver wrote:Gauging the sharpness of the transition is tricky, and I think I agree that these are a little on the fuzzy side.

3mm chainsaw file was recommended to me at some point (by Jeremiah I think?), and it seems to work well for me so far.

I've not come across chainsaw files before, having never used a chainsaw I guess.. They look very useful, thanks!

I use both a small chainsaw file and a pippin file (tear drop cross section-see Otto Frei) for tightening up transitions. The 00 seems to cut well. Not too aggressive.
A dowel with a good compression fit held in a vise (or one of the adjustable reamers with cutters padded) makes a good third hand.
DocAitch

The Pippin files do look lovely, but I may not spring for a $60 file just yet, especially with shipping.. I've seen a couple of you-tubers using a dowel to park their pipes on while working on them, I should probably get around to rigging something similar up. I think I'll keep on going at billiard variants until I get something closer to a nice crisp shape before I push the boat out with other forms.
Thanks Doc!

FJWyver wrote:The Pippin files do look lovely, but I may not spring for a $60 file just yet

I understand completely.
At one point I easily had more money in files than I had in my first lathe.
This is especially interesting because I spent years in the 1970s making pipes without ever touching briar with a file.
DocAitch

The pippin file is a great tool once you know how to work it. I have them in a 0 and a 2 cut. The 2 can give a finish ready for 320 sandpaper if you do it right. They can be used for a tighter radius using the tip and a wider one with the back of the file. And unlike a flat file, you can work the transition from flat into curve without gouging the curve. A round file tends to dig in on the flat part, but the pippin lets you ease in a bit more smoothly.


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