Morta Egg

[taharris]

Here is a pipe I made from a piece of the Morta that I got from Chris (and which Nate was kind enough to pick up in Chicago).

It was going to be a bent Apple, but there was a punky spot that I had to cut out. So, half way through I had to recalibrate and decided on an egg instead.

The inlay is Yellow Heart, which may not have been the best choice because I had trouble getting all of the Morta dust out of the pores.

Despite all of that, I think it turned out half way decent...







Thanks for looking.

Todd

[mathias65]

I'm usually not a big fan of all black pipes, but I this this pipe is awesome! I'd love to try to work with morta some time.

Well done!

[Boekweg]

Very nice pipe. I always love how morta pipes look. I would love to get ahold of a morta block so i can make a pipe out of morta.
Good job!

[JMG]

The stem looks a touch long to me...maybe a half inch or so. Also, it looks like there may be a "slight" reverse taper going on with the shank. It could just be my eyes playing with me though. Either way, it's not much if any. The bowl proportions look really nice and I think the Yellow Heart was a good choice. It compliments the pipe well and gives some nice contrast. A very nice looking pipe.

[wdteipen]

Very good looking pipe. I really like the contrast of the yellowheart and the morta. You did a great job with the inlay fits and the stem fit. I agree with JMG that their appears to be a very slight reverse taper and the stem is slightly on the long side for the proportions of the pipe. And lastly, the half saddle would have worked better if you gave it more meat and cut it steeper.

[wdteipen]

Oh, and the bowl shape and symmetry looks outstanding to me.

[jogilli]

I have to agree with JMG and Waynes comments, especially the one about the bowl shape and symmetry .. nicely executed

James

[ND Pipes]

nice pipe - really a good piece of morta

[taharris]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments.

JMG, you have a good eye for details. I had to get a straight edge to prove to myself that there is a slight dip in the shank.

Morta is an interesting material to work with. It smells like bog wood and turns everything black. (I hope it doesn't make the tobacco taste like bog wood. )

By the way, there was a nasty crack in the Morta and I discovered that a mixture of epoxy and Ebony dust makes an outstanding patch.

Also, I sanded the pipe smooth, but when I buffed it I ended up taking away a little material and leaving a slightly rusticated surface. Is this typical with Morta? How do most people finish Morta pipes?

Todd

[Nate]

I do like that one Todd, good use of the block! Shape is quite nice and the bands are well cut.

Many makers blast their finish, it is kinda morta's forté. Morta has some crazy straight lines when blasted, very geometric. But I like the look of this one, not many smooth morta pipes look attractive to me.

[bandkbrooks]

I REALLY like the grain and placement of grain on this pipe.

[R.H.]

Very nice pipe.
The rings are great and the finish superb.

[Sawdust]

I think it turned out pretty nice. The inlays contrast well with the morta and you did a real great job on the shape. One comment, though. If you wanted to get a little smoother surface on the morta, you could use a small sanding block and sand with a "criss cross" pattern.

Jim

[taharris]

Actually, I had the morta as smooth as a baby's butt until I buffed it.

I must have used too much pressure.

I have one more piece of morta left. I don't have a way to sand blast, but I may use a wire wheel.

Todd