pipemakersforum.com

Greetings all,

Recently finished a few.

Saddle stem Bulldog w/ faux horn trim. The horn is a new acrylic from PME. Pretty convincing and doesn't shrink and split over time:



Next is a long shank Dublin w/ faux "briar" trim. Another new acrylic from PME that simulates wood:



And last, but certainly not least...My first "F" grade creation. Everything started out fine as usual, until I drilled the bowl. Huge fissure inside, right at the bottom front. Sh*t! The birdseye grain was so nice, I decided to finish it and make a proper Billiard. As I turned the bowl, more flaws appeared. I began to feel sorry for the poor piece of sh...er, wood. So I finished it for myself as a knock-around/shop pipe. Smokes great so far w/ no burnout:










CACooper

For the F grade I recommend a grenade, blasting or rustication... and glue with the last two recommendations

i actually dig the F grade pipe alot and it seems that it would be so organic that it looks purposeful. its like a beautiful natural rustication. im sure not alot of collector would like it so i definitly wouldnot try and sell it. but FWIW i like it
good job on that rhodesian and dublin. im not a fan of artificial anything. i like real wood and horn but its cool how it will never have a defect
cheers
evan

I did try to fill the holes, but the one on the bottom was too big, even for rustication. So I just ignored them, finishing the pipe smooth and let the flaws show in all their glory. I figured with so many holes and cracks in it, the first dent won't matter. It will make a good shop or yard pipe. No worries if I drop it.

CACooper

CACooper wrote:I did try to fill the holes, but the one on the bottom was too big, even for rustication. So I just ignored them, finishing the pipe smooth and let the flaws show in all their glory. I figured with so many holes and cracks in it, the first dent won't matter. It will make a good shop or yard pipe. No worries if I drop it.

CACooper

It's a perfect shop pipe. The shaping came out so nice that I would put it in it's own category, shop pipe - grade A! You're lucky you get to smoke in your shop.

Nice work. I wish I made that bulldog. Maybe that's my next project.

andrew wrote: "You're lucky you get to smoke in your shop."

Somehow, the idea of a pipemaker not being able to smoke in his own shop is like binding the mouths of the kine who thresh the corn.

Glad the pipe was finished and in use, though. It looks like the sort of pipe to smoke on the porch while thinking philsophical thoughts about how human plans don't always work out sort of thing. The organic-ness of wood. The hidden flaws in all of us. The fact that the glass of bourbon is always half empty. Whatever.

Nice job on all three pipes. Your shaping is very good.

CACooper wrote:I did try to fill the holes, but the one on the bottom was too big, even for rustication. So I just ignored them, finishing the pipe smooth and let the flaws show in all their glory. I figured with so many holes and cracks in it, the first dent won't matter. It will make a good shop or yard pipe. No worries if I drop it.

CACooper

Kinda surprised you branded it! I NEVER brand the rejects.

Nice. I made one of those F grade pipes this week too.

Been smokin' the "F" pipe for a couple of weeks now and it smokes pretty darn good! It is a tortured soul, though. I ended up dropping it and SNAP went the tenon!. Unfazed, I fitted it with a Delrin tenon so that won't happen again. Now I really don't have to worry about damaging it and being so careful. Maybe that's why it smokes so nice.

Kim, I decided to stamp it because I did make it after all, and the overall shape and construction are fine, just the wood sucked. Had I overdrilled the bowl or otherwise screwed it up myself, trust me, it would have been firewood.

CACooper

Great work on all three. I especially like the Bulldog. I may try some of that horn. I also like their Ivory.