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So I tried to carry over most of the advice given to me from my last freehand, and I'm probably gonna be practicing on this shape style for a bit because I really enjoy pipes wiht negative space.

But any way, here's another try at a reverse calabash using the advice given:














All of my stems are prefab (I don't have a lathe) and I basically turn them on a rig I made with my drill press. (16speed delta, old XD) So thy might not look all that pretty sometimes.


Comparison with the previous pipe.


Mortise and Tenon.

Thanks,
Steve

You need something to keep the mortise from expanding or contracting on the stem. You can use Delrin or ebonite to maintain a snug fit. The stem looks a bit thick on the sides behind the button.


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Would an O-ring have the same effect? I've seen some people do that, and what did you mean by thick on the sides?

Thanks,
Steve

The beauty of freehand is it is subjective. I prefer how the first one the chambers touch, but like the color of the second one. Your symmetry on each chamber is a little wonky. I assume you intended them to be rounder.
I would suggest reading threads on contrast staining. This shape would work much better with contrast stain.
Your engineering is off in your expansion chamber the stem look as if it will block half of the draft tube. If you rotated the chamber back toward the smoker a few degrees it would allow enough wood at the top of the expansion chamber for a good fit. As sandahlpipes said you could sleeve the expansion chamber with delrin to manage movement of the briar. If not you should stabilize the chamber there are a number of threads on that as well.
Let me qualify this with I've not made a RC


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I don't think an o-ring will hold up to use. Not unless you make one yourself out of something durable and resistant to moisture such as Delrin, ebonite, or acrylic.

As for thick, I mean that the bite zone behind the button looks relatively flat all the way across the top and bottom where you would bite. You should taper it out toward the sides some more. Not enough to be sharp on the edges, but enough to feel comfortable. I don't know what your measurements are, but you don't want anything over 4mm thick in the bite zone by maybe 16-18mm wide on the button and maybe 6.5mm tall for the button itself. Smaller is typically more comfortable.

And I agree that a contrast stain would be nice, but you should really focus on proper engineering before worrying about finishes. No one wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a pipe that's not going to smoke well. And you're not going to want to put all these hours into fancy freehands and sell them for the price of a mediocre smoker. At least I would think not.


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sandahlpipe wrote:You need something to keep the mortise from expanding or contracting on the stem. You can use Delrin or ebonite to maintain a snug fit. The stem looks a bit thick on the sides behind the button.

+100

+1 to symmetry of the portion with the mortise in particular. Maybe if you took these pictures before finishing, it might help you see this and correct it. It's really visible in pics 4 and 6.

On a positive note, I think the overall shape of the stem is much better this time around.