I guess this is where the rubber really meets the road. Dan spent Wednesday evening hand carving the stem. The last photo shows the tools he uses for this delicate procedure.
I can't wait to see the whole pipe as a composition, without the electrical tape protecting the chamber. And, I would have never thought to use knives to carve the stems. I've just been grinding them to shape. It's so cool to see someone else's studio, with all of the toys and playthings in the background.
I bet your giddy with anticipation to load that bully up ::
You're right, cosmic, I'm excited about this one. I guess since it's a bulldog and I consider that shape to be classically British that I'll load it with an English blend; but which one?
Dan is a master of many things, but his sense of anticipation is unrivaled. I just keep hearing his soundtrack in my head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJ_Mz8ftqI
That shaving technique I borrowed from a Nordic pipe maker many years ago, I liked the control and it's great at removing heavy file marks as opposed to sanding your ass off. You may have heard of him Love Geiger.