A New Bully Off My Bench

I have four bulldogs that I've been working on. This stummel is from old stock fraziers that I had to drill out and surface. The stem was my attempt at the saddle bit. It came out fine, but I am just not much of a fan of this style. I much prefer a taper on a bully, but I wanted the experience of making it.


I have a few more that are almost complete, but I have so many jewelry orders that it may be a few weeks before I get them all complete. I have to wait for the free time, which is ok by me. No one pays me for my free time, ha ha.
Anyways, I was pleased with how the rustication and the stain turned out. And, I like the stemwork ok. I can always make a tapered one for it later. I've already started smoking it. I had intended to make it a Balkan pipe, but I ended up packing it with a VA flake, and it has had quite a few VA Flakes since. And, it really resonates with them, so I guess it's a Virginia pipe, ha ha.
I just wanted to share what's been going on with you guys.

Happy smokes ::

Thanks,

I have some pictures of the lot of them at home, but the picture is unremarkable, lol. They were frazed, missing just the draft. I would have liked to have left it smooth to show off the grain, but this one needed to be filled on the side. I really liked how the color worked with the texture though.

Thanks guys,

and thanks Dan, It's probably not as nice on the teeth as your bits, but I am still getting the hang of it, ha ha. I am going to have to get me some carving knives to try carving the stems, instead of grinding them.
These stummels are from a 1950's lot, Genuine French Briars. It fascinates me that the bulldog was a turn of the century shape that meshed ergonomics of the hand with completely machine made design. That's where the odd double cone comes from. The machines use a system of pegs and slots that guide the cutters on the lathe to make multiples of the same pipe.

I wasn't the biggest fan of bullies either, until the guy who own my B&M hangout started telling me about how the design came about. Depending on how you hold them, they fit the hand well, and they clench well, making them a great pipe for the everyday kind of guy back in the day. The early bullies were all French, but they caught on fast in England. They used to add metalwork around the rim to make them look more like a billiard to disguise the machine-made look, but after a while guys preferred the double cone look without the metal.
I like them because you can fit them in a pocket easy, and I love a good story. So, the historical stuff appeals to me. Plus, I love the way different artists interpret the shape, as in how Dan's pipe for papipeguy is unique but still fits the bully category.

Thanks again everyone.

Yes, I did it for the experience. I was sort of thinking that it would be easier than the taper, but a taper is easier to keep symmetrical while carving because of the obvious lines that are easier to see. On the saddle, I had to keep measuring, because I couldn't trust my eye on it. And, too much forward or too far back makes it look unbalanced. This is why I used the regular vulcanite. I didn't want to risk any of the more expensive brindled material on it, but in hindsight, I think that the brindled (Cumberland style) stem wouldn't have matched the color as well.

Thank you again!