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My Rad's are the same price as his store pipes for a similar piece. He doesn't require any money up front. I believe Brian Ruthenburg requires a 50% deposit. Ryan Alden charged me a $50 deposit so I would say each artisan may be a bit different.
There is something really special about commissioning a pipe though. The anticipation is enormous. The feeling when the artisan emails the pics is overwhelming. Lighting her up for the first time is simply sublime. :
:
There is something really special about commissioning a pipe though. The anticipation is enormous. The feeling when the artisan emails the pics is overwhelming. Lighting her up for the first time is simply sublime. :
:
Normally I'll contact the carver and ask if he's doing commissions. If he says yes, we'll talk about what I'm looking for and then he'll give me a rough estimate of the time frame.
I've commissioned a dozen or so pipes and I've never had to pay anything up front. But I've almost always met the carver first (usually over beers at a pipe show) and he knows that I'm not a flake who'll stiff him. Plus I also give carvers a pretty wide berth when it comes to what I'm looking for.
I've commissioned a dozen or so pipes and I've never had to pay anything up front. But I've almost always met the carver first (usually over beers at a pipe show) and he knows that I'm not a flake who'll stiff him. Plus I also give carvers a pretty wide berth when it comes to what I'm looking for.
Yea, you can look on their website or email them if you have an idea of what you want already. I have talked to four artisans thus far and commissioned from two of them. The ones I spoke with seemed friendly and helpful so do not hesitate to contact them. You can always email back and forth until you figure out exactly what you want.
From what I can gather, an artisan will make what is shown on their websites. I've only commissioned one pipe from Rad Davis and he would not do what I had asked for-a full bent. The reason he gave makes perfect sense to me (I may not phrase it the way he did).
A full bent will tend to trap moisture and possibly be a moist or gurgling pipe. He will only go so far as partially bent and now I undersand.
I love the feel and look of full bents like my Oom Paul Dunhill. But getting a pipe cleaner through is like being an acrobat, and it can tend to get moist.
Each carver will most likely differ on points like that.
Best advice as already stated: talk to the artisan and tell him what you would like and go from there.
Can't wait to see what and who you pick
A full bent will tend to trap moisture and possibly be a moist or gurgling pipe. He will only go so far as partially bent and now I undersand.
I love the feel and look of full bents like my Oom Paul Dunhill. But getting a pipe cleaner through is like being an acrobat, and it can tend to get moist.
Each carver will most likely differ on points like that.
Best advice as already stated: talk to the artisan and tell him what you would like and go from there.
Can't wait to see what and who you pick
All of the pipes I have had commissioned were from Rad Davis. I tell him what I want in terms of shape, size, weight, inside bowl width, inside bowl depth, length and bowl height. I tell him the stain I want, any stem applications, what type of stem and of course I tell him I want a perfect blast. There have been a couple of times where I went into his gallery of made pipes and told him I want number so and so.
He has never asked for a deposit because he knows that if I did not like the pipe, he could sell it just as easy in his store. I personally would be very uncomfortable if an artisan asked me for a deposit, and probably would not do business with them. I certainly would never give someone 50% up front, that is absurd.
If you are seriously considering a commissioned pipe and can afford something in the 375-400.00 range, I do not think you can do better than a pipe from Rad Davis. I own 17 of his pipes and every one is a fantastic smoking machine and I have owned pipes costing three times as much and none smoked better than my Rad's.
He has never asked for a deposit because he knows that if I did not like the pipe, he could sell it just as easy in his store. I personally would be very uncomfortable if an artisan asked me for a deposit, and probably would not do business with them. I certainly would never give someone 50% up front, that is absurd.
If you are seriously considering a commissioned pipe and can afford something in the 375-400.00 range, I do not think you can do better than a pipe from Rad Davis. I own 17 of his pipes and every one is a fantastic smoking machine and I have owned pipes costing three times as much and none smoked better than my Rad's.
How detailed and specific do you get in your specifications? I guess this varies, but do you cover
everything -- shape, finish, stem material, dimensions, etc. Do you start with sketches to make
sure you are understanding one another? Is the finished product ever quite different from what
you had in mind? Better or worse? Commissioning a pipe seem like a really peak experience, but
it could work out well, or not, depending on how well you communicate with the carver.
everything -- shape, finish, stem material, dimensions, etc. Do you start with sketches to make
sure you are understanding one another? Is the finished product ever quite different from what
you had in mind? Better or worse? Commissioning a pipe seem like a really peak experience, but
it could work out well, or not, depending on how well you communicate with the carver.
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