Ok, here it is. Me and the wife worked on this together, it was a lot of fun making it and I really enjoy the finished pipe.
We started with a large pre-drilled Plateaux. The bowl was very narrow, roughly about 1/4" so I took the dremel and enlarged it a bit. It now funnels from 3/4" at the top to the original 1/4 at the bottom.
I had some issues with the stem. The short stem that came with it looked just, terrible. I had another stem, a saddle that I intended to use in it's place. In the end though, I decided to cannibalize the Churchwarden "Forever Stem" from my CobWarden. I think the size of the stummel called for a larger stem, and the shape lends itself to a "lounge" pipe that you can pivot around with your wrist while relaxing, rather than a short pipe you have to move your whole arm to use.
The Mortise was drilled funny, in a funnel shape that narrowed down to where it met the bowl. This created an odd chamber and made the pipe gurgle. I drilled the existing mortise in a bit with a 5/16 drill bit, creating a space in the mortise large enough to fit a filter. The smoke was MUCH improved by this, and I think I will be using filters in future homemade pipes as well.
We decided on the shape kinda as we went. We originally planned more of a horn shape, but as we went along the grain and the feel of the pipe in general inspired some changes. The finished pipe is fairly unusual in size and shape, but to me it feels right.
There was a very large, and nasty looking blemish in the wood. It had the appearance of a huge crack in the stummel. We considered a few different methods of hiding it, but decided in the end that the grain on the pipe was too nice for even partial rustication. The thorn vines adorning the pipe were my wife's idea, which covered the blemish wonderfully as well as adding a touch of style that works very well with the shape and color scheme.
Alright guys, what do you think? Be honest, it's our first pipe and we would appreciate criticism that might help on the next one.
We started with a large pre-drilled Plateaux. The bowl was very narrow, roughly about 1/4" so I took the dremel and enlarged it a bit. It now funnels from 3/4" at the top to the original 1/4 at the bottom.
I had some issues with the stem. The short stem that came with it looked just, terrible. I had another stem, a saddle that I intended to use in it's place. In the end though, I decided to cannibalize the Churchwarden "Forever Stem" from my CobWarden. I think the size of the stummel called for a larger stem, and the shape lends itself to a "lounge" pipe that you can pivot around with your wrist while relaxing, rather than a short pipe you have to move your whole arm to use.
The Mortise was drilled funny, in a funnel shape that narrowed down to where it met the bowl. This created an odd chamber and made the pipe gurgle. I drilled the existing mortise in a bit with a 5/16 drill bit, creating a space in the mortise large enough to fit a filter. The smoke was MUCH improved by this, and I think I will be using filters in future homemade pipes as well.
We decided on the shape kinda as we went. We originally planned more of a horn shape, but as we went along the grain and the feel of the pipe in general inspired some changes. The finished pipe is fairly unusual in size and shape, but to me it feels right.
There was a very large, and nasty looking blemish in the wood. It had the appearance of a huge crack in the stummel. We considered a few different methods of hiding it, but decided in the end that the grain on the pipe was too nice for even partial rustication. The thorn vines adorning the pipe were my wife's idea, which covered the blemish wonderfully as well as adding a touch of style that works very well with the shape and color scheme.
Alright guys, what do you think? Be honest, it's our first pipe and we would appreciate criticism that might help on the next one.
