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saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
How does S Bang create pipes with superlative grain without pits time after time when In “An Economic Reality of Fills in Pipes” Rob Cooper (coopersark) quotes Lars Ivarsson as saying that only 5% of his blocks are without pits?
Can makers read through the surface of the briar so as to know where to cut and thus maximize the best grain?
Why do makers fil? Those I have are filled with putty that does not match the color of the bowl. They look awful. Why not just leave them alone? Is the mentality that they are selling a smooth, and as filled, smooth?

 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
All fills are not created equal.
Putty is at one end of the spectrum, and artistically applied super-tiny drops of tinted & wood-dust-filled cyanoacrylate glue are at the other.
Discussing that spectrum is one of those "generates a lot of heat but no light" things... some collectors insist they are purists, but the acceptability line can't be decided upon; while others say if something is undetectable it's the same as not existing.
As for the briar itself, different makers use different sources and prefer different attributes. Some wood might be long on straight grain but also has numerous sand pits, while another source might sell wood that is relatively grain-bland but has few pits.

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I do not know the answer to your questions, but I do know that I prefer visible pits to visible fills.

 

fitzy

Lifer
Nov 13, 2012
2,937
27
NY
I was under the impression that pipe makers either sell them as lower grade pipes or don't use the blocks they find pits in.

 

mackeson

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 29, 2016
758
2
I prefer visible pits to visible fills.

agreed, but only slightly. I actually don't mind fills as long as it's well done and does not appear to have further cracking.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Part of the shaping process is the "cut down" phase, where a pipe is further shaped to remove a pit that is revealed as the pipe is approaching completion. With the British factory pipes, this was a bit more difficult because bowls were shaped to fairly specific model patterns that then received a model number. With freehands there is more freedom. Another practice was to finish the pipe with a thin coating of gum arabic to further smooth and fill the surface prior to applying wax. These steps increased the percentage of "firsts" that a maker produced.

 

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
5,973
51,346
41
Louisville
I was just talking with Gian Marie Gamboni and he told me that if someone wants a smooth pipe from him it can take a couple months to deliver. He strives for flawlessness in his smooths, and said it's about 1 in 6 blocks that will end up being good enough.

 

cally454

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 31, 2012
205
0
S Bangs ability to see grain orientation and shape to maximize is unmatched by far imho. I think it plays into the briar behaving better because he sure puts out stunner after stunner. Luck and quality briar help too.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Pits are dealt with by rustication and partial rustication, perhaps sometimes obscured by sandblasting, or by carving or spot carving, as well as with putty or more refined fills. I assume top grade briar, though it may not be flawless, presents fewer fills and better opportunities for a carver who can afford top grade briar to deal with it. With top end pipes, that is part of what you pay for. Many great smoking pipes have fills, I've found.

 
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