I spend half an hour or so in my office most days after lunch, listening to music and readying myself for the afternoon and evening shifts. I’ve rusticated, stained, and customized a handful of unnamed and imperfect pipes, but don’t have a workshop or even any power tools with which to make my own pipe. I’ll do with with what I can find around my office, lab, or toolbox in my Jeep.
I got a few blocks of briar off Ebay, and this was my first attempt at making a pipe using files, coping saw, a knife, and other hand tools.
![6E6188E8-9F21-4637-93EB-40CD2A26884F.jpeg 6E6188E8-9F21-4637-93EB-40CD2A26884F.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80533-a1a475ed72a934851408d115ad7b7151.jpg)
Step 1: I guess I don’t have pencils around my office, so some liquid paper will have to do. Luckily, I do have a ton of calipers and other measurement devices, so at least the lines are approaching straight and true.
Stage 2: After weeks of lunch-time shaping, chunking out most of the material with a coping saw and a pair of rasps, I have a semblance of a pipe. Not pictured is the only aspect I did using a electric tool, where I used a cordless Dewalt drill to alternate drilling the center of the chamber and the air passage, ending with a mortise to fit a set of cheap stems I ordered. The draft hole (very surprisingly) wasnt far off center and I was able to deepen the chamber for a good junction. I put away the drill before I lost a body part of value. I sanded from 120-600, revealing a handful of the imperfections that you see in the photos, while simultaneously widening the bowl with a blade and a pipe reaming tool. I’m amazed at how well certain medical instruments also help when carving a pipe.
![93CD2FF5-49BF-4E2A-91BF-CB7A773FAC6D.jpeg 93CD2FF5-49BF-4E2A-91BF-CB7A773FAC6D.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80538-c86339ad10e51b7e9ee4f6b09c4ce6ee.jpg)
Module 3: I pause sanding, shaping, sanding, fitting, sanding, wondering why I’m using my lunch decompression time to knick my knuckles with a rasp to make something cheap that probably won’t even smoke well, and digest my work. I do very much like the pattern, and consider going with a natural finish, but I think I remember reading somewhere that contrast staining is all the rage with the YOLO Teen White Claw Skateboard Generation.
Level 4: I use a black leather dye, and get back to my true Lunchtime Calling: sanding. I take it up to 1200 grit and try to even out edges and some of the heavier aspects of my ham-handed application of black dye. I choose a tan color for the next stain, applying a couple of coats with fine sanding in between. The custodial staff have yet to question the sawdust in my wastebasket every evening, and I’m thinking the holiday gift cards I left them last December continue to pay dividends. They are easily my favorite people in the building.
Exhibit E: The contrast turned out alright, and this thing almost resembles a tobacco pipe! I have a handful of stems, near clones of each other, that I’ve used as a guide for the entire shaping process. Now I just need to sand a little more, 2000 grit being the finest I have, and finish this baby with some pipe wax.
![576C600D-41BA-4278-AD82-9285E64DE9EB.jpeg 576C600D-41BA-4278-AD82-9285E64DE9EB.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80546-f60b8f943668553233f4e380d0662c93.jpg)
![CA88A28C-378C-493C-B7CA-5CBF0A32242F.jpeg CA88A28C-378C-493C-B7CA-5CBF0A32242F.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80550-8093faae85d46775659182e5725f1185.jpg)
![69187018-2817-42F8-8591-D16C4373C835.jpeg 69187018-2817-42F8-8591-D16C4373C835.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80551-e2cb7cbf088e851948c0c45f752a5a63.jpg)
![917CA881-5352-4E25-8582-45B453D80774.jpeg 917CA881-5352-4E25-8582-45B453D80774.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80552-a64de668fcf805629a5f6fe4caebafc2.jpg)
![D9B89A7B-C906-4CC9-830F-18B94960A1B3.jpeg D9B89A7B-C906-4CC9-830F-18B94960A1B3.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80553-95dcac36207982f757c59fc1cc80ad39.jpg)
I got a few blocks of briar off Ebay, and this was my first attempt at making a pipe using files, coping saw, a knife, and other hand tools.
![6E6188E8-9F21-4637-93EB-40CD2A26884F.jpeg 6E6188E8-9F21-4637-93EB-40CD2A26884F.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80533-a1a475ed72a934851408d115ad7b7151.jpg)
Step 1: I guess I don’t have pencils around my office, so some liquid paper will have to do. Luckily, I do have a ton of calipers and other measurement devices, so at least the lines are approaching straight and true.
![184B2C17-9145-489E-85DD-104777CF4C5C.jpeg 184B2C17-9145-489E-85DD-104777CF4C5C.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80536-1323d81567437ebf986a872f1a7d5c5e.jpg)
![93CD2FF5-49BF-4E2A-91BF-CB7A773FAC6D.jpeg 93CD2FF5-49BF-4E2A-91BF-CB7A773FAC6D.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80538-c86339ad10e51b7e9ee4f6b09c4ce6ee.jpg)
Module 3: I pause sanding, shaping, sanding, fitting, sanding, wondering why I’m using my lunch decompression time to knick my knuckles with a rasp to make something cheap that probably won’t even smoke well, and digest my work. I do very much like the pattern, and consider going with a natural finish, but I think I remember reading somewhere that contrast staining is all the rage with the YOLO Teen White Claw Skateboard Generation.
![242C85C6-5BC5-411E-960D-16B941714550.jpeg 242C85C6-5BC5-411E-960D-16B941714550.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80539-13506cce9b5cd884394d31caa58283da.jpg)
![86F04964-6AE3-4F4C-84BE-A7D3615DED0C.jpeg 86F04964-6AE3-4F4C-84BE-A7D3615DED0C.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80540-a9c7ae2848ac92202a21fcce5804a8fa.jpg)
![576C600D-41BA-4278-AD82-9285E64DE9EB.jpeg 576C600D-41BA-4278-AD82-9285E64DE9EB.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80546-f60b8f943668553233f4e380d0662c93.jpg)
![CA88A28C-378C-493C-B7CA-5CBF0A32242F.jpeg CA88A28C-378C-493C-B7CA-5CBF0A32242F.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80550-8093faae85d46775659182e5725f1185.jpg)
![69187018-2817-42F8-8591-D16C4373C835.jpeg 69187018-2817-42F8-8591-D16C4373C835.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80551-e2cb7cbf088e851948c0c45f752a5a63.jpg)
![917CA881-5352-4E25-8582-45B453D80774.jpeg 917CA881-5352-4E25-8582-45B453D80774.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80552-a64de668fcf805629a5f6fe4caebafc2.jpg)
![D9B89A7B-C906-4CC9-830F-18B94960A1B3.jpeg D9B89A7B-C906-4CC9-830F-18B94960A1B3.jpeg](https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/data/attachments/80/80553-95dcac36207982f757c59fc1cc80ad39.jpg)