So...I wanted to practice drilling and rusticating without spending a bunch of money (Thanks to Covid shutdowns for our 18k/year pay cut). As usual, I found my solution in the aisles of Home Depot. Combined with the DIY mentality of the ol' lady and myself, I managed to make a decent pipe, if I do say so myself.
For starters, my gf made me a few polyresin blanks. (Her side gig is making a bunch of really cool resin stuff.) I used one of those blanks, along with a Cumberland vulcanite scrap to hide the black delrin tenon, to make the stem.
Here's where I went outside the box. I bought a couple different sized oak dowels, did the appropriate drilling, shaping, rusticating, dying, shellacking, and polishing, and made a poker.
The bowl and shank started as separate pieces, but I made it so it's hard to see that unless you look very closely. Unlike MM Hardwoods, which are a fine product and a fantastic bargain, I made the shank flush with the interior wall of the bowl.
Black delrin isn't the greatest looking thing in a clear stem. So, I cut off a 1/2 inch section from a scrap of Cumberland rod and attached it to the end of the drilled stem. The black tenon then fits invisibly into the Cumberland section without intruding into the clear green stem.
Wood was rusticated, dyed with Fiebing's dark brown and oxblood, and lightly sanded to make a two-toned finish. Drilled stem was shaped, bent, and polished.
Overall height is about 2", length 6.25".
I've started breaking it in carefully, and it's doing fine after one-third bowl of Penny Farthing and a two-thirds bowl of The Virginia Cream.
For starters, my gf made me a few polyresin blanks. (Her side gig is making a bunch of really cool resin stuff.) I used one of those blanks, along with a Cumberland vulcanite scrap to hide the black delrin tenon, to make the stem.
Here's where I went outside the box. I bought a couple different sized oak dowels, did the appropriate drilling, shaping, rusticating, dying, shellacking, and polishing, and made a poker.
The bowl and shank started as separate pieces, but I made it so it's hard to see that unless you look very closely. Unlike MM Hardwoods, which are a fine product and a fantastic bargain, I made the shank flush with the interior wall of the bowl.
Black delrin isn't the greatest looking thing in a clear stem. So, I cut off a 1/2 inch section from a scrap of Cumberland rod and attached it to the end of the drilled stem. The black tenon then fits invisibly into the Cumberland section without intruding into the clear green stem.
Wood was rusticated, dyed with Fiebing's dark brown and oxblood, and lightly sanded to make a two-toned finish. Drilled stem was shaped, bent, and polished.
Overall height is about 2", length 6.25".
I've started breaking it in carefully, and it's doing fine after one-third bowl of Penny Farthing and a two-thirds bowl of The Virginia Cream.
