Bent Bulldog: Hardest Shape To Make?

[mawnansmiff]

Recently I read an article that said the bent bulldog shape was the most awkward shape for a pipemaker to produce (not including the more bizarre 'artisan' pipes). I don't know if they were referring to machine made or hand made pipes and for the life of me I cannot recall where I read this.
It happens to be my preferred shape so therefore I have a few and comparing one to other shaped pipes I have I can sort of see how this may be true. Square/diamond shank canting steeply from the bowl I should imagine a fair bit of work must go into each pipe to get it 'just right'.
Thoughts anyone?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Probably my least favorite shape, but with all of the geometry involved with a bulldog, I could imagine it being fairly difficult to properly execute.

 

[papipeguy]

I believe it is a difficult shape. Getting the lines just right takes a lot of time and a great eye. I have several and the one below (from RD Pipes) is the most unusual of the bunch.

 

[clickklick]

A bent bulldog, by definition, has to have a diamond shank . . . transitioning from the bowl to the diamond and then tapering into the stem bit is ridiculously challenging.
I am currently in the process of designing and making one for a customer and it is very challenging, and I haven't even cut into the wood yet!
I would argue that it is harder to make a perfect blowfish, however, the shape is grain dependent so you can't just setup the block ahead of time.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I think the hardest part is in transition from shank to stem to the button. I collect bullies and very few makers give me a nice wide button, because many will take the taper too narrow down the legnth of the stem. My favorite two are from our Dan and Zack. Ardor did pretty good, but my Stanwell and Castello are the worst. Very little to get a good bite on for clenching, IMO.

 

[lestrout]

Handmaking 3 identical pipes in a row strikes me as a challenge. Some shapes look difficult to reproduce - I have heard of well known artisans who refuse to make bulldogs. It's interesting how the human brain processes images - the Grecian Golden Ratio in architecture - or at least in building temples, is well known. And the French Tricolor flag, which at face value is 3 exactly equal stripes (of different colors), actually uses slightly different widths (and areas) for the stripes to account for our physiological/psychological response to each color.
And so it is to me with hawkbills and the Dunhill 120. Very slight deviations stick out to me and render gracelessness. On the other hand, apples, billiards (as long as not strictly orthogonal), pots, most bents - can vary enormously and yet be ok to me. This translates into these shapes give latitude to craftsmen who make mistakes in shaping and sanding, or who have to work around unexpected sand pits and briar flaws.
Yet even though I can see it is easy to make obvious errors with bulldogs, and maybe they are hard to work around a mistake, my several dozen bulldogs have a lot of variations yet they all please my eye (they must have, if I got them to begin with).
hp

les

 

[mso489]

The bent bulldog has to be right up there in difficulty. That's one reason I am so impressed by the Dr. Grabow Royalton bent bulldog priced at about $40. It is shaped with considerable delicacy. I have to think they're done by the senior carvers on the line there in Sparta, N.C. I do admire those pipes, and my version of them in particular.

 

[mawnansmiff]

That is a gorgeous pipe there Pap, alas I think it was ruined by the application of the carving on the back of the bowl...what was the carver thinking? :roll:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[lestrout]

Yo Jay - betcha there were some pits there that needed to be addressed.
hp

les