Bulldog With Teeth

[cosmicfolklore]

I've just finished a new bulldog with a silver and turquoise band. This started with a $5 stummel on ebay, and I re-stained it, made a new stem, and a silver and turquoise band. I would have went for one of my turn of the century frazed stummels that I picked up a while back, but I was wanting something with a wider bored chamber and squat. I didn't want them all to have the same dimensions, so I picked up a few broken pipes on ebay that fit the bill. This one had the nomenclature of "Straight Grain" which I sanded off as I refinished the pipe.

The idea was a bulldog with clenched teeth, ha ha.

So, I am up to six customized bulldogs now, and all great smokers. I drill out the airways to 4.3mm and make the button with a nice open V shaped draw. This one has a .85" chamber, so I am anticipating this to be one of my Balkan pipes. All in all, I am very pleased with it, and I am about to fire up some Star of the East in it to break her in.

I know that silver bands and stones aren't everyone's cup of tea. But, I enjoy them.
What do you think?

 

[tbradsim1]

I like it Mike.

 

[bluesmk]

Very nice Mike!

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes ::

 

[cortezattic]

Nice! I'm not big on pipes with gemstones, but everything seems to work because the stone isn't ostentatious.

 

[pitchfork]

Grrrr...
I like it. Very cool.

 

[voorhees]

Michael, your talent never ceases to amaze me. Great job.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks guys!!!
Hey Jason, I just started working on your opal just before I posted this. :wink:

 

[daimyo]

What do you think?

I think one of these days I'm going to need a matching pinky ring, eye glasses frames and banded pipe!

 

[goldsm]

Definitely it has a personality. Good bulldog with a nice collar.

Remind me a real English Bulldog.

 

[voorhees]

COOL! You have creative control, I trust you.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I forgot this one. I didn't like the glare, but it shows off the shape and grain better.

 

[oldreddog]

BOW WOW!

 

[stvalentine]

I love it! But I am a sucker for Bulldogs anyway....

 

[mcitinner1]

I love your work, a pipe with a bit of bling looks great to me. 8)

 

[ssjones]

I'd love to see you do this kind of work, amazing.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks again, everyone.

ssjones, my tiny studio space is in a glassed in booth in the store, so I usually distract the husbands who watch me make stuff, while my girlfriend sells my work to their wives and/or girlfriends, ha ha.
I'm building quite a rack full of these doggies. I really like the challenge of making bands for these eccentric rectangle (diamond) shaped shanks. They have to perfectly fit the shape, but a tad smaller, so they also act to compress the wood, keeping the stem tight. I love a challenge.

Thanks again!