I wish that I owned more standard shapes to better illustrate the the transition of a carver over a 10 year period. I will not mention the artisan because all produced go to pipe club members and I am selfish enough not to make it known that the price is approx. 1/3 of comparable makes.
Evolution Of A Carver
- Thread starter Pipeoff
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Most of his pipes are true straight grain made from 50 yr. Old air dried block , hand made stems , dead on drilling. Later are natural only wax finish. Priced at
$135. I was dumb enough to pay three times that Amt. for a name or a dot in the past.
$135. I was dumb enough to pay three times that Amt. for a name or a dot in the past.
Okay, I'll bite. Same guy made all 5 of those pipes? Cuz I see a Charatan copy, a blocky Danish freehand, a Zulu that has a lovely piece of briar and pretty loosey-goosey shaping, a billiard that is almost shaped correctly and has a two dollar stem, and a blocky bandsaw-ish take on a zulu.
If a guy is making stems, that usually adds quite a bit of value to a pipe. If he's making stems WELL that adds a lot of value to a pipe. If a guy is executing shapes well, that adds quite a bit of value to a pipe.
The idea that some or other pipe is a good deal at some or other price point is a little nebulous, but there are certain markers we talk about in pipe making circles, particularly as regards price points and perceived value. Drilling a block of briar correctly and putting a stem in it is pretty easy. Making pipes that hit certain markers in terms of technical execution is another thing entirely, and that's a big separator in the market (which is to say the price, honestly) that the pipes belong in.
Here's two similar pipes I did a few years apart: First one's out of balance, shows a design idea but lacks really "nice" execution.
Do it again, make it better, more balanced, more fluid:
Evolution, as you said.
If a guy is making stems, that usually adds quite a bit of value to a pipe. If he's making stems WELL that adds a lot of value to a pipe. If a guy is executing shapes well, that adds quite a bit of value to a pipe.
The idea that some or other pipe is a good deal at some or other price point is a little nebulous, but there are certain markers we talk about in pipe making circles, particularly as regards price points and perceived value. Drilling a block of briar correctly and putting a stem in it is pretty easy. Making pipes that hit certain markers in terms of technical execution is another thing entirely, and that's a big separator in the market (which is to say the price, honestly) that the pipes belong in.
Here's two similar pipes I did a few years apart: First one's out of balance, shows a design idea but lacks really "nice" execution.
Do it again, make it better, more balanced, more fluid:
Evolution, as you said.
Well I see we have started another in the never ending series is it worth it threads. Is there any end to the threads?
It's a pipe forum. You want quantum electrodynamics, that's next door.
i picked up a predrilled block and I've been carving on it. Gotta say, it aint easy. If I would have made ANY of the pipes in this post I would be ecstatic.