Freehands Are Passe?

[chilipalmer]

I have owned a few freehands over the years, but, I never liked smoking them. For me, they all had a fatal flaw: too heavy, hard to clench, hard to grip, etc. I am left to wonder, are freehands more art than functional pipe? For those that buy them, how many buy them to smoke and how many buy them just to have as examples of the crafter's art?

 

[scotties22]

Cosmic- Trends aside, what makes their freehands (and classics) so good is that they have studied and therefore understand lines and flow (they have also adjusted their product to the market trends). So when they make a freehand it doesn't look like a huge blob with a stem or a pipe that is close to beautiful but the curves fall just short of "just right".
There is much more to a freehand than just drilling holes and shaping until you (the carver) are satisfied. Symmetry/asymmetry and line/flow must always be a consideration for a carver if a freehand is to work and work well. Yeti is a superb example of this. His pipes are masterful examples of freehand pipes at their finest.
Ultimately, I think the reason freehands fell out of fashion is it got to the point that it was a race to see who could make the biggest most poorly shaped pipe and call it "art". Why would I want to buy a horribly planned, horribly shaped pipe that I can't clench comfortably when I can get a lovely little Billiard/Author/Bulldog for the same price?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh sure, I understand that there are some good one out there. I never disputed that.

Everyone may have their own reasons, but the biggest turn off to me in the whole freehand thing is that almost all of them (not all) use a stem that looks like the carver just found it in the drawer and stuck it on there... like those carve your own kits. It just looks amateurish. As if the carver had no way to drill and shape the stem themself, so they just ordered a box of assortments.

 

[sasquatch]

One of the things I like to practice is to scan eBay and look at the old Ben Wade/Preben Holm pipes. Every once in awhile you'll find one that is masterfully carved, full of movement and life. The rest are friday afternoon or new-guy-in-the-shop pieces. It's a fun exercise to determine which are actually "good".
And to your point dmcmtk - you MIGHT like the second pipe better and it might be for any number of reasons. And if I were to make this pipe again, I could make one that you liked better AND was actually a better pipe to boot. This crossover between "I like" and "is good" is really fuzzy ground, because "I like" changes with education, time, experience... and "is good" is hopefully a little more objectively judged.

 

[ssjones]

Like Cosmic, the freehand era ended before I entered the hobby. I've always had a difficult time appreciating the beauty of a free hand pipe. Even ones by the Danish masters don't grab my attention. I can certainly understand that they could be wonderful smokers.
I follow a few makers on Facebook. Ryan Alden and Tim Thorpe have each recently made a few freehand shapes. I believe they were commissions.
This is definitely and interesting discussion!

 

[sasquatch]

Cosmic, you're right - we've come to see pipe design in a much more holistic fashion, that there are proportions of stem to shank, of stem to pipe entire... these 70s freehands were a pioneering effort, an effort to expand what we considered the shapes of pipes to be, and to utilize the wood in heretofore untried ways, to treat briar as a natural product and not just a medium for grinding billiards out of.

 

[dmcmtk]

And to your point dmcmtk - you MIGHT like the second pipe better and it might be for any number of reasons. And if I were to make this pipe again, I could make one that you liked better AND was actually a better pipe to boot. This crossover between "I like" and "is good" is really fuzzy ground, because "I like" changes with education, time, experience... and "is good" is hopefully a little more objectively judged.

Sas, I was only talking about the shaping, the more "bell" shaped Dublin catches my eye. As to the technical details, I will again take your word for it, you know how they were made far better than I do!

 

[scotties22]

Cosmic- You are absolutely right about the stems on most freehands. It's as if the stem is an afterthought. IMO that is the biggest mistake a pipemaker can make. The stem must be an integral part of the design from the very beginning. I will go as far as to say that the stem is MORE important than the briar is. As smokers we have an almost intimate relationship with stems on our pipes. They must be comfortable as well as pleasing to the eye.

 

[sasquatch]

"Sas, I was only talking about the shaping, the more "bell" shaped Dublin catches my eye. As to the technical details, I will again take your word for it, you know how they were made far better than I do!
"
Sure, and that's one of the big design differences, one is a flared out "bell" the other is a "scoopier" sort of fat dublin, and that is the kind of thing where "I prefer" cannot be argued any more than a preference for pork over beef.
An objective "this one's better" might come in the form of the stem bend, where the second pipe is more graceful and more evenly bent, and some of the curvature is lost through the stem/shank transition of the first pipe, where these lines are maintained more carefully in the second.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The taper, too, is more pleasing on the second pipe. Is it for sale, perchance??

 

[irishearl]

I started a pipe during the heyday of Danish free-hands in the early 70's. Still have 1 large Ben Wade Golden Walnut from that era I love. I like big pipes. Have picked up a few Nording free-hands I like since then, but generally most free-hands don't do it for me. Most free-hands I see wouldn't get me tempted but have seen some great Tim West ones which do. However, my very limited pipe funds anymore are reserved for a specific pipe-maker-wanna guess who that is. :lol:

 

[oldmojo]

Interesting discussion. Thanks to all who piped in (sorry).

For the record, I have carved Dublins, eggs and several other "classic" shapes. I personally find them rather boring. I appreciate the natural attributes of plateaux top and grain, and endeavor with every effort to bring them to their greatest aesthetic expression. Market-wise, building freehands is in some ways like building vintage hot rods. It is a niche market, but it is still there. If I can continue to make enough to cover materials and supplies and slowly add to my tooling, I will keep on doing it.

In retrospect, the rant was more about unmet expectations than anything else - a disappointing but not disheartening experience. I'll continue to explore other marketing options, confident that the right opportunities will present themselves.

 

[stephendownie]

As one of the kings of niche market pipes, I can understand the retailer's point of view. When 99% of your customers want standard shapes, you stick with standard shapes. It can take a lot of time and web presence to get the ball rolling on different parts of the market. If it's what you love, I say make as many freehands as you can, but understand that the market might not be there. Good luck!

 

[drydock]

I've noticed that any of the freehands I have, either have a seamless integrated stem, or are army mounts with a stem that doesn't look like a failed 1960's lamp design.

 

[jpberg]

@oldmojo, two questions:

Can you show us pictures of some of your "classic" shapes?
Do you submit your work for critique at pipemakersforum?

 

[zack24]

The good news is you can make anything you choose... and the buyers will give you feedback on whether they approve. I started doing freehands and hating classic shapes when i started carving 4 years ago- now, i'm really enjoying making the classics...i kinda take the view that until you've made and sold 100 pipes or so, you should try a variety of styles and ask for critique from some of the masters you might run into at some of the pipe shows..it's always a matter of learning and evolving...that keeps it interesting...

 

[saltedplug]

What a pleasure to have two pipe makers posting to a thread that seriously discusses them. Anyone who takes pipe smoking seriously has opinions about pipes more vehement, in my opinion, than their opinions about tobacco. But they fail from a lack of more certain knowledge such as pipe makers have.

 

[sasquatch]

Pipes I posted are from a few years back, I really wanted to search out two similar pipes, freehand in nature, and differing in quality, and of my own making so we could pound on 'em without repercussions.
I am currently sold out of stock and trying to find time to do commissions - summer is real busy for me with work, winter means more time in the shop for me. Maybe I'll make some even nicerer ones!

 

[sasquatch]

PS anyone who wants to know where "freehand" carving has gone in 40 years....
This guy came in, got serious critique, worked hard, got more critique, and basically has eclipsed most of his mentors, all while developing a fairly recognizeable style. No accident.
http://yetipipe.tumblr.com/

 

[oldmojo]

Do you submit your work for critique at pipemakersforum?

No. I do browse the forum occasionally.