Made Pipe #31, The Rotten Tomato

[clickklick]

Background HERE
This one was fun. I've been in a rut and wrecked the last 4 pipes I was making. So I am running low on briar and Chicago is coming. I decided to switch my focus onto this since it was already drilled and sitting on my bench. I'll be taking it to Chicago with me to put out on my table, just so I have a few pipes to actually "show". misterlowercase will have to wait until after the show to receive it. The stem inlay is wenge wood, I like how it polished up. The stain gave me some problems with the black splotches bleeding into the red, but I did my best.

 

[newbroom]

That's a terrific looking stem and inlay! The colors seem to be compatible or pleasant to the eye and the taper to the button looks nice and crisp, leading to what appears to be a rather generous 'button'.

Stem work is where it's at.

 

[jmatt]

LOL. I think you actually pulled that off well. In the category of "pipe as art" that's a very worthy piece nicely executed.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Very cool!

 

[papipeguy]

I dig it. That is one fun pipe. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of whimsy.

 

[mso489]

Totally unique. misterlowercase will have years of fine smoking with that. Trust you etch your signature and maybe the year on the briar.

 

[disinformatique]

Very nice !!

 

[clickklick]

After looking at the pics in depth, I should have tapered the entire stem in. It gets very blocky where it meet the shank. That's my only real gripe with it. It's comfortable and should be robust. That wenge is some nasty stuff to work with. You have to be extremely careful as splinters and cuts that get wenge dust go septic. When I started using it a few month ago I was using a file and slipped, scraped the back of my hand and apparently the residual wenge dust on the file got into the cut. It was infected for 2 weeks!
I won't be using it too much unless requested. If it can do that, I can just about imagine how the dust is on the lungs. I've researched quite a bit, but experiencing it first hand is sobering. I have a nice dust collection setup, and am aware that certain woods are worse than others, but reading about it and having it happen really make me glad I have such a robust dust collection setup!

 

[mso489]

i like the blocky aspect since it counteracts the droopy "rotten" aspect of the bowl and gives the pipe a little more presence. I don't think I'd work with the toxic dust again, requests or not, but your client has a striking pipe there. My go-to carver does some pipes in Mountain Laurel, though it is somewhat scarce in useable form, and I have wondered how it is in dust form. I think only some parts of the plant are suitable for pipe making.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Warning! Constructive Criticism! Warning!
Just about everything on that pipe looks fantastic, but there's a lot of machining marks in the bowl, and it looks a bit uneven in spots.

Of course the drilling is spot on, I'm envious of the drilling and stem, that button looks great, it looks like an amazing smoker, but the bowl looks like a weak point in the presentation.
Clickklick, do you have a finishing tool for the bottom of the bowl?

I've been using 7/8" carving burs to shape the insides of my pipes by hand and it leaves a pretty decent finish (I like to turn ordinary pipes into wide bore monsters, I don't suggest going over 1").

It usually takes a long time to do a good job by hand, but if you're drilling the bowl with a press it would probably only take a minute to swap out the bit and give that bowl a smooth, even surface from top to bottom.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,130,43409&p=69808
Or maybe you already have better solutions and just wanted to have fun with this pipe, that would be understandable.
Does anyone here know what the big names use to finish their bowls? It would be great to hear whether or not I'm on the right track.

 

[clickklick]

Frozen,
No worries at all. I like criticism.
I am like Moretti to an extent, I don't believe a finished inside bowl is necessary. I've read arguments of for and against and most of it is just pseudo science opinion. High grade pipes it seems it is a must to be baby bottom smooth inside the bowl. But I am just a hobbyist and feel my time is better spent on other things. I've been testing my own pipes and putting them through the gauntlet, even smoking one with a pit completely through the side wall, to see how robust they are. So far, I'm comfortable stating that a baby bottom inside bowl is not necessary except for "perceived" quality.
However, if the general consensus is that a smooth inside is an absolute must, then I may think this over again. I don't believe in pre carb, but if I simply coated the bowl, you wouldn't even know.
Thoughts?

 

[lifesizehobbit]

Hey Adam.
I dont' woodwork or carve anything, but I will offer perspective based on my hot rodding hobby. Utlimately, it boils down to "why" are you producing this particulary piece of work (whether it's a pipe or a car). Is it yours, are you a business - modest, above normal or elite? Obviously, the higher the step, the more the investment for the eventual owner.
In hotrodding - there are:
Drivers - mechanically sound, maybe an OK paint job but the basic function is to just drive the car anytime you feel like it. It doesn't mean you put a sloppy car together, but it just means you used good parts, but they are not necessarily custom painted, polished and you're ok with what you have.
Solid Hobby cars - mechanically sound, built to the best of the owner's ability, some work farmed out (e.g. interior & paint), a small bit of polished stuff under the hood, but essentially can be driven most places.
Trailer Queens - as perfect as can be made for the budget. Paint costs alone could pay for someone else's hobby or driver. Leather interiors, hi-grade adjustable suspension, crate motors, etc. Can also be a car restored to original show room condition right down to the inspection on marks.
So - who/why do you want to build pipes for? If the bowl finish costs only a little longer time and minimal cost, does the perception of quality let you sell at a higher premium? If you're making birthday presents for the family, there's no need to go overboard - they may not even know or care about the difference.
So - I know that's a bit long winded. I hope it offers some help/perspective.

 

[jkrug]

Great looking pipe Adam and the name suits it perfectly. ::

 

[clickklick]

lifesize - Totally get it.
I have fulltime employment and only do this as a hobby in my freetime. As a hobbyist pipemaker with a family that takes most of my freetime, I have to choose what I focus my time on. I think my pipes are on the low end, and not sure if they'll ever get above that. This pipe was made as sort of a game, going free to the owner. However, if I were to sell it, we'd be talking $75 or $100. Now I'm not sure where that falls on the hotrodding list, but for me, this is entry level. I've been pipemaking less than a year, I don't have a lathe, and I am still crawling. With a little more crawling I think I'll be able to walk next year, and in a couple years, maybe start running. Still at the hobbyist level and making probably low end handmade pipes.
There are plenty of full time artisan pipe makers that have years of experience and can make you a very high grade impeccable pipe. I am not one of them .
So any thoughts? Is the bowl not being completely smooth a deal breaker for you guys?

 

[scrooge]

Hey Adam: As a proud owner of 3 of your pipes an looking forward to many more. I'd like to say that maybe in the pipemaking world your new, but your well beyond the amateur ranking. Not all pipes appeal to all people. The same goes with cars. We have all seen $50,000 even $100,000 cars that are not appealing to us. Yet seen rust buckets we'd give our Eye tooth for. Your Rotten Tomato has to be seen for what it was made for. 1st off smoking. If its like mine it will smoke like a dream. Next up workmanship. I can see it.
Ok! Yes this one is really out there. I thought that was the whole idea behind it. As for a bare inner wall like you I prefer it that way. You have to be a little careful with the first bowls of baccy not to burn the briar, but to season it. An build a fine cake. Reaming takes care of the rest. Sorry for rambling on people. This young man has a great future in this field. Keep up the great work. A BIG FAN! Keep em coming.

 

[clickklick]

Scrooge, you are too kind! So glad to have you as a proud owner of my work!

 

[ejames]

Overall I like that pipe. The black "splotches" against the red and the green stem--a tomato that rotted on the vine. The color of the shank extension kinda breaks up that theme to me.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Clickklik:

I'm comfortable stating that a baby bottom inside bowl is not necessary except for "perceived" quality.

I agree entirely. Quite frankly the bowl could be square and it would work just fine.

 

[tims]

That stem puts it right up to spinal taps "11" !!