Plateau Spot On A Bowl - Thoughts?

[ssjones]

I'm looking at a fairly pricey (by my terms) estate pipe that has a spot of plateau on the heel of the bowl. To this point, I don't have any in my collection with this type of spot.
What do you think about exposed plateau spots on a pipe - love it, hate it?

 

[mortonbriar]

I think utilising the natural state of briar is a beautiful thing, but it still has to be done right to pull it off! I would judge each one on its own aesthetic appeal, so wheres the picture
Also the outer edge of a burl is the hardest right? So plateau on your pipe is ensuring that's where it came from...
Isaac

 

[ssjones]

Here is the pipe and spot.

 

[ssjones]

Or?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Al, so witty! I love it. Not the plateau, but the comparison.
I am a big fan of plateau on the rim, and I have one that has plateau on the stem of the stummel, but that... It doesn't look well placed, or even intentional. It has the look of, "oops! If I sand this down, it will thin out the bowl too much." I would worry that there may be a hole that might open up from the bottom of the chamber to the crags of that plateau. Other than the ugly spot, it has some nice birdseye... for what it's worth.

 

[bigpond]

Al, I know that pipe and think it's great. The spot seems oddly incongruous at first, but I think of it as a wink from the carver; a reminder that underneath all the labors, briar is first and foremost a part of nature. And if that doesn't twiddle your knobs, well, no one will know unless they look under your pipe.

 

[ericthered]

For my tastes, it's not enough plateau to be attractive. It's so small and oddly located that it's hard to not consider it a blemish. the birdseye around it is beautiful though!

 

[jeepnewbie]

I agree with the Birdseye looking really nice. I was imagining more burl edge than that, before I got to the pic. Adding to what big pond said it is a neat idea from the carver showing that it is from the edge. I also agree with cosmic about the thickness, however a lot of my older pipes are super thin. I don't ever worry about burn through since I don't smoke em that hard. So if it has plenty of meat then there should be no worries, how often do you see pipes done with the burl like that?
That's a though call.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I like plateau when its integration into the design of a pipe is thought out prior to carving, or used creatively in the overall design. The one in your pic just seems a bit random to me.

 

[skraps]

I'm not sure this was intentional. I think it was a slight miscalculation of how deep one section of the plateau was and at that point, the pipe was shaped and the birdseye was too beautiful to obliterate with a blast. It even looks like the heel and adjacent bottom of the shank was flattened, maybe in an attempt to remove the spot to no avail.
That being said, it would be nice to see the rest of the pipe to get an idea what the overall aesthetic is. Without that in my opinion, it's tough to give a solid assessment of whether it's "worth it" or not.

 

[samcoffeeman]

I'm on the same line everyone else is, don't mind plateau, although this one does look out of place.

 

[ssjones]

I did speak to the maker, he said it was intentional and that there is plenty of bowl. He made this for Luca's 55 shape collection. I'm still mulling it over, as I love everything else about the pipe.
http://www.neatpipes.com/en/new-smoking-pipes/chris-asteriou/14-ax5

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I don't mind a little plateau showing, but it needs to fit the overall aesthetic of the pipe. The little spot on the bottom of the pipe would bother me a little, but if it's a pipe that filled a void in a collection or something like that then I would probably be able to look past it?

 

[jeepnewbie]

After looking at the other pics in the link I can see there would be plenty of meat at the bottom of the bowl. The over all shape and Cumberland stem make that one sexy pipe. I will admit that I like the way the plateau on the one embers posted more, however I like the shape of the one your looking at. I say go for it now that I seen the whole thing.

 

[jon11]

I love it Al! I would pull the trigger now before it's gone. Really good looking pipe

 

[pagan]

a fairly pricey (by my terms) estate pipe

..to me that's a truck!
Seriously, as a carpenter and someone who has worked with wood most my life I love the natural blemishes that occur in wood, or briar in this case. If it is in a location that would be aesthetic to the pipe and your ability to pull it off it might be a wonderful addition to your collection

 

[jeepnewbie]

Speaking of aesthetic, the pipe to the right was judged by someone for being flawed the way I left the center in between the bowl and shank. I however liked the way the wood was rippled between the plateaux and gave it a unique look other than chopping it out.



So to each his own. I would have taken a better picture, but it's in someone's rotation now.

 

[skraps]

I say go for it, Al. After seeing all of the pics, I think it just contributes to the look of the pipe. It's unique, kinda like a birthmark.

 

[irishearl]

I;m afraid I'd side with the folks saying it simply looks a bit odd and out of place.

 

[Chasing Embers]

After seeing the whole thing, I like it. And actually less than what I paid for the one I posted above. I say go for it. Very interesting shape.