Smooooth Grain

[zack24]

Just finishing another pipe this afternoon- I like being able to use the black bamboo with a natural finish on the briar. One of the nicest pieces of briar I've seen in the past couple of months....

 

[gwtwdbss]

Incredible work Zack. You sir are very talented!

 

[petes03]

Very nice! Well done!

 

[bobpnm]

That's the most beautiful bamboo I have ever seen! Gorgeous!

 

[uberam3rica]

Top notch work, as always!

 

[durham270]

Zack, what a work of art! She's beautiful!

 

[cortezattic]

Very nice job. Thanks for posting this, and all your other pictures! It's really appreciated. :clap:

 

[papipeguy]

Very nice. That color combination is stunning. Well done.

 

[zack24]

Thanks, I keep planning for that combination of natural and black briar, but all it takes is the smallest flaw and you end up having to stain, blast or rusticate to fix it. On a good day, I might find one piece of briar out of twenty that's this nice...and then I wish my carving had been just a wee bit better...

 

[cigrmaster]

Zack, that is a beauty, I can't wait to smoke it and see if it is any good, no worries selling demo pipes right? :nana:

 

[zack24]

Roth, Thanks...the secret is a simple one- you buy the best briar you can afford directly from the mill...and spend lot's of time hand sanding to 1200 grit...A lot of the briar distributors in the Med buy a mix of wood from Algeria, Spain, and Italy so you'll see variations in grain, clor, and number of flaws,j. What I'm buying is all coming out of Southern Italy, so the color and quality are a little more predictable...(It's a good thing my wife is fluent in Italian or we would never be able to deal with this mill...After the show in Vegas, I'll start buying extra large pleateaux- doubles the cost to make a pipe, but it gives you a lot more flexibility on working around flaws and laying a pipe out in a way that maximizes the grain orientation...

 

[zack24]

Harris,
I should have you pre-smoke all my pipes, so I can sell them as "Harris Estate Pipes". That should make them worth twice as much... :worship:

 

[cigrmaster]

Zack, that is a great idea, you can market them as having the Harris Good House Keeping Seal of Approval, guaranteed to give a cool, dry and flavorful smoke or your money back. I will only charge 10% for the use of my name. :lol: