The Blowfish Arrived, But....

[pitchfork]

+1 What Walt said.
I'm guessing the maker of this pipe isn't getting a lot of constructive feedback. He's captured the grain nicely, but everything else looks like poor execution. The file marks on the shank don't make any sense -- they're even highlighted by the contrast stain. At least the prices are relatively reasonable.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

It seems to be a trend with artisans in the blowfish shape these days to make them "swim", so the shank isn't straight and the stem isn't dead center of the shank.
As Walt said, I've seen a number of blowfish where the top of the bowl is a bit lopsided.
I'd be upset with the improper drilling, the stain, and the tool marks.
At $95 and clearly a not well known carver there are bound to be noticeable flaws. Personally however, I don't care what price point or how new the carver is, the drilling should be spot on.
I'd chalk this up to experience. Even if you're stuck with the pipe it was only $95. Who knows, it may not smoke too bad.
You've also probably helped a lot of other people with this thread.

 

[zack24]

Except for the absence of a pic showing the crappy drilling, the seller did a fairly good job of showing the pipe and the variety of obvious issues with it. I also noticed the premold stem that barely had the flashing ground off...There's a reason that blowfish are selling for $500 and up- they are very difficult and time consuming to get right. If the deal seems to good to be true, there's usually a reason...
Communication is always good- let the guy know you're not happy with the results and if he's serious about improving his pipemaking, he'll make it right. I've had a couple of pipes in the past couple of years where the buyer let me know about an issue that I was able to correct or one case remake the pipe...It ended up being a good learning experience for me...
At a $95 price, and a no-return policy, this may end up being a learning experience for you...
Here's one from last year I pulled my hair out over...

 

[kyriefurro]

Good morning, everyone, and thanks so much for the feedback. Special thanks to Walt for the detailed post and pictures. They were very helpful.
I'm familiar with the idea of asymmetry in pipe design. In fact, there's another carver who I've been following for a while now - J Parker - who makes some wonderfully asymmetrical pipes that have a very organic feel to them. I've bid on several of his auctions, but so far have not succeeded in capturing one of his pipes.
In looking at the pipe after getting a good night's sleep, I can see where the carver did just what Walt suggested and was trying to follow the grain of the briar which resulted in the lopsided shape. In Walt's examples the pipes flow beautifully, making it obvious that the asymmetry is intentional. My pipe is so short and, well, clunky that it isn't so obvious until you look for it. It doesn't help that the edges on the pipe are so sharply squared off. I think if the carver had rounded them out more it would flow better.
Looking at the grain, even the stem placement doesn't seem quite so obnoxious. While its very off center in relation to the shank it *is* very well centered in relation to the pipe as a whole - it's lined up along the pipe's center of gravity. And the draught hole enters the bowl very close to center, which is a good thing. If I had to guess, I suspect that the carver drilled the pipe first - or even started out with a pre-drilled block - and then carved along the grain, resulting in the stem being so off center. I do have to give him kudos for following the grain so well. That part I like very much.
The rest of the issues with the pipe - the file marks and uneven staining - are the things I expected to see from a new carver and bother me a lot less than the asymmetry originally did.
So, having slept on it, I've decided that I'm going to keep the pipe. I knew going into it that I wasn't getting a master work from an experienced carver. Hell, at $95 maybe we should just consider it the "basket pipe" of the blowfish world lol.
But depsite it's flaws, its super light and is comfortable in the hand. Who knows, maybe it'll smoke really well and turn out to be one of my favorites. Since the carver didn't care enough to put any sort of nomenclature on it, I'm tempted to turn it into a project pipe. I could sand out the file marks and maybe soften the edges so it flows better, then restain it.

 

[kyriefurro]

P.S. to Zach - How the hell do you drill a shank with that much curvature to it? 8O

 

[zack24]

That was 4 drilling angles- 2 different angles on the stem and two on the shank...and it did pass a cleaner..
...and on your pipe- not a bad idea to sand out the marks and restain...

 

[kyriefurro]

Dayum! Its a beauty, that's for sure.

 

[jackswilling]

"One side of the bowl is higher than the other."
That is to be expected as discussed. It is an "artistic" shape. For an off the shelf $95 pipe it seems like a realistic price/quality for the $$$. I am paying $200 for a commission and I am expecting it to be symmetrical based on my instructions and the intended style. I am also expecting a nice piece of birar. I already told him, I will take what I get, just take your time. We shall see.

 

[mrenglish]

I definitely learned a lot from this thread!
Let us know how it smokes. Hopefully, you will be in for a treat.

 

[wyfbane]

Even tho you are keeping the pipe, you may want to shoot the seller a quick email with detailed feedback to help him be a better carver.
Who knows, maybe in 3-4 years he will be turning out really well done pipes and yours will be a collectors piece?

 

[kyriefurro]

Since I decided to keep it, I gave it it's first smoke this afternoon. I packed it full of Escudo, fired up the next episode of Agents of Shield on Netflix, and lit her up. Boy was I in for a shock!
I've broken in a couple of other pipes, so I was expecting it to start gurgling about halfway through the bowel like the other ones did. Instead I experienced one of the smoothest draws of any pipe I've tried and a smoke that was cool and dry right to the bottom of the bowel. It already smokes as well as my Nording high grade and it will only get better! It may not be the most beautiful pipe in the world but I'm sure going to enjoy it for a long time.
My only complaint is that the stem is so short its not very comfortable to clench, despite the light weight.

 

[kyriefurro]

about halfway through the bowel

*sigh* Thank you, auto-correct :roll:

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Well, for $95 it's a pretty cheap lesson. You live and learn.

 

[ssjones]

Hell, at $95 maybe we should just consider it the "basket pipe" of the blowfish world lol.

Yep.

 

[cigrmaster]

Anytime I see someone say no returns accepted, I assume they have something to hide which is why the no return policy. I never do business with these people no matter how good the deal is because I know it will turn out badly. I would never accpet a pipe in that kind of condition no matter what I paid. I would use Ebay's return policy and be done with it.

 

[clickklick]

I like to tell myself that every pipe I spent 95 bucks on smokes like dream too!

 

[saltedplug]

The essence of a blowfish is a disk with a great deal of variation throughout. It is a freehand that freely pushes the basic design. The objections you have made about the pipe's form are easily contained by the liberties the design allows, and in fact promotes.
That the drilling is off is a problem, perhaps. See how it smokes. Pipestud says that draft holes off-center don't necessarily make the pipe smoke badly but that those low or high do.
You may want to take a chance and buy from sellers that won't accept returns, but I don't. How can anyone properly assess a pipe online?

 

[okiescout]

"No returns" on a pipe maker who is trying to get his business going is a dead head way to build it. If he is truly out to make a name for himself, he should think what that name is going to be.......... :evil:

 

[rcstan]

There is a big difference between asymmetrical and wonky-as-shit, as illustrated. Sorry about your experience, send that contraption back or see about getting your money via eBay.
I should have read this thread more carefully I see you decided to keep it. It smokes good which is a definite plus. BUT it is not going to help that fellow in the long run with his obvious quality issues. No, I've never made or attempted to make a pipe. I fitted a few stems, made a few stems from preform, sandblasted a bowl, cobbled up a cracked Dunny etc. Call me perfectionist, but ATM I do not trust my skills to attempt making a whole pipe. Plus, I have to restore for SPC so you guys can still get nice estates, eh ?