If you mean because of the grain, that wasn't supposed to factor into it. What's "inside" a block is luck at the best of times, and was to be completely disregarded for contest purposes.
THE Chicago Pipe Show — Battle of the Briar, Pt 1
- Thread starter craiginthecorn
- Start date
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If you mean because of the grain, that wasn't supposed to factor into it. What's "inside" a block is luck at the best of times, and was to be completely disregarded for contest purposes.
These three just shot themselves in the foot for ever having long waits on commission pieces.
I'm thinking it's more like,
because they've achieved so much in just an hour
And perhaps it was also said with a little jest.
I certainly can't see how it would reduce their fans or customers.
It is a shame that block #2 wasn't in the #1 slot. 
Amazing to me that they all finished a pipe of that grade in an hour.
Amazing to me that they all finished a pipe of that grade in an hour.
For me, being able to see the shaping process (virtually via YT) in an hour was eye-opening. Speaks for the talent from all three carvers and experience to pull it off under the pressure and in the short time.
FYI, Jeff pre-drilled the blocks prior so the airway better pass a cleaner
I am a big enthusiast of Scottie's work so it was natural to add it to my collection to be smoked and enjoyed. May ask Scottie to autograph the pipe next time.
FYI, Jeff pre-drilled the blocks prior so the airway better pass a cleaner
I am a big enthusiast of Scottie's work so it was natural to add it to my collection to be smoked and enjoyed. May ask Scottie to autograph the pipe next time.
I just learned that "bonus points" were awarded for the order of completion. The faster you finished, the more points you received.
Meaning the entire thing was a RACE with a one hour maximum.
Sorry, event organizer(s), but that's just plain stupid for too many reasons to list.
Meaning the entire thing was a RACE with a one hour maximum.
Sorry, event organizer(s), but that's just plain stupid for too many reasons to list.
The contest "where everything's made up and the points don't matter" It makes sense as an exhibition of pipe makers working. It looks to me like 1st place lucked out with the best piece of briar.
Agreed. This is what Scottie told me as well about the points scoring system used for the event.
This was less significant than it seems, this category was only worth 5 points IIRC, with the carver receiving either 5, 4, or 3 points based on their finishing position. Out of a total of 30 possible.
And for the record, Jared’s was my favorite, and also won the people’s choice vote (voted on by all pipe show attendees the following day).
Any amount at all---any contest rule or requirement which promoted speed for the sake of it---is fundamentally wrong.
The entire reason for the existence of one-off artisan pipes is the idea that they can be better than factory-produced ones. Better shaping, better fit, better finish, and so on.
How fast a pipe is made is what factories worry about. Stopwatches at every station and a guy with a clipboard are required for a company to compete with other makers of similar grade & quality pipes.
But to apply such a metric to artisan carvers is a contradiction in terms. A sure way to force errors and produce "close is good enough" output.
Doing it for entertainment value like one of those absurd, countdown driven cooking competition TV shows then loses touch with the creative process entirely.
Well, take it up with Jeff I guess, haha
Agreed, but I guess the organizers get points for trying to be innovative on a new show feature.
I can take that hit.Well, take it up with Jeff I guess, haha
I'm glad you all liked the event and we certainly appreciate all the feedback--positive and negative. We learned a lot by doing it this year.
The objective of the Battle was to demonstrate just how talented these makers are--if they can make these in an hour under pressure, imagine what they can do with a pipe in 8 or 16 hours! Were these 'high-grade' pipes of the first quality? No, of course not. We don't have the time or equipment to do that, not to mention that it would hardly be an 'exciting' event to watch that happen. These were high grade pipemakers challenging themselves to see what they could do in an hour and they were all great! I'm so proud of each one of them, and what they were able to do in the competition to showcase their talents and the glimpse that they offered the public into their worlds. Thanks all for watching and we hope that we can have a chance to do it again next year!
When you look at the event in that light, it makes a great deal more sense. Even if the end results were not up to the makers normal standards, it was very interesting to watch and their comments about the challenges were enlightening. Let’s see it again next year.
I can take that hit.
I'm glad you all liked the event and we certainly appreciate all the feedback--positive and negative. We learned a lot by doing it this year.
The objective of the Battle was to demonstrate just how talented these makers are--if they can make these in an hour under pressure, imagine what they can do with a pipe in 8 or 16 hours! Were these 'high-grade' pipes of the first quality? No, of course not. We don't have the time or equipment to do that, not to mention that it would hardly be an 'exciting' event to watch that happen. These were high grade pipemakers challenging themselves to see what they could do in an hour and they were all great! I'm so proud of each one of them, and what they were able to do in the competition to showcase their talents and the glimpse that they offered the public into their worlds. Thanks all for watching and we hope that we can have a chance to do it again next year!
Thank you so much for your part in putting this together Jeff! I really enjoyed sitting and smoking a pipe in the smoking tent watching this. What an entertaining experience. I am sure that it was no easy feat to pull this off and you all made it look easy and effortless but I know you and Steve and many others put a lot of hard work into this event. Thank you.
Papamique