What?
- Thread starter chiefwannapuff
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It's an odd one. But it's also form that follows function and is well balanced. I used a spring steel split pin to join the stem for stronger support, via the smoke chamber. Which closed down tight as it's tapped into a smaller hole.
Passing the nodes in the stem was a bit of a challenge. I had to use a bare metal wire coat hanger, bent just so, and then heated to red hot and quickly pushed through the node, without perforating the walls. I then finish the stem by inserting a small piece of bamboo into the tip, to reduce the diameter to about 3mm, creating a slight drag for the draw.
As usual, the smoke chamber's bottom was plugged with a small disk of willow. A few light coats of high heat, black enamel completes it.
I have not smoked this as it's still curing/degassing, but testing the draw is sufficient to know that it will work well.
I have other ideas, and since it's October, I plan to pay a visit to the local pumpkin patch for a few gourds.
Passing the nodes in the stem was a bit of a challenge. I had to use a bare metal wire coat hanger, bent just so, and then heated to red hot and quickly pushed through the node, without perforating the walls. I then finish the stem by inserting a small piece of bamboo into the tip, to reduce the diameter to about 3mm, creating a slight drag for the draw.
As usual, the smoke chamber's bottom was plugged with a small disk of willow. A few light coats of high heat, black enamel completes it.
I have not smoked this as it's still curing/degassing, but testing the draw is sufficient to know that it will work well.
I have other ideas, and since it's October, I plan to pay a visit to the local pumpkin patch for a few gourds.
I know it will do well. Three days later and the smell of paint is gone. I have other pipes that I've painted with both acrylic and enamel. None have any issue after a full cure. None of the paint has made it's way into the inner walls of the bamboo.
The only substance that has ruined a pipe was oil based varnish, such as minwax. Which did soak through into the burn chamber and stem, and even after a week of set time, altered the flavor. I figured this would happen, but as an engineer, experimentation is everything.
I will most likely never sell/give away a completely spray painted piece. I'm opting for natural solutions and stains. Shellac, which comes from bugs, and approved by the FDA for children's toys, is one. I'm also experimenting with walnut skins, which produce a natural black dye when they decompose, (actually it's more of a chocolate brown color).
For adhesives I will use raw honey, (which is a nature resin), which dries into a nice sealant and a great bowl coating for promoting a cake.
The only substance that has ruined a pipe was oil based varnish, such as minwax. Which did soak through into the burn chamber and stem, and even after a week of set time, altered the flavor. I figured this would happen, but as an engineer, experimentation is everything.
I will most likely never sell/give away a completely spray painted piece. I'm opting for natural solutions and stains. Shellac, which comes from bugs, and approved by the FDA for children's toys, is one. I'm also experimenting with walnut skins, which produce a natural black dye when they decompose, (actually it's more of a chocolate brown color).
For adhesives I will use raw honey, (which is a nature resin), which dries into a nice sealant and a great bowl coating for promoting a cake.
Thank-you, mso489. It's very odd to hold and sure create a conversation the next time I go to CI with my buddies.
The walnut dye sounds like a great idea. I toyed around with making various dyes earlier this year and my most interesting one is vinegaroon. It is a chemical reaction between iron and vinegar that reacts to tannins and turns them either black or grey. I used it on cloth and it worked relatively well consolidering the lack of tannin.
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