The reason for the extensive shop is because I do "chassis up" repair work, stem making, and full-on restorations in addition to refurb/clean-up work. It's actually quite a bit more machine-heavy and inventory-heavy than making pipes in the first place, because you have to match sizes, materials, colors, techniques, and so forth of whatever comes through the door. The majority of pipe makers settle on a subset of the things that let them create what their mind sees, in the style(s) they like, and they never need anything else. Most of them have smaller shops that you'd think. Collectively, though, they cover some serious real estate, and guys like me must be able to copy it all. (It's the main reason why the PipeWorld has fifty makers for each repairman... the barriers to entry are considerably lower for making than repairing.)
Anyway, the point of all that is don't be put off doing refurbs because you think it takes a massive shop. That part of the pipe game could be well played from a decent-sized clothes closet, and would require little in the way of machinery.
Anyway, the point of all that is don't be put off doing refurbs because you think it takes a massive shop. That part of the pipe game could be well played from a decent-sized clothes closet, and would require little in the way of machinery.
