Now that I see this....carving!

[GWBowman]

Wow. Looking good.

[Lynn]

Update time - finally. Shape is starting to arise from the briar, and stem is fit nicely. The pipe is not a chin hanger by any means, but not overly massive either.









Lots of work to do on the flanks and with the shank shaping, but sanding is finally on the horizon.

That's a mighty interesting DESIGN..was thinkin last night about that piece of cherry an what design I would whittle on it..you've made me stop an reconsider the standard shapes...

[Desertlifter]

Thanks! Other than perhaps a poker and freehand, classic shapes are a bugger to get right. This is my attempt at a modern interpretation of a blowfish. It still has a way to go, but I'm becoming quite pleased with it.

[Lynn]

Thanks! Other than perhaps a poker and freehand, classic shapes are a bugger to get right. This is my attempt at a modern interpretation of a blowfish. It still has a way to go, but I'm becoming quite pleased with it.

googled that..didnt know they existed..interesting..you guys are really fun Im learnin alot about pipes...thanks

[NeverBend]

Thanks! Other than perhaps a poker and freehand, classic shapes are a bugger to get right. This is my attempt at a modern interpretation of a blowfish. It still has a way to go, but I'm becoming quite pleased with it.

Classics are the hardest, Barling curvet billiard perhaps hardest of all.

You're doing a fine job, pipe looks good and it will smoke very sweet. You mentioned wetting the briar to see the grain - you have Kennedy Barnes trick (although he licked them - yuuch!).

Enjoying the posts.

[Desertlifter]

Classics are the hardest, Barling curvet billiard perhaps hardest of all.

You're doing a fine job, pipe looks good and it will smoke very sweet. You mentioned wetting the briar to see the grain - you have Kennedy Barnes trick (although he licked them - yuuch!).

Enjoying the posts.

Yeah - billiards are a right bastard to even attempt. Not licking my briar - tap water in the lab works just fine. This will get a very dark stain and then sanded down to exhibit the grain.

[Bruck]

Nice work @Desertlifter ! Did you use anything besides water for stain?

General question for the experienced: some of the websites I've been reading recommend the use of alcohol-based stain & I was wondering, is there some reason not to use oil-based stains? Toxicity/taste perhaps? Heat resistance? I know you don't stain the inside of the bowl anyway, but just wondering why they might recommend alcohol-based.

[NeverBend]

Nice work @Desertlifter! Did you use anything besides water for stain?

General question for the experienced: some of the websites I've been reading recommend the use of alcohol-based stain & I was wondering, is there some reason not to use oil-based stains? Toxicity/taste perhaps? Heat resistance? I know you don't stain the inside of the bowl anyway, but just wondering why they might recommend alcohol-based.

Hi Bruce,

Good question.

Always alcohol because you apply the stain and then burn it off. Yes, you set the thing on fire and then put it out. Don't apply a lot, just enough to coat it and you should not let it dry. You don't want to burn off all of the alcohol otherwise it can leave a residue or too deeply embed into the grain, so use a light coat. Many pipes have multiple colors added and then burned off in sequence.

Oil based stains will burn long enough to damage the wood, infiltrate the grain and leave a mess on the pipe that would require a lot of work to sand off and it's probable that you would impair (or ruin) the shape.

It takes a bit of trial and error.

I'll add this segment of something that I just wrote to a friend:

Black background is generally good, do it twice if needed or else do it after the finishing sand (not polishing) so that you don't remove as much color but you must not mask the grain. Red can add dimension as a background if the black is well peeled (removed properly). Upshall used red on their high grade straight grains to make the grain pop. I assume that you’re using Fiebing’s leather stains?. I’m not sure if the USMC is the best black (I just don’t know). To start you could use a black, 2-3 densities of brown perhaps including cordovan, red and orange and you can mix the colors.

[Desertlifter]

Briar breathes, so oil based stains no Bueno.

As to stain, I haven't stained this one yet. I use a bit of water to check the grain as I work on the bowl. For my last pipe, I used a trick I got from a woodworker. I wet the bowl down well and then used a charcoal stick to work charcoal into the briar. Once I had it well coated with charcoal, I set it aside and as the pipe dried, it pulled the charcoal into the darker part of the grain. Sanded it down and then hit it with carnauba wax. Worked great.

[Bruck]

Great, thanks guys.