Pipe Making supplies and sources

[Knucklehead]

Pipe making is on the back burner. I got to plant 115 trees that I got through the Ga. Forestry Service. 100 virginia pines, 5 oak, 5 persimmon and 5 crab apple. I planted 75 last year including 10 wild plum. About the same the two years before that. I feel tired already. I wish it was tobacco. (much, much smaller holes)

 

[Knucklehead]

That is a beautiful pipe.
What do you think was the hardest part about making it?

Definately the stem. That was my first hand made stem and I need alot of improvement on shaping it. The wood work isn't bad. I grew up using heavy power tools and I got good with chisels, rasps and files making gunstocks. Gunstocks are hard. You have to hand carve an exact negative of the barrel and action into the wood. At the end you're just shaving. I coat the metal with a black coating that transfers to the wood when you put the action in. Everywhere they touch leaves a black spot. Those places are high. You shave off the black until you're getting full contact. The wood looks like it grew around the metal when you're done.
I'm rambling again. Stems.

 

[BigCasino]

looks good AK nice work !

 

[Knucklehead]

Thank you BigCasino. Is that from Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid? Big Casino and Little Casino were their nicknames when they were buddies.

 

[BigCasino]

wow so far you are the only one to pick up on that, I also used this name when I was an official for womens flat track roller derby, my wife played for the Steel City Derby Demons, on the Blitzburgh Bombers team, when I became an official, I had to pick a derby name and I always thought that was a cool nickname, My Wife name was "Trippin' Daisy"

 

[BigCasino]

Here are a few pics of her as "Trippin"

above pic is her at a scrimmage the 2 pics below she is the one with the most tattoos, and of course wearing the black and gold

 

[Knucklehead]

I think you better behave yourself.

 

[BigCasino]

nahh she is a sweetheart really, not a mean bone in her body

 

[Knucklehead]

I found a good substitute for pennies to use as bands or rings on the shank or stem. McMaster-Carr sells bronze and copper flat washers. I ordered a few of the 5/16" hole size to fit the tenon. 3/4" outside diameter. Should work.

 

[Knucklehead]

Next two.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Today paper, tomorrow probably done. You have a gift my friend

 

[Seanz]

Nice looking poker there

 

[Knucklehead]

Today paper, tomorrow probably done. You have a gift my friend

Waiting on more materials. Brass and copper washers, olive and maple pen blanks, and maple veneer banding. I want to play around with some bands and rings. I had to use french curves to get the rhodesian layed out right and I can see my lines better on paper. The Dublin(?) was traced from another pipe.

 

[Knucklehead]

Nice looking poker there

Thanks Seanz. That's my liquor in the front and poker in the rear pipe.

 

[marksctm]

Thanks Seanz. That's my liquor in the front and poker in the rear pipe.

I used to go to a bar that had a sign hanging over the bar that read that, liquor in the front and poker in the rear,
Always laughed when I read that one.

 

[BigCasino]

Nice where did you get your briar? and how big are those blocks? the ones I snagged are too small for any interesting shapes with a decent sized bowl

 

[Knucklehead]

Mine are small, too. I got most of them on ebay from a guy in Greece. Alexander Zavos. Sasquatch said he got some and liked it. I got a few blocks from J.H. Lowe. They all seem the same, but I got med. straight, next ones will be large. There is a woman in Italy named Samantha that has some nice blocks on ebay . The shipping is high but the blocks are cheap, it works out to be less expensive to buy the Greek or Italian briar, but it takes a long time to get here. Order ahead.

 

[BigCasino]

I want to make a decent sized bulldog/rhodesian I found when making my last little pipe that if Iw as going to make anything with a decent girth to the bowl I need bigger blocks

 

[Aaron]

I just got some great blocks from Vermont Freehand over on the pipemakersforum. I'll see if I can post some pics when I get home tonight. They're beautiful!

 

[Knucklehead]

He was selling the best plateau first. Is that what you got? It was killer looking briar. I'm holding off on the good stuff until I'm worthy.