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[[Image:teddy_shaping.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Teddy Knudsen]] shaping, courtesy Lars Kiel]] | [[Image:teddy_shaping.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Teddy Knudsen]] shaping, courtesy Lars Kiel]] | ||
== Getting Started == | |||
Many pipe makers in the US start out with a small Book called [http://www.pimopipecraft.com/book.html Pimo's Guide to Pipe Crafting at Home]. While far from exhaustive, this small book offers many helpful tips on pipe making with minimal tooling. Also helpful is the article [[Pipe Making For The Rank Amateur]], by Bob Everett. [http://danpipe.de/dpcc-eng.html The Pipe Dan Hobby Catalog] has some good basic information as well. | |||
this | '''A Cautionary Note:''' Because some ultra high grade pipes sell for thousands of dollars, it is tempting for the uninitiated to think they may be able to get rich making pipes, or at least make a decent living. Relatively few pipe makers make their primary living as pipe makers, and it is a very small handful of pipe makers that sell in the upper price ranges. Those that do have unusual talents or gifts and have dedicated a great deal of time developing them. Most also invest a considerable amount of money in equipment and materials. Having said this, pipe making is great fun, and very rewarding in many ways, but be careful--most pipe smokers are not addicted to tobacco, but most pipe makers are addicted to pipe making! | ||
==== Pipe Kits:==== | |||
Pre-bored pipe making kits with pre-fit stems are a good way to start, especially for those who don't have access to many tools, or previous woodworking experience. With the kit, the new pipe maker can focus their efforts on shaping and finishing the pipe and avoid the pitfalls associated with drilling the tobacco chamber, airway, and mortise, not to mention facing the shank and stem to meet perfectly, and turning the tenon of the stem to fit snugly in the mortise. These steps are all great fun and some first time pipe makers start right in from scratch, but it can be a bit overwhelming and tool intensive for the beginner without a background in woodworking or machining trades. Even with the pipe kit, it is still possible to do some "tweaking" of the airway in the shank and stem, as well as thinning the button area and carefully funneling the slot. Careful attention to tweaking in the generic mechanics of a pipe kit after shaping the stummel and shank can turn it into a really fine pipe, and every bit your own creation. | |||
Pipe kits generally come in variations of three basic styles intended for bent pipes, straight pipes, or freehand pipes. Several pipe makers also offer custom kits. Kits are available with two different pre-fit stem mounting styles (flush or military mount), and using either ebauchon or plateaux cut briar blocks. | |||
Ebauchon blocks are generally used in the manufacture of machine made pipes. They are most often cut perpendicular to the axis of the straight grain, which renders cross grains with birdseye. They tend to have more inherent flaws than plateaux briar. They are typically good for a small to medium pipe, and are most often cheaper, and often recommended for a first pipe. | |||
Plateaux Briar, as the name suggests, is the top part of the burl. It has a rough pebble top that can be left on for a freehand look or sanded smooth for a traditional appearance. Plateaux comes in different shapes and sizes. The custom pipe kit makers will do the best they can to match your design to the proper block. Plateaux grain tends to run straight or angled. These blocks will generally yield flame grains or an occasional straight grain. They contain generally less flaws than ebauchon, though you don't know what a block will yield until you get into it. | |||
[http://www.pimopipecraft.com Pimo] offers kits, but many pipe makers in the US recommend the ones from American Smoking Pipe Co. ([[Mark Tinsky]]). Available from [http://www.amsmoke.com/Services/PipeKit.html The American Smoking Pipe], or from [[Tim West]] (J.H. Lowe) available from [http://www.jhlowe.com/briar.htm J.H.Lowe]. Kits are also available from [http://www.pipemakers.org/ Pipe Makers Emporium] and eBay stores [http://stores.ebay.com/GreatGoodsRUS GreatGoodsRUS] and [http://stores.ebay.com/Vermont-Freehand_pre-drilled-briar-pipe-kits_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ17QQftidZ2QQtZkm Vermont Freehand]. | |||
In '''Denmark''' kits available from [http://shop.hermanns.dk/group.asp?group=54 P.E.Hermann]. In '''Norway''' kits are available from [http://www.pipe-maker.com/ubuild.htm Tabago]. In '''Germany''' kits are available from [http://www.danpipe.de/ Dan Pipe]. | |||
=== Basic Tools === | |||
It is wise to refrain from investing in expensive tooling until you have made your first few pipes. | |||
'''Tools needed to complete a pipe kit''': | |||
1. Electric Hand drill(variable speed 3/8" or larger)* | |||
1.1 Buy or build a jig that will enable you to clamp the drill to your work | |||
bench or table. | |||
1.2 Flexible 3" to 5" sanding disk and arbor, and assorted grit sandpaper. | |||
1.2 At least 2 6" buffing wheels and arbors, buffing compounds, Carnuba wax.** | |||
2. Files(Nicholson makes nice file sets at affordable prices. One can never | |||
have too many files of | |||
various sizes, shapes and cuts). A round chain saw file is also very handy. | |||
3. Coping saw for rough shaping | |||
4. Eye protection and respirator or dust masks. | |||
* The electric hand drill and accessories is optional. It saves a lot of time, and can be used for many other things should pipe making not be an ongoing interest. Still, it's amazing how much one can do with just files, sandpaper, and elbow grease. | |||
* It is best to use only one type of compound on each buffing wheel. Ideally it is good to have four. Two muslin ones for compounds, one muslin one for applying the Carnuba wax, and one flannel wheel for the final buff. | |||
'''Note:''' The above tools are very adequate for working with pipe kits. If you're planning on drilling the stummel (briar block) and then fitting the stem to the block, you will also want either a more elaborate jig for mounting your hand drill, such as is described in the Pimo book, a drill press (drill press frames for holding your hand drill would also work), or a lathe. In addition you will need to buy or make tobacco chamber bits, and buy drill bits for drilling the mortise and airway (see [http://www.pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making#Tooling Tooling]. | |||
=== Basic Supplies === | |||
'''The following supplies will be needed to complete a pipe kit:''' | |||
1. Sandpaper in the following grits: 150, 220, 360, 400, and 600. | |||
2. Stain of your choice. Use alcohol based analyn dye, or leather dye | |||
3. Denatured alcohol for thinning stains and wetting the pipe to see grain | |||
and scratches | |||
4. Buffing compounds (tan or brown tripoli and white diamond are a good start). | |||
3. Carnauba wax for a smooth finish, and/or maybe shellac for a rusticated finish. | |||
Many of these items can be purchased locally. Others can be ordered with your pipe kit. Also see [http://www.pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making#Materials_and_Supplies Materials and Supplies]. | |||
== Design and R&D == | |||
This section is under development. We hope to add more articles and topics pertaining to Pipe Design and Mechanics as they are found and collated. [[Trever Talbert on Design Work]] | |||
=== Airflow === | |||
Many pipe enthusiasts are familiar with Rick Newcombe's writing on airflow, where he suggests that pipes with an open air flow smoke better. While not the originator of this concept, he has been its most public advocate, and duly credited with its popularization. Ken Campbell has written an article for The Pipe Collector called [[Airflow: The Key to Smoking Pleasure]] which further explores the concept. | |||
The concept of "opening" was originally employed in the after-market modification of production engineering. Many pipe makers have adopted elements of this concept of airflow, with many American makers using airways ranging from 9/64" to 11/64". A related and perhaps more important aspect of an open air flow is providing for constant airway volume as it passes through the sections of the pipe. This concept was pioneered by [[J.T. Cooke]] and further developed by [[Trever Talbert]], [[Jody Davis (J. Davis)]] and [[Todd Johnson]]. While traditional pipe engineering often utilizes different diameter bits for airways in the shank and stem, this constant volume technique employs the same overall diameter bit throughout, with the exception of the last 1" or so at the bit. Here it tapers evenly down while also widening out. This provides for a comfortably thin bit, while also providing for a constant volume of smoke throughout the smoke stream. | |||
== Stummels == | |||
The "Stummel" is the briar portion of the pipe, which includes the bowl and shank. | |||
=== Briar === | |||
Here are some interesting articles on briar: | |||
*[http://pipedia.org/docs/CharacteristicsOfBriar.pdf Characteristics Of Briar] is a very thorough and interesting research paper in .pdf format by G. Tsoumis, N. Kezos, I Fanariotou, E. Voulgaridis, and C. Passialis documenting the various characteristics of briar. | |||
*[[Curing & Treating]], by [[Trever Talbert]] | |||
*[[Where to Get Your Briar]], by [[Kurt Huhn]] | |||
*[[100 Year Old Briar?]], A small collection of information by Bill Unger. | |||
*R.C. Hamlin has also written an interesting article on this subject of briar called [http://www.pipeguy.com/briar_factor.htm The Briar Factor]. | |||
*So you think you're a "Briar Afficionado"? This is a short but extremely informative article by [[Rainer Barbi]] available here: [http://www.rdfield.com/Barbi/The_Briar_Saga_1.jpg The Briar Saga Page 1] & [http://www.rdfield.com/Barbi/The_Briar_Saga_2.jpg The Briar Saga Page 2]. | |||
*[[My Visit to A Briar Sawmill]], [[What Makes a Good Briar Pipe]], [[The Art of Sandblasting]], and [[Curing]] all excellent articles by R.D. Field. | |||
=== Morta === | |||
Morta is semi-fossilized wood. It is created when large trees are felled or overturned by geologic activity and become buried in an oxygen-limited fashion, usually in peat or clay. The wood is unable to rot normally so it begins the long process of fossilizing into stone. Morta is a generic term used to describe any semi-fossilized wood of this style. Morta is found in various locations across the globe, usually in marshlands or moors, and varies widely in its durability, age, and potential usefulness for pipemaking. Trever Talbert is one of the pipe makers using Morta for one of his lines of pipes, and the morta he uses is from a local oak forest that covered the Briere area some 3,000+ years ago. Trever describes the process in the following article, [[Creating Pipes From Morta]] | |||
=== Overview === | |||
The basis for the following section was written by [[Tyler Lane]] for his [http://www.tylerlanepipes.com/index.php website], and is used by permission. | |||
The internal engineering of a pipe does a lot to determine the smoking qualities of a pipe. While it is most certainly critical to start with good briar, it is also important to take care to do a good job of drilling in order to maximize the potential of the briar. A poorly drilled pipe is not only a sign of a maker's sloppiness, but is likely to hurt the smoking qualities of a pipe. | |||
Essentially three holes need be drilled in the briar block to make it into a pipe. The tobacco chamber , the draught hole (or smoke hole), and the mortise (the hole in the end of the shank which the stem is inserted into). | |||
Most tobacco chambers are 5/8"-1", and I estimate that the majority of handmade pipes have tobacco chambers from 3/4"-7/8" range. The profile of this holes ranges from a U-shape to a V-shape, determined mostly by the shape of the bowl. A tobacco chamber's diameter is measured at the top of the bowl. | |||
Draught-hole size is a topic of much debate. The size of this hole is a large factor in the openness of the draw, and the debate is over which size brings the best smoking characteristics. I personally use 5/32" (3.97 mm), and this is on the larger size of the debate. Some endorse a draught hole as large as 4.2-4.3 mm, while some say that 3.2-3.5 mm is the optimum size. Ultimately, there are so many variables, from tobacco chamber size and shape, to the nature and curing of each block of briar, that it is nigh on impossible to claim a best size for all scenarios. As such, a compromise much be reached, and each pipe maker must use a size that he determines best matches his, and his customers', desires. | |||
Finally, there is the mortise. This needs to be very cleanly cut into the shank to provide a nice fit for the tenon on the stem. Most mortises range from 1/4"- 3/8", with the norm falling around 5/16". | |||
Drilling can be done at various points in the carving process. I personally drill the holes as the first step of the pipe making process, in the order of draught hole, mortise hole, then tobacco chamber. I think this is the standard order of events for most hobbyist carvers. Many of the Danish carvers, shape the pipe first then drill the stummel by hand after it is shaped. The advantage to this process is that the shape of the pipe is not constrained by the pre-bored holes, and the shape can therefore be adjusted to maximize the beauty of the grain and minimize pits. It is not practiced as often as the "holes-first" method, I suppose because of years of practice necessary to develop the degree of skill it requires to drill the holes properly by hand. | |||
The following articles should prove helpful in understanding the process of drilling and shaping the stummel. | |||
=== Processes === | |||
Pipe makers use a variety of methods to accomplish the basic tasks of making a pipe. The following articles attempt to chronicle methods for working with stummels that are in use by some respected pipe makers. | |||
[[Drilling on a Lathe]] ([[Tyler Lane]]) | [[Shaping on a Lathe]] (Tyler Lane) | [[Shaping with a Sanding Disc]] (Tyler Lane) | [[Shaping with Misc Tools]] (Tyler Lane) | [[Bamboo Shanks]] | [[Hardwood Shank Extensions]] | [[Trever Talbert on Sawing and Shaping]] | [[Trever Talbert on Drilling]] | [[Trever Talbert on Detail Shaping]] | [[Creating Pipes From Morta]] (Trever Talbert) | |||
[[Shaping Before Drilling]] | |||
The Chicago pipe show site has some videos of pipe making: | |||
[http://www.chicagopipeshow.com/education/JTCookeSeminar.ram J.T. Cooke Video] | |||
[http://www.chicagopipeshow.com/education/2007NanaIvarsson.ram Nana Ivarssen] | |||
Joel Shaperio (JS Pipes) has a nice photo essay of his [http://jspipes.com/PipeMaking/index.htm Pipe making process] | |||
The Synjeco's Pipe Smoker's Haven [http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/pata.htm website] has an interesting series of pictorial essays on various pipe makers working that may prove helpful as you sort through your own processes: | |||
*[http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/info/insights/cavlab.htm Claudio Cavicchi making pipes and his wife Daniela Rusticating] | |||
*[http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/info/insights/baldophoto.htm Baldo Baldi processes] | |||
*[http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/info/insights/dcmaking.htm Don Carlos (Bruto Sordini) processes] | |||
*[http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/info/insights/morlab.htm Moretti (Marco Biagini) processes] | |||
*[http://www.synjeco.ch/pipesandtobaccos/info/insights/genmake.htm Monsieur Genod] (has some shots of interesting frazing equipment in use) | |||
== Stems == | == Stems == | ||