Third Weiss carver. The "FML" model.

[Kyle Weiss]

Carlos, bless his heart, gave me a kit block to carve for Secret Santa. I guess today was the day, not to be outdone by Uber and his project, I just got the bug and decided I wanted to carve my third pipe since I had a few spare hours...time to dust off the old guitar case on the keyboard stand and get to work!

In this, my third adventure, I have learned even more:

1) I approached carving a standard shape with good precision.

2) I have terrible luck.

3) I finally experimented with staining.

Here's my adventure.

Hooray! I begin:

SON OF A B****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three for three, nasty, huge flaws that make me abandon my original design! Yep, the sucker went all the way through to the bowl..Will I ever carve a non-freehand pipe?

Here's the cracks leading right to the defect--I didn't even see it until I began...

I had two decisions to make. Keep with my original design and just have an unsmokeable pipe, or see if I can make this guy work somehow. The stem is WAY THICK, so if I cut it up, I'm gonna have to get creative. Fine then! OFF WITH IT'S HEAD! :twisted:

Taking shape...

I really wanted to try a non-rusticated version, but, for this one, stick with what ya know...what to do with the stem? I don't have a lathe. Wait, yes I do... so I stuck the stem in the drill, tightened her down, and got out the files... ghetto magic!

Stain time! Got some guitar stain from a family member, good a time as any to learn how to use 'em.

A some thinned-out shellac, a slight bend in the stem BEHOLD... a freehand, small-but-bold flake pipe! Model "FML"

So there's some other flaws in the wood, and I have no idea how long this pipe is going to last. I'm just glad I was able to save any of it.

Hope you all liked my adventure this afternoon.

 

[Mozjo33]

I like it. Looks almost like a Rhodesian Bulldog. Great ingenuity on your home made lathe. It's a really nice pipe Kyle. Hope it smokes well for you.

 

[dshpipes]

When I saw that flaw I winced.

But damn, Kyle! Good work!

I think it turned out quite well. I really like that deep rustication thing you've got going on. Keep it up! Maybe in not too much time that could be a signature finish!

Also, great job on your first stain. I think you really carved yourself a winner, there.

 

[dshpipes]

Now a question for you on the staining job. How did you manage to keep the stain out of the chamber? Having not attempted the staining step yet, that seems like it may be a challenge.

 

[Airborne]

Good work, Kyle. I’m sure pipe makers go through the same thing with design. They start out in one direction then encounter a big flaw that makes them to back to the drawing board.

 

[roogles]

Being a novice (at best) wood carver, I'm very curious to know about the technique you used to create the rustication?

I've not attempted anything like that, and don't even know where to begin.

I agree with the others by the way, great end result!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Thanks gents.

When I would hear stories of carvers throwing pipes into the fire and against walls, I wasn't sure what they meant. I figured one li'l sand pit or shape that was off by a little and they threw a hissy. No, this was one that, had my walls not been rented and I had a proper fireplace, I would have considered going agro. :lol:

My only problem with the pipe (as was pointed out by one member) was the stem itself. I wanted a more svelte, sleek stem, but since this was a "change of plans" theme, the stem came out bulkier than I would have preferred. Considering "ghetto lathe" was using the tenon on the stem (and it didn't break) I'll just go with simplicity rather than force the issue. Literally.

Uber: The staining was the least painful part of the whole ordeal. I used, masterfully, the humble q-tip cotton swab. They tend to soak up a bit, and as you press down on them, they release their payload. This stain job took me three passes before the color got nice and red. Keep the outer edge of the pipe pointed down and work in a circular pattern and the stain will roll away from the bowl. 8) I used the stem itself as a "handle" for doing this.

Roog: Being a novice woodcarver myself, I just started hackin' at the pipe until it got to where I liked. There's probably a thousand ways to carve a pipe, and 200 of them are (possibly) "correct." None of that concerns me. Pick up some wood carving tools, go with gusto, be prepared to bleed, curse and get messy, trust your instincts...that's all I do.

 

[Wet Dottle]

I like the way you think, Kyle. Good job.

 

[tyler]

Impressive recovery! Nice work.

 

[ZeroContent]

I want one.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I want one.

Like I told Bill Mess, you send me a carver kit, I'll do my best to send back a decent pipe! :cheers: My benefit of the deal is I get some experience.

I really need to get a proper workspace and start drilling my own blocks... I think I'm almost ready. Probably not, but I'm brash and shameless. :lol:

 

[riff raff]

Looks pretty good to me, and with a limited selection of tools - damn impressive!
So, have you smoked it already?

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Looks pretty good to me, and with a limited selection of tools - damn impressive!
So, have you smoked it already?

I haven't... I've been on such a Lat kick lately, and all my flakes are Virginias... wait a second, I have some Jackknife Plug left over from a sample bag Todd gave me... I think that may be the ticket... :twisted:

I'll report back tonight sometime after I've had a little talk with Jackknife and the FML pipe. 8)

 

[asmoke]

I like that thing. Its got attitude. Reminds me of one of those spiny red ants you see on a nature show...

If it smokes as good as it looks, I'm sure you'll be pleased.

 

[flytyer]

Kyle great looking pipe , the rustication looks great, and the shape is cool too.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Luckily I have a pretty sizable batch of the stain mixed up in a jar, it's stunning in the sunlight!

I'm out here on the porch as we speak running some McClelland Dark Star flake through it, and so far, so good.

Here's the report...

https://www.brothersofbriar.com/t15640-i-just-tried-mcclelland-s-dark-star

 

[MartinH]

Hey Man,

Wow, seeing that tremendous flaw simply made my wince. Considering that I carve pipes off and on, I consider myself lucky not to have found something this bad, yet. Emphasis on the "yet." I assume that most of us will run into something like this, eventually. Considering your initial plans, what happened with the wood, and what you made out it, it's really nice.

I'm curious how you got the stain that dark? I have experimented and it seems like the more stain you add, the darker it gets. Correct? I also have a pipe I'm working on right now, and I want to post some pics for advice and help. My pipes seem to never go as planned. That latest one was drawn out, planned out to the nth degree, and I still screwed it up. LOL

But, at any rate, nice job with the pipe, especially when I look at those pics and see how badly that wood was flawed.

 

[DustyRoundup]

Nice Job there Kyle.
Its good to see you didnt give up, and moved ahead with new ideas.
It came out really nice.

Its better than what I could do.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Hey Man,

Wow, seeing that tremendous flaw simply made my wince. Considering that I carve pipes off and on, I consider myself lucky not to have found something this bad, yet. Emphasis on the "yet." I assume that most of us will run into something like this, eventually. Considering your initial plans, what happened with the wood, and what you made out it, it's really nice.

I'm curious how you got the stain that dark? I have experimented and it seems like the more stain you add, the darker it gets. Correct? I also have a pipe I'm working on right now, and I want to post some pics for advice and help. My pipes seem to never go as planned. That latest one was drawn out, planned out to the nth degree, and I still screwed it up. LOL

But, at any rate, nice job with the pipe, especially when I look at those pics and see how badly that wood was flawed.

Howdy Martin--yes, generally speaking, stain is a many-layered application. With that said, however, I am totally clueless as to how thin the stain should be, and how much is too much before the grain starts to get hidden. Since this particular project was rusticated, I was after color only. You might want to head up someone who actually knows what they are doing.

I think part of the reason why I am happy I'm continuing these carving projects and posting them is it seems so many people are saying how they'd love to try pipe carving but hesitate for various reasons. Just get into it! I've been discouraged by third-hand information from forums (conflicting/too much info), the beauty of what a master can carve after a decade or more of practice (with all the best tools), and it seems daunting. Just get into it! Don't be afraid to make a mistake! The experience and pride you'll get once you decide it is done far outweighs any of the perceived negatives. 8)

 

[Dutch]

Excellent effort and save Kyle! Enjoyed seeing the process and flexibility needed to carve one's own pipe. 8)