Tinsky project, Part 1

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Kyle Weiss

Kyle Weiss

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I couldn't wait to jump into the new briar blocks I got from Mark Tinksy... they were all full of potential, so I started with the non-plateau block first... (top)
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Things are going well...
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Re-worked the stem to a better fit for the shape of the pipe (that was interesting work...
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Voila...no blood this time! 8)
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Final thoughts: hit a massive defect in the wood, had to change design ideas to save it--another reason why the stem got re-worked. The stem also fits a touch loose...will this "tighten up" as I use it? I loved the red fading to natural briar on top of this, all I did was wax it a little after a very thinned coat of shellac, and I hope more color will come out as it is smoked. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Pipe two down, two to go! The self-teaching continues. So far I wish I had a band saw, a dust collector, and well... a workshop would be nice too. My "bench" is a guitar case on a keyboard stand--nothing but top-notch! :lol:
 
Kyle Weiss":py0f5nq8 said:
My "bench" is a guitar case on a keyboard stand--nothing but top-notch! :lol:
Click to expand...

Keeping with the musical theme you could have carved a horn
 
mark":m2wrmflq said:
Kyle Weiss":m2wrmflq said:
My "bench" is a guitar case on a keyboard stand--nothing but top-notch! :lol:
Click to expand...

Keeping with the musical theme you could have carved a horn
Click to expand...
"Theme" might suggest I chose purposefully my workspace... :lol: Creatures of necessity have to do with what they have--and also clean red briar dust off every surface in the room...:lol:
 
Really nice work! Interesting to see the progress photos. Thanks.
 
Were you going for the shaggy bark look, or just gnarly cool
 
...finally had a chance to sit down and smoke this thing! Does REALLY well. Heat dispersion is great, pretty deep bowl but smokes cool (I smoke really slow, so no problem there...) the stem is still pretty loose in the shank, but I'm hoping with some regular use it'll tighten up a little!

I used a particularly wet-smoking aromatic I have to see about gurgle, as it's cold outside (condensation): very little. This pleases me. 8)
 
Excellent!
You are obviously quite "mad for it", as the brits like to say.
Maybe someday you will be hailed as a genius, or perhaps you'll be led away in a straight jacket. Either way, I'm sure the journey will be a most colorful one.
Huzzah!
 
Harlock999":2kp7ksc1 said:
Excellent!
You are obviously quite "mad for it", as the brits like to say.
Maybe someday you will be hailed as a genius, or perhaps you'll be led away in a straight jacket. Either way, I'm sure the journey will be a most colorful one.
Huzzah!
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I'm going for both. That way everyone wins! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :lol!:
 
Kyle put some beeswax on the stem to tighten it up. If that doesn't work after several smokes dip the ens of the stem in boiling water for about ten seconds and run a ice pick into the stem easily until it gets snug then put stem under cold water remove ice pick and stem should be nice and snug. By the way the pipe looks great, Congrats
 
Kyle,

You did a nice job on that pipe.

The proportions are good and you managed to avoid a lot of mistakes that most new carvers make.

You have made a pipe you can be proud of.

Todd
 
Spud: awesome suggestion...will try both!!!

Todd: thanks very much...a carver ahead of me as much as you saying as such means a lot. =)
 
Wow Kyle, your work is impressive! I would have never guessed you worked around a defect in the briar. Congrats bro! :santa:
 
Dutch":nwstou01 said:
Wow Kyle, your work is impressive! I would have never guessed you worked around a defect in the briar. Congrats bro! :santa:
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Thank you... I almost didn't want to say there was a defect because Mark Tinsky is pretty cool and I didn't want to sully his carving kits, but I thought, "You know what? This is part of the game, and I still endorse his stuff... it ain't like he GREW the briar...there was no way to know!" There's a real risk if you buy briar from anyplace, and no guarantees. You do the best you can, and this is what I did when I found the defect. 8)

Just-starting carvers like me are going to have to deal with this stuff, too--it's what connects us to the greats who have likely seen their share of heartbreaking defects (and made plenty of firewood from them)... :lol:
 
Kyle,

You hit a home run for a second effort! I do really like it.

Feature (James Ellroy creeping in) you as a full-time carver!
 
Hahaha thanks--well, let's get me a proper workshop first, which is in the plans for moving in about six months. Either that, or perhaps the modest setup is my secret. :shock: :shock: :shock:

I hope hot. :lol!:

 
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