Strait grain or Birds eye

Corey562

 @ghostsofpompeii @mfresa I love the way the grain turned out on this one.

mfresa

@Corey562, ya done good!!  Someone is going to enjoy the heck out of that one.

motie2

@Corey562 -- You say: I love the way the grain turned out on this one.

I say: Me, too!!!!!!!

mfresa

@Corey562 I gotta work on my staining technique.  You got these things glowing like they are alive (which in a way, they are).

Corey562

@mfresa it took me a while to figure out how to make them look the way they do every one has there own style it was a learning process that is for sure. But I will lend you any advice I can to help you on your way.

Corey562

motie2

@Corey562 -- How many times can I say, "Wow! What great artistry!!!!!!" ????

Corey562

Thanks Brother.

ghostsofpompeii

@Corey562 Curious. Have you ever tried making a pipe with one of the Peterson styled P-Lip stems?

Corey562

@ghostsofpompeii I have made a few with a p-lip stems I have a bent panel style. Need to adjust the bend.

motie2

@Corey562 -- OMG, you continue to outdo yourself.

Corey562

@motie2 this is one I made a while back just haven't been able to bring myself to put it up for sale yet.

Woodsman

@Corey562 Some great works showing here.

Corey562

@woodsman Thank you sir.

Corey562

KA9FFJ

@mfresa I agree totally with you concerning the love of the grain. But I do sometimes find myself having to rusticate an old pipe when too many flaws/fills are found. I can then take a pipe that you can't see beyond the flaws and turn it into a pipe that shape and function take over. Again, if there is any way to get around fills and flaws, I always do my best to keep the grain to the forefront. But then again, that's just me...

Corey562

Beautiful straight patteren.

mfresa

@KA9FFJ, yes flaws in wood can definitely present problems.  Please post some photos of your work (if you want).  We'd love to see a few.

mfresa

@Corey562, this is the one I really loved:

Corey562

That is a nice one As you know they are all for sale.

motie2

Straight grain or Birdseye?

Yes to both!!!!

mfresa

Yes, @Corey562, I know :-)

KA9FFJ

@mfresna I'm posting 4 pics to demonstrate what I talked about earlier concerning required rustication. This first pic is the original pipe. I bought the pipe for next to nothing. Seeing it you can understand why...

KA9FFJ

Once I sanded and prepped it for restoration I found several discolorations and fills. I knew I wasn't going to be able to restore it to a pristine pipe... 

KA9FFJ

I then rusticated most of the pipe leaving as much of the beautiful grain as possible. I then two-tone stained and got it ready for waxing and polishing...

KA9FFJ

Here's the finished product. You guys can judge for yourself. As I said before, I am a grain person all the way, but sometimes rustication is, in my humble opinion, the only way around the near impossible restoration...

mfresa

@KA9FFJ, looks good to me.  I never saw spots on a pipe like you showed above.  You did a good job.

KA9FFJ

@mfresa Thanks... I really enjoy the hobby of pipe restoration. As a side bar I should have told you that after sterilization, alcohol and salt treatment, and thorough cleaning, it has turned out to be a really good smoker... A big plus since I have found in my personal experience that approximately 1 out of 10 were a waste of time and effort by turning out to be bad smokers... Luck of the draw I guess...

mfresa

@KA9FFJ, yes, I tried alcohol and salt on a flea market find, and it didn't get all the mold out.  Had to throw away the pipe.  Oh well, lesson learned.

motie2

Of five Carey pipe recently (within a year) purchased on eBay, I've never had a bad smoker after initial clean-up and refurbishing...... except for a lovely large billiard. It took three exorcisms to kill the Ghost of Latakia Past.