Teak Longbody

After finishing the Widebody and setting it aside, I got the idea of a matching Longbody pipe that would be recognized as the Widebody's relative. I had a second, longer piece of Teak cut from the same original board that fit perfectly, so I started carving the pipe to a matching Widebody design. Suddenly, I changed my mind and wanted the longer pipe to be skinnier than the Widebody, but since I had finished a part already done, I chose to keep it. If anything, it shows the relationship between the two.

I've always been a fan of longer pipes, so this one is mine! :)

Widebody Teak

Working with different kinds of exotic woods, I reluctantly selected a few favorites by ease of work and beauty. One of these is the Teak. While experimenting, I always found myself working with this type of wood when I got too frustrated to work of difficult pieces, hence this type of wood became my Therapy Wood. I made two pieces for my own usage, one for traveling and one for daily usage at home. The first such is the Widebody Teak pipe.

The Widebody Teak was meant, at first, to be finished and sold as a simple fine-worked piece, but early in the process, a miscalculation made me carve too deeply and pierce the neck of the pipe. Frustrated, I sanded down the body without carving more than the corners, slapped it in oil and laid it to the side. Little by little, it drew interest from many friends who liked it for its widebody design. The others' praise on the piece gave me the idea of making more widebodied pipes in the near future.

This piece is not for sale

Skinny Lefty

During the initial process of drilling the pipe, sometimes the calculations are wrong and end up slightly off-center in the bowl.  This is not a problem, and simple minor adjustments can make this pass without any problem.  In this case however, the drilling was not a little off, it was way off which resulted in inspiration.  The 'Skinny Lefty' was born out of this so-called mistake.

This piece is made from trusty maple and is cut down to a thin line, making this more of an artistic piece.  Obviously, something this thin is fragile and not meant for travelling or daily usage, since both of these augment the risk of breakage.  It would suit someone with a taste for the unorthodox and fragile artistic piece.

This Piece is on sale at Passage

Oakenpipe!

This is my first attempt at carving a pipe out of Oak.  The grain of the wood originally turned me away from it since it has the reputation of splitting and breaking along the grain.  Basically, it offers the same strengths and weaknesses as the Brazilian Teak, and with my experience working with the much tougher wood, I learned to adapt my method and explore other tools.  It made a world of difference, and so I gave Oak a try.  

The Oakenpipe was made with one word in mind: Abuse.  I began with the goal of making it resistant to any form of abuse, but as it took shape, the goal became clear: the Oakenpipe wanted to Give the abuse.  With an astonishing depth of 25mm, it can easily hold enough to incapacitate a room full of people.  Another noticeable feature is the absence of straight lines, so it still holds a very organic shape, not perfectly straight or round at any place.  I am rather proud of the piece, and I hope it will be loved as much as I love it!

This Model is on sale at Passage, in Highfield Square Mall, downtown Moncton

UPDATE! :D

I've been absent from this blog for a while now, and I wish I had a reason why, but I don't.  I haven't been slacking off on the Pipe side, so I'll add a few in the coming days.

On the brighter side, I now have a retailer!  Located in Highfield Square Mall in downtown Moncton, the store Passage agreed to sell my Pipes!  Anyone in the area who wishes to have a simple pipe for not too much dough should check it out! - And the rest of the store while you're there ;) -

The store will be keeping my lower-range pipes, from the 5$ mini-pipes to the 30$ daily-users.  They will also be taking orders for customs and more expensive models.

For those who wish to buy directly from the artist, Email me!

Until next time,
Peace!

Cocobolo Mini Pipe

Once again, I was drawn into carving yet another mini pipe.  This is simply because mini pipes use so little materials that testing out exotic woods can be done with simple leftover pieces viewed as almost worthless.  This piece is made from African Cocobolo, a type of wood whose dust is known to be partially toxic, so this was a very careful operation.  Once finished and oiled however, it represent no danger other than the occasional nostril burning as with any other mini pipe.

This type of exotic wood is so easy to carve, it's a real shame its dust is harmful, or this would be my favorite type to work with.  The light density of the grain allows for smooth knife strokes and miniature detailing.  This piece's bowl was carved underneath so as to leave the rounded part floating above the table, resting completely on the stem.  This is simply playing with the center of gravity.

The Tung oil gives the Cocobolo a Red Wine tint, a tasty feel that catches the eye!  The new owner of this tool chose this particular model for the pocket-sized class and the small funnel shaped bowl, which allows for quick, sneaky tokes while the thickness of the bowl ensures proper insulation without risk of overheating.

With such a small size, this piece is a halfway model, a high contrast between stealth-like models and high class, pricey larger pieces.  This own offers the best of both worlds, and its new owner will surely use it proudly!
(This piece was traded for a few weeks' worth of free specialty coffees!)

Hammerhead

This piece is a special experiment.  Using Brazilian Teak wood, I started working on this pipe not quite knowing where I was going.  I first decided to carve a face in it, but the wood didn't want to, so I kept working it down, taking pieces away, then decided to carve a certain curved shape, but again, the wood said no.  I agreed to simply give it a strong cylindrical shape with a strong square bowl, and with this, the wood agreed.

 The wood's natural color is brought up with the Tung Oil to a bright tasty orange, which gives it so much character!  I personally love this type of finish to this type of wood.

The bowl was sanded to a funnel opening allowing for more room since the depth is relatively shy; a short 8mm deep.  The strength of it is remarkable too, allowing for a very rough treatment with pride.  This piece would take punishment very well.

Almost the same size as a lighter, this is a great pocket companion which can be a little show stopper when taken out in public.  The rarity of the wood makes it a collector's choice, and knowledgeable people will comment on it.