good first pipe?

[Jack in NB]

Aaron -

My compressor is a 5 gal unit, and I used it successfully to roughen up 80 ft of drip edge for repainting for my new tobacco storage shed. (It was black, and I wanted white....)

I cobbled up an air pig along the line for more air storage, and the setup worked great. 50% duty cycle - more than that and I lost pressure.

Your unit should work great as-is for small jobs.

 

[johnlee1933]

Aaron -

My compressor is a 5 gal unit, and I used it successfully to roughen up 80 ft of drip edge for repainting for my new tobacco storage shed. (It was black, and I wanted white....)

I cobbled up an air pig along the line for more air storage, and the setup worked great. 50% duty cycle - more than that and I lost pressure.

Your unit should work great as-is for small jobs.

I agree.

John

 

[DonH]

Well, I went and did it today. Went out and bought a pipe. I've been fascinated with everyone's descriptions of making flake and Cavendish and whatnot, so I started watching pipe videos on YouTube. So I went to the tobacco shop and got a $5 corn cob pipe just to try it. I was looking around at what pipe tobacco they had and decided to buy some so I would know what it supposed to be like. I don't like aromatics, so I was looking at the English blends. They had tins of Davidoff, so I bought one of Davidoff Flake Medallions because I saw a guy smoke some on YouTube and rave about it. It is a blend of Virginia, Perique, and Cavendish, with the Cavendish as a bulls-eye in the middle of the medallion. Sounded interesting.

When I got home, I stuffed the cob with my shredded cigarette mix, just to test it. Wasn't very good. Was wondering if I would even like pipe smoking. So then I tried the Davidoff Flake. Wow, that was nice!

So I started trying to make a blend with the whole leaf I have, but this time using pipe tobacco techniques, not cigarette shred. I pulled out five Flue Cured Virginia leaves, four Burley, one very large Fire Cured leaf, a few small Dark Air Cured 3rd Priming leaves, a Yellow Twist Bud leaf or two, and a bunch of small Oriental ones. I removed the mid ribs and sprayed them with a honey-water solution and put them in a ziploc. I gotta say, it really smells like pipe tobacco in that bag. Tomorrow I will either press them or roll them tightly and slice medallions, depending on whether I can find the right size boards to use with my C clamp. I am thinking of spraying it with Scotch whiskey as a topping when done.

I'm doomed, aren't I? I'm going to end up with 50 pipes and people are going to think I'm even more eccentric then they already do. Although judging by all the pipe videos made by young dudes, I wouldn't be surprised if pipes make a comeback.

 

[Seanz]

Hate to say it, but yeah your doomed, next thing you know you will be drooling over freehand pipes and wondering if one of your kidneys is really needed so you can afford them! Welcome to the madness lol The scotch topping sounds good My next idea is a to case some in rum and see how that floats my boat,

 

[Knucklehead]

My compressor is only a small 10gal that just isn't up to the task of blasting. I'm planning on trying to sell my motorcycle this spring to get some extra cash for some better tooling. Blasting is a process I will definitely be getting into in the future.

They make one quart sand blasters for small jobs. It looks like a paint gun. Your 10 gal. tank should be fine. Here is my favorite: https://www.autobodytoolmart.com/zendex-speed-blaster-p-12707.aspx

 

[Knucklehead]

The couple pipe pics I posted with the rough finish was actually a rustication process where I slowly chip away the surface.

Aaron--
A process that may go faster than the slowly chipping method is a stippling I use on gunstocks. I use about a 12d nail and about an 8oz hammer. Be sure to blunt the nail so it crushes the fibers rather than separating them like a sharp nail. If you use a sharp nail the stippling will tend to disappear as the wood takes in moisture. I file the point of the nail leaving a diamond shape. Just tap the nail over the whole area with a rebound action to your fingers and the nail. You can go pretty fast in the middle just slow down and take your time around the edges. Try it on a piece of scrap until you get a feel for it. You will want to lightly clamp your pipe and move it in the vise so you get a good 90 degree hit.

 

[Aaron]

Aaron--
A process that may go faster than the slowly chipping method is a stippling I use on gunstocks. I use about a 12d nail and about an 8oz hammer. Be sure to blunt the nail so it crushes the fibers rather than separating them like a sharp nail. If you use a sharp nail the stippling will tend to disappear as the wood takes in moisture. I file the point of the nail leaving a diamond shape. Just tap the nail over the whole area with a rebound action to your fingers and the nail. You can go pretty fast in the middle just slow down and take your time around the edges. Try it on a piece of scrap until you get a feel for it. You will want to lightly clamp your pipe and move it in the vise so you get a good 90 degree hit.

That's a great looking finish. I really like that look. I'll have to play around with that a bit. Thanks for the tip!

 

[marcovanmeer]

Sorry never smocked a pipe before in my life. But ... When I'm looking for a pipe does it matter if it has a filter or not?

 

[Aaron]

Sorry never smocked a pipe before in my life. But ... When I'm looking for a pipe does it matter if it has a filter or not?

Not really. You can always remove the filter if you don't like it.