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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 16:58:26 GMT -5
Constructive criticism welcomed. Understand that unless I say so later in this thread I'm using all hand tools. I'm only using a dremel when I get to the polishing stage. (I don't have any suitable power tools for this) This is what I got:  With just a couple of Harbor Freight rasps I've done this much today: 
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2019 17:07:07 GMT -5
More power to you. Others have reported success with just a dremel.
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Post by monbla256 on Nov 27, 2019 17:48:15 GMT -5
Terry, If you have a belt sander, you can clamp it upside down on your bench and then work thru different grits of belts to get where you want finish by hand.
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Post by oldcajun123 on Nov 27, 2019 17:49:24 GMT -5
 You’re doing very good, you got the eye.
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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 17:58:28 GMT -5
No belt sander sadly, only power tools I have are the dremel, a cordless drill, and a skilsaw
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Post by unknownpipesmoker on Nov 27, 2019 18:00:37 GMT -5
Awesome
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2019 18:16:49 GMT -5
Just remember ANY gouges and scratches you put in it, you'll have to sand out later. I wouldn't file much more on the bowl and concentrate on the shank but, very carefully and precisely. Then get out your 80-120 sandpaper and start fine tuning on its shape, after you got the shape you want, sand it all down with 220-600 going through the grits. Oh, and keep the stem on to protect the end of the shank, you'll need it to shape (sand) the shank to the stem anyway.
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taharris
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Post by taharris on Nov 27, 2019 18:20:29 GMT -5
Yes,leave the stem on as much as possible and don’t be afraid to take too much off at the stem-shank junction.
Good carving!
Todd
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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 18:25:23 GMT -5
Just remember ANY gouges and scratches you put in it, you'll have to sand out later. I wouldn't file much more on the bowl and concentrate on the shank but, very carefully and precisely. Then get out your 80-120 sandpaper and start fine tuning on its shape, after you got the shape you want, sand it all down with 220-600 going through the grits.  Oh, and keep the stem on to protect the end of the shank, you'll need it to shape (sand) the shank to the stem anyway.
NOW I understand why it came with two stems. Would have save me some repair work had I thought of that. Ah well. I nicked the shank pretty badly, so when I get that far I'm considering splicing a hardwood shank on. As for shaping, I want to round the base and top a bit, and obviously the shank needs work. But I stopped when I did because getting it where it is took some aggressive work with the rasp. I wanted to start fresh and work more slowly and carefully from this point on. Didn't think I could switch gears without a break. I also have not decided if I want it to be rounded like a tomato or egg shaped. I am thinking slight rounding of the bottom, with a flat left to set it on, which was my original plan. Then a sharp angle about 5cm or so from the top taking the rim in. I'll make that decision after I finish roughing in the shank. In any case. I need to go SLOWLY from here on out or Ill ruin it. Edit: So you suggest finishing the bowl shape with sand paper at this point? that's doable, I also have finer files which is what I was going to use. I'll go for sand paper if that's the recommended method. I'm not in a hurry to botch this
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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 18:28:04 GMT -5
While I have you RD, is there a way to fill the nicks in so I dont have to splice, or should I just find a good material to make a band out of and do that?
The stem is only about half an inch wide, (.484 according to my caliper) I wasn't happy with that to begin with, but I do have to make it match the stem that came with and that's the same.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2019 21:32:35 GMT -5
While I have you RD, is there a way to fill the nicks in so I dont have to splice, or should I just find a good material to make a band out of and do that? The stem is only about half an inch wide, (.484 according to my caliper) I wasn't happy with that to begin with, but I do have to make it match the stem that came with and that's the same. If you have finer files, yes you could continue Smoothing the bowl but, remember its a good rule of thumb to keep the bowl/chamber walls about a 1/4" thick and no less. I personally would leave the top of the bowl flat but, would round the bottom (remember the 1/4" rule, that means any wall connected to the chamber shouldn't be any thinner then a 1/4" including the bottom). I really can't see the gouge on the side of the shank well but, without a lathe making any kind of shank cap/extension to cover the gouged area is really useless. I reckon if your very careful you could use wood putty to fill the gouge. I'd also insert the stem before apply putty if any of the face of the shank is missing with just a little Vaseline on the facing end of it (not the tenon) to keep the putty from sticking to it when dry. It should work okay but, it'll certainly show because wood putty doesn't stain the same and if a lot of the facing end of the shank is missing the stem might not fit perfectly flush anymore. There's a simple fix for that but, we'll wait to see what happens first.
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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 21:59:54 GMT -5
No lathe unfortunately, so we will see where it is when I finish. Thank you for the info on wall thickness, I needed that for sure! I have well over that to work with, but I might have screwed that up had you not said it so thank you.
As a side note, I worked the shank some more (Stem on), I'm going to give the bowl a little shape, just to round it a bit on the flat spot. Then I'm putting the rasps away. They remove material so fast its scary. For the rest of the shank, I literally took one stroke then looked at it and IMHO I still may have screwed it up.
It wont be professional quality, but its my first EVER pipe carve so I'm going to be proud of it as long as its not too ugly and its usable!
Ill post another picture once Ive rough shaped it and am working with finer files / sand paper. (I have both so I think I will be ok.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2019 22:05:54 GMT -5
Are you taking breaks? Sometimes Power Thinking is affective as hands on.
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Post by adui on Nov 27, 2019 22:08:51 GMT -5
Are you taking breaks? Sometimes Power Thinking is affective as hands on. Yup, I just went back to it about half hour before that post, worked 15 minutes on the shank and quit again. I will probably (if I can keep my hands off it) not work on it again till tomorrow. I tend to obsess so I may go back at it but here's hoping LOL
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Post by Legend Lover on Nov 28, 2019 9:03:51 GMT -5
That looks fantastic for the first picture of your trial. Gives some confidence for people like me who also only has a Dremel.
Also, I'd like to thank those who are helping Terry with his trial-run. You do me proud.
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chasingembers
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Post by chasingembers on Nov 28, 2019 9:20:11 GMT -5
Looking good. Harbor Freight is the way to go. Here was my first, drilled and carved with a drill press and combo belt/disc sander from Harbor Freight. The sanders really cut down on the carving time and can help you dial in a shape.👍 
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taharris
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Post by taharris on Nov 28, 2019 10:14:33 GMT -5
That’s a nice first pipe. Well done.
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Post by kbareit on Nov 28, 2019 10:45:47 GMT -5
Coming along nicely Terry. It will be nice to see the finished pipe. Take your time though.
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chasingembers
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Post by chasingembers on Nov 28, 2019 13:54:14 GMT -5
+1 Work at your leisure and allow the tools to do the work without forcing. Making a pipe is both relaxing and rewarding, and sometimes addictive!😁
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Post by monbla256 on Nov 28, 2019 15:50:53 GMT -5
Let's see some pics of where it's at !
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Post by adui on Nov 28, 2019 16:51:06 GMT -5
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Post by Legend Lover on Nov 28, 2019 16:53:11 GMT -5
Keep 'er lit, buddy. You're doing grand.
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taharris
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Post by taharris on Nov 29, 2019 7:50:39 GMT -5
She will smoke just fine and she will be your creation.
That is all that will matter to you.
Have fun with it.
Todd
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Post by adui on Nov 29, 2019 12:31:26 GMT -5
She will smoke just fine and she will be your creation. That is all that will matter to you. Have fun with it. Todd More then likely. I won't but a block on Amazon again though. This one seems drilled to deep. The hole from the stem into the bowl is a good eighth of an inch high. But this one was for me to play with and learn so no harm no foul.
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Post by adui on Nov 29, 2019 15:32:56 GMT -5
Update and disclaimer: I found I can be more accurate with my dremel and tiny sanding drums than with files, so I used a power tool. Here's what it looks like nearly ready for sanding staining and polishing. After leaving the flat on the bottom I discovered it is stem heavy and wont rest on the flat, so Im going to round the bottom out more, leaving a flat along the back angle that will act as a rest with the stem on the table. This way I can set it down without it falling over and spilling Also, I still have to address that tiny shank, but its going to be small no matter what I do.   A note for reference on this one ^ The rim of the bowl is approximately .23 inches by digital caliper. (I say approximately because I only measured one spot)    As a side note I am seriously considering reshaping to an egg, which would considerably reduce the walls from the top down, I think I can hold better than a quarter inch thickness, with the exception that there is only about 3/16th's inch at the bottom from the drilling, (purchased this way). If the bottom of the chamber were not round I wouldn't be able to round the bottom of the bowl any more at all. Edit: the boss says she likes this shape so Im just going to round the bottom edge some more then start the sand stain and polish phase. If I don't miss my guess, the easy part is over 
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Post by adui on Nov 29, 2019 22:03:12 GMT -5
I am not at a stopping point. I can go no further till I get some advice. The following pictures are of just the shank and stem area to detail the damage from my mistakes. I made the images larger than I usually do, sorry for the load time I wanted to be sure the detail could be seen. What I need to know is do I putty it up and then sand and polish, or just sand and polish, taking the stem down with the sanding to match the shank (It's a bit wider anyhow, not sure if that was my goof or it came that way. TB H I didn't examine it that well.) If putty is required, what is the opinion on using an OLD method I learned in high school where I use saw dust from this work and wood glue to make the fill instead of store bought putty. (I'm not trying to be cheap, I want it to look as close to the wood I used as possible)   
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Post by Legend Lover on Nov 30, 2019 7:47:31 GMT -5
I am not at a stopping point. I can go no further till I get some advice. The following pictures are of just the shank and stem area to detail the damage from my mistakes. I made the images larger than I usually do, sorry for the load time I wanted to be sure the detail could be seen. What I need to know is do I putty it up and then sand and polish, or just sand and polish, taking the stem down with the sanding to match the shank (It's a bit wider anyhow, not sure if that was my goof or it came that way. TB H I didn't examine it that well.) If putty is required, what is the opinion on using an OLD method I learned in high school where I use saw dust from this work and wood glue to make the fill instead of store bought putty. (I'm not trying to be cheap, I want it to look as close to the wood I used as possible)    That's not bad shaping at all. What attachment(s) did you use on the dremel?
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Post by adui on Nov 30, 2019 12:07:51 GMT -5
That's not bad shaping at all. What attachment(s) did you use on the dremel? Thank you! I used a little mini drum sanding bit. It's about a half inch high and half inch diameter. I plan to polish with the wool polishing pads when these time comes. For my next step I will be sanding both by hand and I bought a cheap Palm sander i I'm going to try to use on the surfaces I can reach without hitting the stem
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Post by Legend Lover on Nov 30, 2019 12:18:17 GMT -5
That's not bad shaping at all. What attachment(s) did you use on the dremel? Thank you! I used a little mini drum sanding bit. It's about a half inch high and half inch diameter. I plan to polish with the wool polishing pads when these time comes. For my next step I will be sanding both by hand and I bought a cheap Palm sander i I'm going to try to use on the surfaces I can reach without hitting the stem That's what I thought you'd use. It's what I would use too out of all the attachments that I have. It IS a bit coarse though.
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Post by adui on Dec 1, 2019 13:25:39 GMT -5
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