Artisanal Reflections

Working Together: In the pipe studio with Toku and Adam

2010-10-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos composed by Smokingpipes.com of my time in the workshop with pipemakers Hiro Tokutomi and Adam Davidson.

Part I

And Part II

Enjoy. Credit to Ted Swearington of Smokingpipes.com

Smitten with Silver

2010-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Handmade .925 silver band

Part of the intrigue of pipes for me was the challenge of learning to do something new. Each element of the pipe posed a unique challenge. From the drilling of the tobacco chamber to the buffing of the stem, every step in the process required a different skill that had to be learned.

I needed a new challenge once I had garnered a facility with the tools, materials, and techniques involved in pipemaking. I learned to work with ivory, to source and use rare exotic woods, bamboo, and bakelite. But all of these were learned very early.

Heating (and trying not to melt) the metal

One material I had long admired and longed to work with was sterling silver. I have always loved the silver work on classic British pipes and extraordinarily elegant usage by the Danes, S. Bang in particular. After doing a considerable amount of research on my own, I picked up the phone and called my friend, pipemaker Brian Ruthenberg, for some personal tele-instructions. With Brian's help and encouragement I tooled up the shop, cleaned off a bench, and started to hand-work the metal.

Hammering the ring flat

In all honesty, I could have used pre-made silver rings and bands and they probably would have looked fine. But I make high-grade pipes entirely by hand, and they are expensive. I could also use pre-formed stems. But I don't. I choose to make every part of my pipes with my own hands, from the choosing of the block to the final buff. Each step is undertaken by me.

Buffing the filed and sanded ring

Every new technique involves a learning curve, and this was (and will continue to be) no exception. My first attempt at heating nearly ended in a pool of molten silver...now pool of scrap, useless for pipemaking. Lesson learned.

Polished and ready for briar

Like each material I use, silver is ideal for high-grade pipes for its beauty and expense. For this same reason, I also will offer gold, palladium, and platinum for custom orders. The addition of silver to J. Alan pipes offers to collectors a new feature customized to the design of the pipe.

Elegant Flush silver inset into stem

Precious metals are now available for all J. Alan custom ordered pipes. Additional information about specific applications can be acquired by contacting me.

2nd Annual Pipemakers' Meetup

2010-10-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Folks, as many of you know I spent the last week driving around the Carolinas and Virginia. October is the annual C.O.R.P.S. pipe show in Richmond and like last year I flew into lovely Myrtle Beach to make the trip with my U.S. dealer, SmokingPipes.com. Once the event concluded we returned to their South Carolina home base and spent some time hanging out.

Last year Toku and I worked together to make a set of pipes, beautifully presented in a handmade display case by Adam Davidson, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of SmokingPipes. Here are the pipes:

And a shot of the pair in the Davidson-made case:

This year, the three of us reunited in Adam's pipe studio to collaborate yet again. This time, though, all three of us will be joining together to contribute pipes to the set. The SmokingPipes team was there to document the event and created a great video for all of you to enjoy.

They have also posted to their blog a description of the event along with a series of photos allowing each of you the opportunity to spend some time with us in the workshop. Head over to their blog to see it.

Traveling

2010-10-01T06:32:00.002-07:00

Another year has come and gone. Another relaxing summer season. Another jolting realization that Richmond was around the corner. Another case full of briar. Another airport. Save the last one, most of the events are welcome annual events; moments in a pipemaker’s life.

So here I sit in the airport in San Diego. Weeks of materialized labor sit by my side and I sip a local Stone IPA in preparation for the dreaded Red Eye to the east coast. I think about how this the last Stone I’ll have for a week--how I don’t think I’ll be able to find it’s equivalent where I’m going. This is, I have come to know, the bane of the existence of West Coast residents. There is much to love about our lovely region of the country. The ocean, the weather, the beer and wine, the palm trees... I love where I live. But the travel can be horrible. Lest this sound overwhelmingly negative, I should state that I fly just infrequently enough that the travel schedule is noticeable. We’ve got two choices: leave at the crack of dawn to make our destinations by local lunchtime, or leave at dusk or later--so that we can arrive at the crack of dawn. Noting that both options contain the crack of dawn while only one pairs it with a late night, I should have chosen more wisely.

All lamentation will be forgotten, though, when I land to be greeted by friends. I have been so fortunate to be part of a business in which I build true relationships. Standing in wait for me at the Myrtle Beach airport will be one of my friends from the SmokingPipes.com team. Maybe Sykes, or Adam, or even Susan. But they are friends, and instead of going to meetings and dressing up, I will spend time with people whose company I enjoy. We’ll share stories, photos, food, and drink. We’ll catch up.

And this will be repeated on a grander scale when we arrive in Richmond, to the familiar (dare I say, beloved?...let’s stick with familiar) Koger Holiday Inn where I suspect that the C.O.R.P.S. team will have yet another excellent event schedule for all of us pipe kin. I’ll have the chance to meet up with pipemaker friends, pipe collector friends, vendor friends, tobacco blender friends. How few enemies we have in this business. And how many friends.

I love my job. I never knew that it may be possible to feel this way. But I do. I love it. And I’m grateful to all of the pipemakers who helped me, the customers and retailers who took me under their wings to mentor me. It’s sappy, and it’s not even thanksgiving, but if you’ll suffer my gushing emotions for a moment longer I’d appreciate it! I love to create; to take a piece of crescent shaped wood and to cast upon it and help it realize a vision. I love to end my day having made something that was not. How fortunate I am. And how grateful to all of you who make it possible. If getting to do this means that I have to suffer the night flight now and again, then bring it on. What can I say?

Thanks

Jeff

BBQ with Low Country Pipe and Cigar

2010-10-01T06:32:00.001-07:00

Check it out!

Visit with and tour of SmokingPipes.com

2010-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I arrived in South Carolina this morning to be greeted by the fine people at SmokingPipes.com. They are fantastic people, the premier pipe retailer in the US, and wonderful hosts. Here's a quick video mockup/tour of their building which has been featured in Pipes and Tobaccos magazine several times.

Thanks for looking and watch for some more videos from this show.

Best,

Jeff

Pipe Shaping--Video Blog #5

2010-08-09T13:32:00.001-07:00

Hey folks,

This summer has been full of good news for us. We closed on and moved into our new home after the Chicago show, and have been occupied with its renovation ever since. Of course, I've been making pipes, but most have been on a commission basis, or for my dealers around the world. I've had a number of comments from people over the past few months asking when I'd be posting a new video. Well, today is the day. The shop is usable, but not pretty. But it is useful enough that I can demonstrate pipe shaping.

I also have two new pipes that will be added to the web showroom of the site this week. One is a sandblast and the other a smooth. So watch for those!

You will be able to view the video in standard resolution and as high as 720p HD. So, hopefully this enhanced quality will make the videos more enjoyable.

Thank for watching.

Jeff

Has it really been that long?!

2010-02-11T09:54:00.001-08:00

Over the past few weeks I've received some subtle (and some less-so) nudges from customers and friends about my silence on the blogosphere recently. I have to admit to you all, I haven't visited my blog for months. Of course, I did not realize it had been so long. When I logged in to make this brief post I discovered just how long it had been!

With apologies out of the way now, I can tell you all I really have been busy. Those who follow my twitter feed (and for those who like near-instant gratification, the twitter feed is the place to go) know that new pipes have come and gone regularly. I'm truly grateful for the attention and support that our small community has offered to me and my brand. All too few people wake up in the morning and can't wait to go to work, or think about work (in a positive way) all weekend long.

Just to prove it to you, I've posted a new pipe to the website. Please cruise on over to the showroom to see it.

So, yes, I've been active. But, no, you're right, I have not been actively typing. Expect to see some new posts and videos in the coming weeks and months leading up to the annual gathering in Chicago.

Until next time (whenever that may be),

Jeff

Video Blog Episode #4 -- C.O.R.P.S. Show Preview

2009-09-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, folks. Business has been busyness lately. I've recorded a lot of video for future episodes, but wanted to get this one out to you all before heading to Richmond this week.

Cheers!

Jeff

Main Site Down Temporarily

2009-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

My apologies to all. www.jalanpipes.com is having some technical difficulties and will be available again in the morning at ~9am EST. Thanks for your patience.

Sandblasting -- Video Episode #3

2009-08-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

Thanks for tuning in to the third episode of the video blog. In this video I'll talk about sandblasting and demonstrate the process as it is underway. The blasting sections show you just a small section of the time spend in the cabinet due to the long time that it takes to accomplish this process. Youtube certainly would not host that much video and you would all get bored watching a white stream of media pummel a briar stummel.

Additionally, both pipes in the video are currently for sale on the website. You may see the pipes here.

Blowfish from Blunders, or The Creation of a Nosewarmer

2009-08-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Of course we cannot plan for every contingency nor anticipate any and all outside possibilities in anything that we do. One of the requisites of pipemaking is a healthy dose of grace for the natural material with which we work. One cannot predict exactly what will be found beneath the surface of a block of briar. We can, of course, examine the outside layers of the wood to form hypotheses around which we design our work. Many times things go as planned. Sometimes we're surprised. And these surprises are not always good.

Once I remember taking a very "inexpensive" $20 block of briar that I bought intending to make a blast. The grain was wide and unremarkable. Yet inside, it shrugged off the evidence of blandness that the exterior suggested. Instead, it was filled with extraordinarily dense straight and birdseye graining (the two tend to match up. )

More often, though, we take a remarkably grained block that we purchased for a remarkably high price and find flaws within--sometimes pipe killing flaws.

But I digress.

I am not writing today about natural flaws, but human ones. Sometimes we just screw up. Hopefully these times are few and become fewer with time. The most striking of my earliest blunders came when I rusticated through an otherwise extraordinary shape's shank and into the draft hole. I could hardly afford such an error at the time as I was selling pipes just to buy briar and tooling while working hard in my graduate program. I fixed it and still smoke the pipe regularly...but I would rather have sold it.

Well, yesterday, in a feat inspired by the confluence of poor planning and a moment of carelessness I managed to do something I've only done one other time that I recall. I ruined a long-shanked blowfish while drilling the draft hole. After cursing myself, I cut the shank off at the point of error and decided where to go from there. Here's a shot of the pieced together blunder:

I thought it was a pretty cool shape. Something a little different. Well, the idea will have to wait. This one has taken new form as a nosewarmer. Whether the flaw is natural or human in origin, the problem remains until it is overcome. This is the primary task of a pipemaker--to make something beautiful despite the inherent flaws in the material and manipulator. Here is a shot of the same pipe sans long shank, taken from the top to give you an idea of the profile:

You can see that the pipe has been drilled and its engineering has been redrawn and executed. Next I've got a photo of the stem stock with its delrin tenon inset, turned, and fitted to the stummel below a sketch of what I envision the pipe will turn out like.

I've preserved the idea of the upturned or flipped tail to the blowfish, but have transferred the movement to the stem from its intended location on the shank. I think that this will turn out well! Next, the stem stock has had its airway and slot widened, filed, and finished so that I can rough out the shape. This last photo illustrates the "rough" stem and shows the pipe taking on its final form.

I'll shorten up the tail a bit, bring it into form, and touch up the lines before the sanding begins. The pipe has turned out quite well, considering its origin. I have to say that I quite like it and that the story makes the pipe that much more interesting to me. Each pipe has a story, but some are more interesting than others.

As the pipe is being completed I'll post some additional photos so that you all can see it move toward its final form.

Thanks for reading and off to do some sanding.

Best,

Jeff

Video Blog Episode #2 -- Stem Cutting Tools

2009-08-17T11:19:00.001-07:00

Well folks, it's been a few weeks now since the last video blog entry. I have received some very good suggestions for topics to discuss in the video blog entries and this second installment is a direct response to a question about pipemaking tools. The video is a brief introduction to stem cutting tools--specifically those used for the airway.

I chose to detail the specific tools of this narrow area of pipemaking because many of you have expressed interest in modifying your own pipes by deepening and widening the slots. The tools that I present to you will help you as you explore ways to enhance your own pipes at home.

As always, please post comments to the video in the comments section of this blog or to my email and I will respond to them as I am able.

A Pipemaker's "Sacrifice"

2009-08-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is a chef. I enjoy taking a break from the shop every day to cook dinner for our family and have enjoyed exploring the world of fine cuisine at home and about town. So, naturally, I like talking "shop" with this friend. During our conversation he told me how when he gets home at night he prefers to take his family out for dinner. It turns out that if you've spent the whole day in the kitchen, the last thing you want to do when coming home is to go right back into it.

He loves cooking. But cooking is his job. Drawing a line between work and play is difficult when your passion becomes your vocation. Cooking is no longer a source of relaxation for him like it was before he became a professional.

Fortunately, pipes are not as "essential" as food for daily living. I don't need to step out of the shop every day and then make pipes for my family for sustinance. Instead, I can step out of the shop and cook for my family. For me it is indeed a source of relaxation after a day filled with briar and ebonite.

This chef friend of mine has also told me how nice it is to have extra food to bring home for dinner on a day he's catering an event. Likewise, in pipemaking I'll occasionally end up with a pipe that I can't justify stamping as a "full" J. Alan for one reason or another. The above pipe was a prototype of a shape I call the Pitbull. I was making this for a good customer of mine some time ago and managed to find a flaw in it. The pipe was mostly finished when I came across the flaw. I took care of the issue and decided that this was an opportunity for me to have one of my own pipes.

It's a "cast off" or a "second." Of course, it has all of the fixin's of all my other pipes. It's made of the same briar, was finished to the same standards, has an exotic wood ring and a handcut cumberland stem. Frankly, I love the pipe. It quickly became one of my most regularly smoked pipes after adding it to the growing collection of my own pipes.

One of the "sacrifices" that a pipemaker makes is to hold back some pipes here and there for their own use. Sometimes these are shape or process prototypes. Sometimes they have flaws. Sometimes we just didn't like the pipe when it was finished. The upshot is that we end up with pipes to smoke.

One of my favorite personal pipes is a lovely sandblasted billiard with a shank extention made of horn. The pipe has been one of my most frequently smoked pipes for three years. ...and I smoke it VERY regularly. The funny thing about this pipe is that I rejected it due to a longitudinal fissure that ran from the outside of the bowl to the inside. It was a hole. I plugged it and coated the bowl. Not only has it never heated up in that area, the hole is now invisible. And it smokes fabulously.

It's never a pleasant experience to find a flaw that renders a pipe unsellable. We've already invested time and materials. We've lost money. The salve on the wound is that I can set the partially finished pipe aside to finish for myself later. The above pipe, the Pitbull, is one pipe that was disappointing to "reject" but was equally and oppositely exciting to "accept" into my own collection.

New Pipe Added

2009-08-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hi there folks,

This is quite a pair of days--two entries!! :)

I wanted to announce to you all that I've just added a new pipe to the website. Please link to the website to see the new pipe.

You'll also find a new feature to help add perspective to the "glamour shots" that I offer for all the pipes. I've started, with this pipe, to include videos of the pipes that will, ideally, offer you more information as you make your decision about purchasing a new pipe. Pipes are expensive and you should have as much information at your disposal as possible.

So, without further ado, please visit the site to see the new pipe.

Best,

Jeff

Video Entry #1

2009-08-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

The first entry of the J. Alan Pipes video digest. Let me know what you think and be sure to post or contact me with recommendations for future videos!

21st Century Pipemaking

2009-08-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

I wonder what pipe collectors in the 60's and 70's envisioned the designs of pipes would resemble after the turn of the millennium? Kirsten and Falcon's removable bowls, corrugated, radiator-lined shanks and convoluted designs were revolutionary designs. They really were. These were space age pipes designed to deliver a centuries old pleasure to the body with all of the accoutrement that modernity had to offer.

Yet, we're not smoking "hover" pipes or vaporizing our precious leaf in shank fitted micro-microwaves. Despite the motion of the avant garde designs that are being produced by selected makers around the globe, I trust that most of us find our top selling pipes are classical in design. As fashion, cuisine, and automobiles shift to retro-modern, so have pipes. Many of us offer our interpretations of classical designs that are inevitably influenced in even the most subtle of ways by our contemporary contexts.

I can only speak for myself in saying that I am enthusiastic about both the freedom to invent and stretch the limits of my shape imagination and the discipline required to create a recognizable and respected classical shape. This is the beauty and challenge of pipemaking. We look back to appreciate and be inspired by the past while concurrently challenging the limits of conventional design in the realm (and market) of pipemaking.

Ah, Distraction ...or the Beauty of Creative Freedom

2009-05-26T17:44:00.001-07:00

Most pipemakers I know have a few extra stummels lying around. These forgotten or waiting works in progress are the partially completed ideas that have hit some creative or technical snag. I will occasionally begin a day of work by rough shaping several pipes. In this way I am able to begin to realize the creative impulses that strike me. Many times this leads to instantly fantastic shapes that are truly inspired. Other times the ideas present problems when put to briar. These "roadblocks" are the scuptor's equivalent of writer's block. Perhaps we can call this state of being Shaper's Block.

When this occurs I will generally place the shaped, and often drilled, pipe aside to work on some more pressing or presently inspiring piece. While this allows ideas to gestate until the idea might naturally bloom and come to fruition, the above photo demonstrates that sometimes we get carried away. Some of these shapes are the incompleted pipes initially intended to be presented at Chicago '09. Others have been in a state of gestation for years. One pipe in particular is a very cool piece. I shaped it out about 2 years ago in my last shop. This past week when Jody was visiting he picked it up again and said, "You still haven't finished this!?" He was almost incredulous.

...and rightfully so.

Were my wife to see this collection--correction, she just has!--she would (and was) as incredulous as Mr. Davis. Of course, her reasons are different than his. Where Jody might read laziness or nearly-complete pipes (and I've criticized him for the same thing!), my wife sees rent. I posted earlier about central juxtaposition of the artisan's position. We are at once businessmen and artists. Were I simply to "pound out" the above pictured pipes I would be forcing ideas through a form and would be submitting almost wholly to the business side of my vocation. Yet, if I were to simply wait for inspiration to find me I might wait forever!

This is to say that many of the above pipes have been incomplete simply because I get distracted by new and different ideas or orders in need of fulfillment. Sometimes inspiration can be reawakened simply by outside influence--say, one's spouse. After gathering the stummels from around my workshop to compose this photograph I must say that I cannot fathom why some have remained incomplete so long. I think that I feel the first inklings of inspiration drifting toward me. Don't be surprised if you see one or more of the pipes in the photograph buffed, blasted, and fitted with stems in the future. But I suspect that you would also not be surprised to find some or many of them remaining in their current state for some time into the future as I wait for the right idea or material to spark my desire to complete them in due course.

Thanks to all for indulging my inspiration and waiting patiently for my work to be created in its own time.

Best,

Jeff

Back at it

2009-05-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, the post-Chicago bliss of restful nights and freedom from deadlines...or so we pretend. This year's show was an unprecendented success for me. I was both surprised and grateful to see how quickly my work moved this year. As an artisan, I stand somewhere between the worlds of art and commerce. I am creating work that comes from my creative center while filtering this creativity through observations of the market. That is, it does not make good business sense for me to produce work that I am not confident will sell.

This year I brought 21 pipes with me--all jammed into one of the now-ubiquitous padded aluminum presentation cases. I arrived on Wednesday and by the show's start on Saturday morning I had a grand total of 4 pipes remaining. To say I was shocked would be a great understatement. The doors opened at 9:00 am and by 9:30 I had one pipe remaining. That remaining pipe sold to one of my favorite long-time customers on Sunday morning. Wow. Thank you all for your support, continuing, and growing interest in my work. I am truly grateful for your patronage and pleased that I am able to produce work that is able to find itself in a growing number of collections.

I stepped back into the shop two or three days after returning home, but have been working on few new pieces. I had some additional work for a select few customers that needed to be completed before starting to attack the waiting list of custom orders.

The first three pipes that I began to work on were new Swedish tomatos pictured in the In Progress section of the website. I was working away and managed to make a minor drilling error on the first (what a GREAT start!) that resulted in a slightly off center bore. The pipe is already fit with ebonite and ready to blast and will likely find itself into my own collection (just what I need--another pipe!) when completed. The remaining two were turning out beautifully. And then I went to buff the stems. I managed to grab the wrong stem stock--some flawed ebonite that I had set aside. What a bummer! When buffed, the jet black stems were anything but pure, but instead were flecked with minor imperfections. Consequently, I have been wallowing in sorrow and mourning the wasted time for the last week or so. I'm now fitting new, first-grade ebonite to them and hope to have the pair completed soon.

On another note, American pipe master, and my very good friend, Jody Davis, spent a week here in San Diego. While it would be easy to be distracted by the perfect weather and to waste one's work days soaking up the sun, Jody dove straight into the shop and put in a week of work making the first few pipes to carry his stamp in several months. Check out his website to see these new offerings: Jody Davis Pipes.

Finally, I'll be restarting my fairly regular updates of the blog and In Progress photos. Thanks all for your patience as I took a much needed break from creating briar dust. I'm sure we'll all be pleased with the benefits of some leisure time on my work. Batteries are charged now and I'm ready to go!

Best,

Jeff

Top o' the mornin' to you

2009-04-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning to everyone! Top o' the mornin', even.

This week in San Diego has been like summertime. We've had temperatures in the mid-80's, lovely breezes, fun surf--essentially we've had far too many distractions presenting themselves to those who are trying to work. Even so, I've done well by ignoring them and sticking to the latakia-scented confines of the pipe cave.

Things have been moving right along as I've been preparing for the Chicago show. Later on today I should have a preview of my work for the show prepared and posted to the website for you all to peruse.

Until then, I'll be finishing off my cappuccino, "early morning" smoke, and hitting the lathe to make an ivory ferruled billiard.

Best to all!

Jeff

What's in packaging?

2009-04-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

For some time now I have been looking for a way to better present my pipes to my customers. It is common and expected in the pipe world to package one's pipes in leather pouches, but this never seemed enough to me. After much research, thought, and many prototypes, I am proud to release to you all the new official J. Alan Pipes packaging.

Each new J. Alan Pipe will be accompanied by my soft deerskin logoed pouches, as always. This will now be complimented by an ownership card documenting the name, finish, briar origin, embellishment material, and date of completion for each pipe. Each ownership card will be sealed with wax carrying an embossed J. Alan Pipes logo. These accoutrements will be housed in a black box wrapped in grey ribbon and sealed with the J. Alan Logo seal.

I hope to hear that you all enjoy this new presentation of my work.

Best regards,

Jeff

As Promised--the J. Alan Surf Board

2009-04-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the J. Alan board. As I said, I shaped and glassed the whole board in my workshop--shutting down production for too long for a side project. But, doing side projects helps to recharge my creative energies.

I'll probably have a post sometime after Chicago with a new board. I'm planning to shape and glass a longboard after I return home from the show this year. It will be a little vacation for me from my vocation.

Other Projects

2009-04-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

What do pipemakers do in their spare time? I can't speak for others, but I know that for me, when my hobby became my vocation, I needed a new hobby. My wife would be the first to roll her eyes when this became apparent, because in her opinion the last thing that I need is another hobby. Many of you know that I am passionate about coffee, have a history of writing, recording, and performing music, enjoy reading, etc.

But, when we moved to Southern California how could I miss the opportunity offered by the area to learn to surf. It took me a while to get into the water for the first time, but once I did I caught the bug. We live just two blocks from the beach, so I had no excuse to not hop out of bed and make a daily 3 minute march to the water. After the Chicago Show last year I began to head to the beach at 6:30am every day for a morning surf session. When I learned to make pipes there were far more cast off and ruined blocks than I have today, simply as my experience and ability working briar increased. Surfing didn't have castoffs, but it did have lots of spills. Months and months of them--one after another. ...and injuries too. Fortunately none to the hands. But, it was such fun being in the water, watching the sun rise over the palm tree covered hills. It was a relaxing, energizing, and inspiring way to begin my workday.

Above you will see a photo of a board rack that I made last night. For some time my ever growing "quiver" of boards has been polluting my workspace and impeding efficient work flow. Consequently I made a long over due change by building this rack. Of course, I would happen to think about shooting a photo of the rack the day I didn't have the "J. Alan" board in the shop. I did try my hand at board making last year as well and have the only existing J. Alan logoed surf board--hand shaped and fiberglassed in my workshop. :) I'll try and post a photo in the next day or so. The foam board is for my wife, the next from the top was my first learning board (and it is totally wrecked), then below it are two older short boards that I picked up to practice repair techniques.

Perhaps this photo and bit of info will help put a little more context behind the nautical themed pipes that I seem so attracted to making. I have a deep and abiding fascination and even love of the ocean that shows up in much of my work. This little snippet of my new avocation might offer you all a little more insight into the J. Alan world.

Best,

Jeff

Pair of Fish

2009-04-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

One of my more popular shapes of late has been the blowfish. It is with great pride that I make this now-classic shape popularized by Lars Ivarsson and Jess Chonowitsch. Their mastery of this artform flows gracefully through the briar in this shape and above is but my humble interpretation of their foundation.

This pair of pipes, both custom orders, are a great compliment to one another. The stains are subtly different, one darker, one lighter. The sweeping tail/shank moves left on one and right on the other. One pipe is slightly larger, one smaller. The would, in fact, make a fantastic matched set of blowfish that are nearly mirror images of one another. But, they are destined for two different customers. This represents one of the things that makers may reflect upon while they work. Like this pair, I often prepare a batch of similarly shaped pipes when I accumulate a number of orders for them. Yet, there is a strange feeling of sending off pipes prepared as "siblings" and mailed to different ends of the country or even the world.

One further, unrelated, note is that it should be of interest to viewers of the blog and my website that the most frequently updated areas will be the blog and the In Progress page. I will try and be consistent about providing updates to the In Progress page several times a week and make at least a pair of postings to the blog.

Thanks for reading.

Jeff

Shopshot o' the Day

2009-03-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

...and a Nautical Dublin finished. Final polish, quality control checklist, and photgraphs are next.

Stem Restoration Photo Appendix

2009-03-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here you cansee the stem as it is nearly completed. We have almost reached the finest grit and we are starting to see a reflection.

And here we can see the finished stem. It looks pretty good considering we've only used sanding materials and haven't even touched it with a buffing wheel or compound.

And that is that. I'd say that this method, though it requires considerably more time (~15 minutes) than the "professional" method, it certainly does the trick and will restore your oxidized stem to near factory-fresh condition in no time at all.

I hope that this has been useful to you all and if there are any other points of pipemaking that you are interested in seeing written up as a photo tutorial, please let me know and I will see if I can work one up.

Best,

Jeff

Stem Restoration Part III

2009-03-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Here, now, is the third installment of the stem restoration tutorial.

The previous two installments detailed a version of a more commonly used method by professional pipe restorers. It is very rare, though, that a collector, and even a hobbyist, would have a properly tooled shop to pursue that method. Consequently, it is important that there be alternative methods for those who have not the money, space, or desire to own the equipment in the previous postings.

This alternative method produces a very good result. It is not up to the quality of that produced by using professional buffing equipment, but it will definitely do the trick if it needs to.

We'll begin by listing the necessary items:
1. Dirty Pipes :)
2. Shaped Wine corks as those mentioned in the previous post
3. 400 and 600gr wet/dry sandpaper
4. The Micro-mesh padded sanding kit (pictured below)

Micromesh is a more durable alternative to sandpaper that will likely cause you to wince if you are price conscious. I believe the set will run you around $20, or roughly the price of a professionally restored stem. The kit will include 3x4" double sided abrasive pads that are color coded according to grit. Be sure to keep track of the card that serves as your legend. No, it doesn't begin at 1500gr as the numbers might indicate. Micro mesh uses a different method of categorizing their grits, so I believe that 1500gr is roughly equivalent to 320 or 400gr in regular sandpaper. It will allow you to slowly work up through the grits until you have a near mirror finish.

Now, to begin. The photo below shows the stem (including a toothmark I was too hasty to remove) after it has first been given the cork and wet/dry sandpaper treatment as in Part II of this tutorial. For details please reference that article. I have already taken it through the first two colors of Micro mesh grit and you can see that the greenish tinge of the cheap vulcanite has begun to be removed and that the sanding scratches are getting finer.

Essentially you work through the colored grits, just as you would with traditional sandpaper. Take care to fit the sanding pad right up close to the back of the button to get it sanded and polished in that tight space. It's a little difficult, but it can be done. An alternative would be to buy the Micro mesh sanding cloth that you could wrap around a firmer surface like the shaped cork.

Here we've worked through yet another few grits--it's getting cleaner and closer to being actually polished, no?

And we'll have to have one additional post with the finished product. Here above is the stem as it is very close to reaching the top of the grits.

Snapshot of the Day

2009-03-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot from the shop today. I am finishing up the shank cap on this beautifully ring grained blowfish. The cap is made of a new signature wood and has a subtle, but simply outstanding two tone-coloration, lovely burl swirling, and a slight touch of a live edge. The pipe will be finished with a crowned, inset ebonite stem.

The New J. Alan Pipes Online Home!!

2009-03-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say, that it has been a long time coming. The site has been needing an update for some time now. After months of building different mockups and showing them to folks for review, I finally settled on a design this week. The rest of the week has been spent building and populating it.

At any rate, I am happy to announce the launch of my newly designed website. Please head on over to http://www.jalanpipes.com to see it in action.

Also, a big shout out to Kurt Huhn of www.pipecrafter.com and www.pipemakersforum.com for his gracious code writing and help with some troublesome sections of more advanced coding.

More later,

Jeff

Stem Restoration Part II

2009-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently blogger has limited the number of photos per post to four. So, I'll finish up this segment with the tools mentioned in the previous post and handle the other method in a third post.

So, we have now finished sanding behind the button, and the ridge on the Charatan's double comfort stem. These creases are generally areas that are either filthy because someone could not get their buffing wheel to get there or the ridge itself is rounded over from buffing too aggressively while trying to remove the oxidation in the improper way. The cork method will greatly improve your chances of preserving the stem's shape while thoroughly cleaning the vulcanite.

The next step is for removing oxidation along the rest of the stem's length. For this step you will need the following additional items:
1. An expandable pipe reamer
2. a bench vise
3. 1/2" wide strips of 400 and/or 600 grit sandpaper

Grip the pipe's bowl with the expandable reamer and clamp the reamer in your vise. This setup will hold the pipe firmly so that you can sand your stem with both hands. Sand gently back and forth, avoiding the tendency to "saw" in the same place over and over. Doing so will sand grooves into your stem. Instead, move the paper around while sanding for maximum coverage and to create a smooth surface for buffing in the next step.

After we finish sanding the stem and all of the oxidation has been removed, we take the pipe to our buffing wheel. As I mentioned in the previous installment of this tutorial, I would recommend buying a buffing motor and the Beall buffing system. Both are available from Pipemakers Emporium or your local woodworking store like Rockler. You can see in the photo that I've got a permanent, stationary mounted dual-wheel system. This is overkill for the amateur restorer, but essential for the professional.

We begin buffing with brown tripoli. Tripoli has a sandpaper grit equivalent to between 400 and 600 grit. To dispel a piece of pipe mythology, sanding a pipe or stem to ridiculously high grits like 1000 or even 20,000 is pointless if you plan to buff afterwards. You will actually be moving backwards in grit by doing so.

To properly buff a stem, you must be sure to hold it below center on the wheel, as is seen in the photo. Hold the pipe firmly in your hand and keep sharp angles away from the buff's leading edge. You'll get the feel for it, but I'd recommend placing something soft like carpet underneath your setup until you get used to it. You will inevitably catch at least one pipe by an edge and a wheel spinning this quickly will tear it from your hands and throw it against the wall or floor. So, BE VERY CAREFUL AND DO THIS ONLY AT YOUR OWN RISK. And if you are even the slightest bit intimidated by this, please send your pipes to be restored by a professional.

Gently ease the far edge of the stem into the wheel allowing the tripoli to do the work. It does not take much pressure at all to buff away the sandpaper scratches. Once you have finished buffing with brown tripoli, wipe away the greasy residue with a soft cloth and move on to white diamond. White diamond is a finer grit and will give your stem a glassy appearance. Finish up by using a soft flannel dry buff to remove the residue and hit it with carnauba if you so desire.

And here is what your final results may look like.

Stay tuned for Part III in which I'll show you how to get similar results with a little more elbow grease and on a tighter budget.

Best,

Jeff

A Brief Photo Tutorial on Stem Restoration

2009-03-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

This photo tutorial is as a supplement for those who did attend the Reno Show seminar and for those who were unable to attend. In this tutorial I will deal exclusively with stem restoration and will leave bowl restoration to a possible later segment if there is interest.

To begin, we'll obviously need a dirty pipe. Being a pipemaker with ready access to all of the necessary tools for restoration I have little excuse for not keeping my pipes even moderately clean. As I was preparing for the Reno seminar I found myself having to actually borrow pipes from friends so that I would have demonstration pieces that would truly show some sort of transformation. Consequently, for this photo tutorial I was searching the bottom of the barrel for a dirty pipe and this little Charatan Special is the worst I could find. In fact, anyone who has ever owned a Charatan knows that despite their sterling reputation among collectors that their stem material was inferior, to say the very least. One could store a Charatan stem in a cool, dark, vacuum chamber and still have a green stem 5 minutes after its last cleaning. Perhaps it's not quite that bad, but most of us are aware that Charatan stems do oxidize remarkably fast.

Below you will see a photo of the Charatan stem prior to cleaning.

I'll break this tutorial into two sections with two sets of restoration tools. The first segment is for those who will be regularly restoring their stems and would like to have a proper setup in their homes to keep things clean. You will need the following items:
1. Buffing motor (preferably 1725rpm)
2. Beall Buffing System
3. 400 & 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
4. Wine corks
5. Buffing compounds (brown tripoli & white diamond)

Now before we begin with the restoration we should first take our wine corks and shape them to the profiles seen below. You can do this by dragging them across a coarse grit of sandpaper or on a belt sander if you have access to one. The cork on the left with the radiused edge is used for sanding the saddle areas of stems. The right hand cork is a 90 degree angle and is used to sand behind the button of your pipes. You will also need to cut your sandpaper into strips approximately 1-1.5" wide like that seen in the photograph.

Next we will fold the sandpaper as seen below. This will allow it to tightly fit the angle of the cork so as to firmly sand the area behind the button and remove all of the green or brown grim that has nestled itself in there.

Next we sand as seen below, pinching the paper tightly around the cork and putting our pressure toward the button. Be sure to take care on the bottom side of bent stems that you do not sand a groove in the stem with the back side of the cork.

I'll continue with more photos in the next segment.

Reno Show Photos

2009-03-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well, my apologies are due for the lack of posting for the last few days. The follow-up post never came because, well, we lost internet connectivity toward the middle of the day. We could have renewed our subscription, but decided to wait until reaching our Oregon destination the next day--only to realize that there was no wireless connection there. That's life sometimes.

So, without further delay, above you have surely seen several more photos of the show. The pipemakers were in unanimous agreement that despite the surprisingly low foot traffic, those who did come through the door did so with the full intention of buying tobacciana. As a result, the show was a tremendous success from a business point of view, more so, in fact, than most of the established shows in the country.

Many of you have requested information and even notes from the seminar on pipe restoration co-led by me and Brad Pohlmann. I'll happily detail the proceedings in a future blog post with a step-by-step photo guide of my own segment. Brad taught the portion dealing with bowl restoration that I did not attend, but would be happy to share my thoughts on if indeed some of you are interested in reading it.

After Saturday's show concluded, the some of the pipemakers (Todd Johnson, Brad Pohlmann, Steve Morrisette, and me) all headed up to our beautifully appointed room in the hotel's West Tower to rest. We ended up going out to dinner that evening with several collectors to a restaurant suggested by none other than Marty Pulvers. It turns out that his fine taste is not limited to pipes and tobacco but extends in to food and drink as well. We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening and ended up closing the restaurant before heading back to the hotel lobby for drinks and pipes.

In sum, this year's Reno show was a fine event with tremendous potential for the future. My hope is that they receive enough positive feedback from attendees and hopeful attendees for next year that the event will be repeated and its success multiplied in subsequent years. Please do contact the fine people at Pipemakers' Emporium to let them know you would be interested in a future event.

That's all from the show floor. Please tune in soon to read a bit about our American Pipe Jam at Brad Pohlmann's lovely Oregon workshop. I'll try and have a new post with photos and descriptions of our activities in the next few days. I didn't take any photos of the event, but Steve Morrisette, who happens to be a professional photographer, did snap quite a few shots that I hope to get from him shortly so that you all can have an insider's view into our collaborative work.

Take care and be well,

Jeff

First Shots from the Show

2009-03-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

The Reno Show has begun!!
The morning's setup was uneventful, but was filled with reunions which happen to be my favorite part of shows. Pipemakers spend most of their time in their hermitages crafting wares for customers around the world. We'll make phone calls here and there to pipemaker friends to break up some of the shop's monotony, but for the most part it is lonely work. So, shows provide an opportunity to reune with those friends we see only a few times a year.

You'll see in the top photo pipemakers Brad Pohlmann and Todd Johnson along with show promoter, Paul Hildebrand of Pipemakers' Emporium

In the lower photo is the venerable Mr. Marty Pulvers who brought along a few pipes to accompany his legendary presence. Marty's a great guy and I always look forward to seeing and chatting with him throughout the year.

The day's looking good so far.

I only wish that my camera could capture the extraordinary view of the mountains through the light saturated windows in the background. We are surrounded by natural beauty with gorgeous snow covered mountains just outside the venue. It's almost a shame to be indoors.

That's it for now. I'll post some more photos later on with some additional info about the pipe restoration seminar that Brad and I led.

The Pre-Show Rush

2009-03-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Every pipemaker I know experiences this several times every year. The month or so before a show a maker thinks hard about what the show will bring and what he will begin to prepare for it. Inevitably, business calls, and one cannot simply set aside mountains of pipes in waiting for a future event that even at a month-or-so ahead seems oh so distant. We have bills to pay like everyone else, after all. So we tinker here and there refining ideas in our heads, in notepads, journals, or on blocks of wood.

Then we realize how little time is remaining.

This was my experience in the world of higher education as well. I would ponder ideas without any pressure from a distant deadline only to be shocked when that deadline was suddenly visible.

To think that the Reno show begins tomorrow is a shock. This, like all other shows, has caught me by surprise. Not on a cognitive or rational level, mind you, but on an emotional level. All of a sudden I was jolted by the many things populating my to-do list in contrast with the clock ticking steadily upon the wall.

Fortunately, I found myself well prepared for this show having had a good deal of time in the workshop regularly for weeks. As a result, I have quite a collection of pipes prepared for display at the show, as can be seen in the photo spread above.

Now, early in the evening on the eve of the show, I can for once say that I won't leave the shop a wreck (I've just tidied, swept, and made it presentable), I have all of my show materials collected (and you wouldn't believe how this list has grown over the years), and I am sitting at my work bench happily typing this posting while smoking a lovely pipe recently given to me by a very generous collector. Making the relaxation perfect is the promise of fine brew rising from my coffee roaster that is turning away in the background. This is going to be a fun show.

I am happy to say that this has, so far, been a relatively stress-free show prep. And, I am very happy with the pipes I will be presenting for sale at the show as well.

I'll be leaving San Diego tomorrow just after noon and arriving in Reno around 5pm (honestly, why must my airline have a connection between Southern California and Reno??). Please do stop by my table at the show if you will be attending, or say hello as I peruse the rooms and admire the beautiful pipes brought by collectors, retailers, and pipemakers on Friday and Saturday night.

Take care and I'll write more from the show after I arrive.

Best,

Jeff

P.S. Watch the blog over the weekend and into next week for musings and photos from the Reno show and also from our little pipemakers' pow-wow at Rancho Pohlmann in southern Oregon.

Saved by Sand

2009-03-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

And this is what the same pipe looks like after a visit with the sandblaster. A pipe that would ahve demonstrated otherwise unimpressive straight grain has been transformed into an exceptional pipe with a fantastic sandblast. The ring graining is very well pronounced on this pipe and the grain that was unsuited for smooth finishing has contributed to a beautiful contrast stain.

This pipe will be available for sale at the Sparks show on Friday.

Best,

Jeff

2009-03-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

And this is what the same pipe looks like after a trip to the sandblaster to rescue the pipe for the high-grade collecting community. The pipe, as the photos accurately demonstrate, blasted beautifully with very well defined rings and its contrast staining help the underlying straight grain to appear more beautiful than if it had been left smooth in my opinion.

I'll have this pipe with me in Reno for those interested.

Best,

Jeff

Oh, the Tragedy!!

2009-03-04T13:17:00.000-08:00

One of the unfortunate events of pipemaking occurs when digging into an outwardly well-grained block of briar whose live edge bolsters one's opinion of the virtue of the wood's grain and finding that you are in fact, mistaken. Nature's gremlin has foiled your attempts to create a beautifully straight-grained pipe.

Yet, one feature that occasionally appears during said event is that of absolutely flawless briar.

Argh!

The pipe in the photo reveals rather uninspiring grain, no? Well, take a look at the beautiful and regularly spaced birdseye in the picture below. Now, you see the real tragedy here.

The commitment of a high-grade pipemaker is to assure his clients that a smooth pipe is one with superior grain. Superior grain must be as uniform in formation as possible so as to give the pipe optimum value by enhancing its aesthetic appeal. This pipe, even with a light stain, would have proven relatively uninspiring and it would have been hard to justify charging smooth prices for a pipe with grain that I consider inferior.

So, off to the blaster with it. That is unless someone out there is dying for a smooth pipe in this shape with grain of questionable beauty. If that person wants this pipe, he is free to contact me in the next 15 minutes. :)

Barring that outlying chance, I'll post some finished photos of the pipe post blasting to demonstrate how beauty can be added to a pipe through texture.

The commitment of a high-grade pipemaker is to assure his clients that a smooth pipe is one with superior grain. Superior grain must be as uniform in formation as possible so as to give the pipe optimum value by enhancing its aesthetic appeal. This pipe, even with a light stain, would have proven relatively uninspiring and it would have been hard to justify charging smooth prices for a pipe with grain that I consider inferior.

So, off to the blaster with it. That is unless someone out there is dying for a smooth pipe in this shape with grain of questionable beauty. If that person wants this pipe, he is free to contact me in the next 15 minutes. :)

Barring that outlying possibility, I'll post some finished photos of the pipe post blasting to demonstrate how beauty can be added to a pipe through texture.

Best,

Jeff

A Quick and Important Word of Correction

2009-02-28T22:21:00.001-08:00

In my zeal to promote our good Reno show I failed to recall the fact that one of the stalwart American shows has always, and I'm assured will always, remain a SMOKING show. The CORPS show in Richmond, VA is proudly a show that will allow you to enjoy your pipes and tobacco as they should be--together.

My apologies to CORPS and my assurance that I will indeed be attending that show as well.

Please visit the CORPS website to see the date and show schedule.

Also, I manageed to forget to post a link to the Reno show. Please see the show schedule as well as general, hotel, and attraction information at the Smokin 'n Sparks website.

Notes from a State of Preparation

2009-02-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

Now, without further delay, some words and photos about the Reno pipe show.

First, a photo. As is common with pipemakers, the weeks before attending a show are filled with dust, sweat, a little blood, and hopefully a sprinkling of inspiration. The following photo contains a few of the pipes that are in process for the show. All of the pipes are currently available for purchase and can be pre-reserved or purchased by contacting me by email or telephone at 609-937-8317.

Those of you who will be attending, I look forward to seeing you all there. For those who will not, I suspect that you may find some last minute deals on Travelocity--so click on over and book your flight. :) That being said, the show has great potential for success. I understand that it is the only show in the U.S. that will this year permit the smoking of pipes within the exhibition hall. This seems reason enough to attend. Further incentive should be the great company. Besides yours truly will be pipemaking extraordinaires Todd Johnson and Brad Pohlmann as well as up-and-comer Steve Morrissette.

Brad and I will be co-leading a seminar on pipe restoration on Saturday morning, so bring your dirty old pipes and learn how to give them some new life.

After the show ends the above mentioned pipemakers will be retreating to Brad's workshop for a little Jam Session. In all, the experience for the pipemakers should be a good one. We're just hoping that attendence will be sufficient that our trips will at least be paid for. So, again, for those of you who had considered attending, please do link over to Travelocity and book a flight.

We'll see you there.

Best,
Jeff

Welcome

2009-02-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome one and all to the J. Alan Pipes blog. Why jump into the blogosphere, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. I am currently constructing a new website in my "spare" time as the old site has a more than dated appearance these days. The thought of taking 20 minutes or more to prepare a new page for the website was more than I could handle. So, the easiest solution in this modern click-and-forget-it world was to create a blog.

Blogs are ubiquitous these days, whether within or without the pipe community. Part of the role that they play is that which inspired the creation of this blog--simplicity and speed. I am in the midst of preparations for the Reno pipe show next weekend and wanted to post some "From the Shop" photos of works in progress for you all to see. I didn't have time to create a new page on the website and replace or reapply the scotch tape that is holding its template together. Consequently this blog has filled that need.

We have, of course, yet to see whether this particular iteration of the site will find its way into my updated site. The new site will indeed have a blog, but the question is one of hosting. Will you always be redirected to Blogger to view it, or will you remain within my website. I'm planning the latter, though that does indeed remain to be seen.