So I got ambitious today… Or I just let my impulsive ADHD take control and went down a rabbit hole. Either way I’m now invested in this new project. Im making a pipe. But I want it to be nice, not cobbled together. And I want to document it here for your enjoyment, or comic relief depending how it all goes. I used to spend all my free time getting into new hobbies. I haven’t finished a project in years but I want to change that. I figured out one of the reasons I don’t do those things is I dont have all the people in my life cheering me on that I used to. I always thought I did all that stuff for me, but I guess I did it because other people loved to see me do it? I don’t know, so I figured I’d do it for my OG family. Maybe it will help.
I had been thinking about this since I cut my last set of autos down and found the main stalk hollow. I had just been looking at long stemmed Gandalf style tobacco pipes a lot because well they just look cool. I didn’t really like any of them and the ones I did like were crazy expensive.
The last few days I’ve been researching pipe making. I have decent wood working skills, no master but better than your average Joe probably. I bought a pre drilled briar wood pipe blank. It has a rough shape cut out that you finish shaping to your liking. Waiting for that to arrive.
I spent some time today removing the bark to the stem, drilling out the one end, sanding and cutting off the split and damaged ends. The wood is very soft and fragile towards the top where the mouth peice will be. After reading around different places I’ve found I need to stabilize the wood. I’m still trying to figure out what process would be best for this application as there are a few choices as far as materials and methods used. Seems like the most effective way is submerged in whatever stabilizer you choose and then put under vacuum. The vacuim removes any air that may be trapped in the wood and the stabilizer gets pulled into the wood. When the stabilizer cures it strengthens the wood.
Seems this isn’t really used a lot in pipe making but found some hobby forum posts about pen making and wood stabilizer. So my problem now is more about the stabilizer I use and how safe is it. The stem won’t be in contact with flame, and I’m likely going to add a sturdier mouth peice to it. I don’t think there should be any health concerns but I’d still rather be safe than sorry. As far as putting it under vacuum, looks like I can just get a mason jar and use my manual brake bleeder that’s been collecting dust.
I have an old belt sander that I’m gonna mount to something so I can use that to shape some of the pipe. I may brake down and go to harbor freight and buy a table belt sander. I’d rather not spend the money though.
Still a lot of reading to do and things to get. Hopefully I finish this project so I get the motivation to complete some bigger unfinished things.
Just want to pop in and update the project. It hasn’t moved forward at all sadly. My order for my briar wood blank was lost. I was getting no response from email calling the number in the sight got me nowhere. I eventually found their Facebook and messaged them there. They got back to me the next day and said they shipped it. That was yesterday and the tacking still shows USPS hasn’t received it. Hoping they just made a new shipping label and didn’t update my order. I’ll give it a few days and see what happens. It’s a smaller company so I know these things can happen.
Besides I’m still trying to figure out how to stabilize the stem. I know I need to submerge it in a resin of some kind and apply vacuum. I purchased some mason jar lids that work with my food saver vacuum sealer. Hopefully that can provide enough vacuum to draw the resin into the wood.
I just need to know what to use. I’m hesitant to use a what I assume is polyurethane based min wax wood hardener which is dirt cheap. I mean they’re all some sort of chemical epoxy resin. I’m just worried about any chemical changes or vapors etc. During use caused by heat. The stem will not be in direct contact to flame but pipes get hot.
I’m thinking I’ll have to get the MSDS sheets for all my potential products and see if there’s any dangers regarding the product being heated after curing. Longer road than I wanted to take but I’d rather not get some weird cancer just for a cool pipe.
Problem is the professional stuff is super expensive. The one I keep coming back to is called cactus juice and it’s like 70 bucks a quart. These projects always start out so simple in my head
I have too but haven’t seen anyone do what I’m trying exactly. I was hoping I could follow someone else’s process but so far no luck. The ones I’ve found were basically just carved out or fitted together with glues and epoxy. The stem wood is so soft and punky I can’t imagine those pipes lasted long. That’s why I went with a briar wood pipe blank. It should be able to handle regular use better.
I missed the briarwood part, sorry. I thought you were using a cannabis stem. They probably don’t last long, but my plan is to bend it after I chop it down so it’s soft and pliable, then use an old school metal bowl so it doesn’t burn as quickly.
Good luck with yours!! I love watching DIYs to get ideas and tips
I have no idea how to do that. I’ve made pipes of glass and stuff, but not wood…no once i made a cool one out of a deer horn and it’s base. It looked really cool, but u don’t wanna be smokin’ deer horn. Which leads me to offer a vacuum in say mineral oil. U sure don’t to be smoking some weird-ass chemical resin, that’s for damn sure. Just offering an idea. To quote the inimitable Zappa, “I may be totally wrong but I’m a…dancin’ fool.”
So i googled some stuff, and probly found same stuff you found. But here:
And this one offers no briarwood bowl:
And here’s one that talks about toxicity of materials:
Thank you for the links! I have read these though lol. The pipe the guy made looks awesome but he glued the pieces together. I’ve been sticking mainly to pipe making forums for info now. Seems I’m gonna have to buy some material called delrin and make my own connections called tennons to connect the peices. ProfessionalPipe makers use epoxy to glue these together. So I’m assuming there is a safe option out there. Higher quality pipes are fitted using integrated tennons. Basically the fitting is milled into the stem. I don’t have a mill and I still would need to stabilize the wood with an epoxy or some kind.
The mineral, linseed, tung oils etc are good at preserving the woods but not hardening stabilizing them. The stem would be too thin and brittle to fit into the pipe. I want to see what it will be like after stabilization and I may try and hand shape an integrated tennons into the other stem I have. I only have two stems to play with right now so I’m being cautious.
My issue seems to be not one pipe makers run into since they often just choose materials better suited for stems and bowls. So I’m mostly SOL on that front and have to figure it out on my own.
This is a cool thread,
I’ve been making pipes a long time.
And haven’t run into others who make them.
Ironically, I’ve been making them with wooden stems the last year or so just IMG_20240825_205735204~2|690x224 for sumpthing different…
Those are awesome! what kind of wood are you using? and what are you using to finish the wood? this will be my first wood pipe. I of course have made many pipes out of many things over the years. this will probably be the only notable one i make haha. Ive never made a pipe close to the quality you have there.
I use all kinds of wood, mostly indigenous and many materials for the bowls.
Over time I learned that delicate stems are better worked green and then allowed to harden.
What I use now for any wood porosity is clear fingernail polish. Paint it on, and gently suck it in with your mouth while blocking the other end.
Obviously don’t breathe it in lol, just draw it in gently and feel it seal, it dries basically inert and very quickly.
You can wet sand and polish it out as needed. I use aerosols and epoxies where safe to do so. In antlers I use ground merschaum in the bowls. I’ve made a couple hundred and never sold one, gave away almost all or traded.
Thanks, nice pix of your work. I kinda think maybe BeardedMech should make it without using the cannabis stem due to porosity like he said. Or he could do a decorative cannabis pipe, but hell if you wanna use it, maybe just forget it.
Eh, the whole idea started because of the stem. To leave it out makes the project feel like it’s lost its point. I enjoy the challenge and like meticulous work. If it fails I’m sure I’ll learn some new things along the way. I have faith it should work alright, it’s my own craftsmanship that will hold me back. Ive seen people stabilize hemp stems for turning in a lathe to make pens.
The circular mortise and tenon is a fab idea. I hadn’t even thot of it. I found all kindsa circular mortise and tenon DIY help on google. Yeah, i would be damn proud of a tree branch that size myself, and want to memorialize it somehow. I hope u post a pic when it’s done.
Thank you for that wisdom! Can you elaborate on the worked while still green part? Do you have any fitment issues after the wood drys completely? The nail polish and suck idea is pretty neat. I suppose it’s doing a out the same thing I’m trying to accomplish. So far this has been a fun project to research. I’m really hoping my stuff arrives soon so I can actually get started.
