Some instagrams of what I’m working on:

Joan is working on pipes but not smoking due to his flu.

My fifth pipe was a horn made from a predrilled kit. A guy from a spanish pipe forum wanted to buy it, but the holes where not well done (in fact the kit arrived with a small disaster done at the bottom of the chamber) and I said I won’t sell it (well… I never sold any pipe until now).

I said to him I would give it for free. I was not happy with the mouthpiece of the kit and when I did the pipe I didn’t tried to modify any stem yet.

I’m not very good doing it yet, but I wanted to replace the stem and changed also the staining of the pipe. I’m more happy with the result now but still I won’t mark this one as one of my pipes due to the imperfections in the drilling of the piece.

I will post better photos tomorrow.

Finishing the shape of the saddle with the sandpaper:

Staining done. Polish missing. At this step I was thinking about bending the stem:

Polishing done and mouthpiece finished. Only wax is missing:

Joan is smoking today Martín Micalet + Escudo.

I just finished right now the pipe I was working on.

I stained and polished it today. I wanted a base of traditional brown and then adding some soft oranges and yellows as reminiscence of fire. Then I kept the top of the pipe showing the irregular surface of the plateaux and painted it very dark. I like to imagine that the pipe is burning from the top, and slowly disppearing. So it looks like a broken or burnt stack but it has more the size of a billiard.

I’ll post better photos tomorrow in my photo studio, but for now, there are two instagrams I took while I was working on it.

BTW, after finishing it, I decided to celebrate it with some penzance in my virigin Meerschaum lattiice.

Joan is smoking right now: Meerschaum real lattice Lubinski + Esoterica Tobacciana Penzance.

First of all: Happy new year!

This was supposed to be the last pipe of 2012, but looks like it will be the first one from 2013.

It is really small, thin and with a narrow chamber. Probably I’ll keep it for me… I need some low capacity pipes.

Shaping almost finished and some stem work done. I love the grain in this little lady.:

Still thinking about the staining. I didn’t decide what to do with the raw part of the top yet.

Joan is smoking: Don Carlos + Peretti Park Square.

Two new pipes in progress.

A comissioned classic billiard and my first rodhesian. I’m making the rodhesian as an exercise. I want to test some aspects of this shape to learn for future rodhesians, bulldogs and skimos.

Joan is smoking: Maltese billiard without brand + Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake

Mode newbie at the lathe: ON. Chubby bent billiard ruined. I’ll start from zero another day.

Joan is smoking: Don Carlos + C&D Mississippi Mud.

I have been working on this egg shaped pipe during the afternoon. It’s my first test with the lathe. I’ll let the stain rest and I’ll polish it and finish the mouthpiece on sunday.

Joan is smoking: Don Carlos + C&D Mississippi Mud.

Working on a new pipe for my friend Melvin Mifsud from Malta.

Air holes ready and ebonite stem fitting perfectly. I choosed one of the best pieces of briar wood that I have. I will try not to ruin it with my poor skills:

Most of the shaping done. Done with the sand disc attached to the drill:

Sanding with sand papers:

Staining done and now working on the stem:

Let’s see how it looks at the end.

Joan is smoking right now: Markuz + Dunhill Standard Mixture.

Back to basics. Working on a billiard.

Joan is smoking now: Cantó Poker + C&D Bayou Morning.