Finished Horn

The horn pipe I was working on has turned out very nice.

Horn almost done

The horn pipe is much closer now to being finished. All that is left now is hand sanding the pipe to its final shape and finishing the stem.

The pipe will then be ready for stain and polishing.

All of this hopefully will be completed by tomorrow.

Horn pipe shaping up nicely

With the stem now attached, I have only to finish refining the shape.

Horn in Progress

I have a bad case of A.D.D and more than a few of my pipe maker friends know this. I have a hard time making one pipe at a time. This is not a good thing since now there are about 15 pipes ready to be finished sitting on my workbench.
Most of these pipes have only minor things left to be done. Some of these pipes need only to have a stem made. Some pipes just need a final coat of stain or an end cap attached.
I always know my mind has wandered again when I look up from the shaping wheel and see the unfinished pipes sitting on the bench.
I am shaping yet another pipe and the shame is overwhelming.

This happened again to me last night around five o'clock.

I was sitting at my work bench hand sanding a pipe when all of a sudden a block of briar laying on the table in front of me started to take my attention away from the pipe I was working on.
This block of briar was calling to me to make it into a horn. Without realizing what had happened at the time, I put down the pipe that was so close to being done and began to shape a horn.
After the pipe was roughed out on the shaping wheel I cleaned it up a little and took this photo.
I know this will make a beautiful horn pipe once the drilling is done and the shaping is refined.

But at what cost do I do these things?

When God gives you small blocks?

You make small pipes!

This block of briar could not have been more than 3 inches long by 2 1/2 inches tall. I almost put the block aside but the grain of this small piece of briar told me to start carving.
There is still much to be done but when it is finished it will make someone a nice " little" pipe.

Pipes in progress Nov 29, 2010

Blowfish in progress.
I love working with the cross cut briar. The blocks offer a great deal of choices for creativity.

Wyoming Snow!

The heavy snows have come early here in Wyoming.
This morning I trudged my way through over a foot of snow to reach my shop where I create my pipes.
Shoveling snow is almost an every day occurrence here and the snows build to over two hundred inches before winters end.

As I am digging my way to my shop door I wonder who will find my lifeless body sticking out of a snow bank do to a massive coronary.
It is funny how you never really know just how out of shape you are until you are knee deep in snow with a shovel in your hand cursing every minute.





Don't get me wrong, I love winter in Wyoming and it is something most people will only see in their favorite made for T.V. Christmas movie.



The photo's here are of my workshop and a photo of my driveway in the front of my house.
If you ever make it to Wyoming in winter you will find a winter wonderland that is one of the most beautiful places on earth.


Just prepare yourself to also find a crazy pipe maker sticking out of a snow bank, with one final curse word on his lips and gripping a much hated snow shovel!!