That goes without saying dude. I am just curious how others see their collections.
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That goes without saying dude. I am just curious how others see their collections.
I had 3 of Matt's 18350 pipes, but always found them to be a bit on the smaller size. I find the 18500 Dragon's a much better fit for my hand, plus most, if not all, stand by themselves.
Well, that and they look damn sexy too..
Well, that and they look damn sexy too..
So a number of shankless dragon hybrids this week. Interesting indeed. I have seen as many of Matt's pipes as I can find online, but I am still quite the newb to the scene. It seems every collector has to have a Gandalf of some kind in their collection, and I certainly believe that. Would you vets out there say the same of a dragon?
I dont have a Gandalf. I do have a dragon, but just one. I need another dragon though, the Jaderuler I consider extremely fragile due to the seed pod on the bottom. Maybe one day Ill Gandalf myself.
So a number of shankless dragon hybrids this week. Interesting indeed. I have seen as many of Matt's pipes as I can find online, but I am still quite the newb to the scene. It seems every collector has to have a Gandalf of some kind in their collection, and I certainly believe that. Would you vets out there say the same of a dragon?
While not a vet, I can tell you that the only reason I have a Gandolf...It was the only one available on the site, and it was the first time I had been to the site and saw a pipe that wasn't 'out of stock'!
I'm glad that I was able to start my collection off with that one though. Sort of a 'Welp, got THAT out of the way!', ya know. I'm sure ill buy more of them in the future in different woods, however.
While i plan on eventually owning dozens of Matt's creations, I'm really thinking that my next purchase is going to be a CIY block. While I have zero artistic bones in my body, my father in law carves for fun (and a bit of profit). And he's good. Real good. An example of his work...
This is a horrible photo taken with an iPhone, but I think it gets the point across.
He's won awards for that piece. And was offered $10,000 for it. He refused and gave it to Mrs. IW808 for Christmas last year.
My son is also a budding carver. He won first place at the local fair a couple of months ago for this...
So I will probably end up buying two CIY blocks, lol.
EDIT: by the way, that crane stand at about four feet tall, the dragon about 18".
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Matt! Get this man a couple CIY blocks, pronto lol
LOL.
Well, he's got a while before I'm gonna be able to get them. Ms. Tuscadero blew my vape budget for a the next month or so.
If anything, this pipe may be the pick of the week for me.
This is the one that caught my eye too. With a Black Rose or Wine Churchwarden.
Very subtle and cool shaping. The bend around the shank is sweet and that is a beautiful piece of wood.
A little distraction before tomorrow's pipes (today's for most) ... Played around with torching some stainless tonight. The tip was polished stainless with a now nice hue between copper and bronze with a hint of blue. The darker blue is a drip extender. I actually torched both at the same time but the extender was very thin walled and the tip very thick.
Below that is a standard 510 atty and beat up gold ego cone (the one I've been using to shield the threads on the CIY). I still haven't picked up a good drip guard yet (thought i had one coming this week but ordered the wrong size). All on my Dublin with brass button and silver bands. Just BARELY free stands like this.
Torching is fun ... Yay for the wife having an acetylene torch!
Below that is a standard 510 atty and beat up gold ego cone (the one I've been using to shield the threads on the CIY). I still haven't picked up a good drip guard yet (thought i had one coming this week but ordered the wrong size). All on my Dublin with brass button and silver bands. Just BARELY free stands like this.
Torching is fun ... Yay for the wife having an acetylene torch!
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So I am looking over today's selections. I just gotta say it - that final slide, the dragon that is growing out of the dwarf, is just freaking me out. I have never seen one like it. For good reason? You be the judge. Personally, I think I dig it. Definitely unique that is for sure. It is having an odd power over me and the more I gaze at it the more curious I get. An odd thing. I don't have unlimited disposable income and want a true dwarf...plus with Elementals, acrylics, and steel hammers on the horizon I gotta make sure I have some scratch ready...but damned if that freaky pipe ain't haunting me. I am VERY curious to see who truly falls for the Dwarvish Dragon.
I reckon a Dwarven Dragon would be most appropriate, given what's hitting theaters in just a few months.
Nah, a $13 [EDIT: looked at the invoice and it was only $5.99, even better] jobbie from Kidney Puncher, but very good for the price.
Re-modding is kind of my thing though, so I will have some higher end pieces getting torched very soon (Reactor caps, LavaGen).
I was using these tips to get a little idea of how long different thicknesses took to oxyidize. The really thin stuff I thin I'll just bake, too hard to stop quickly enough, but the nice machined thick stuff is FUN to hand-torch and just monitor the color.
I found quenching seems to pit the oxidation so I just let them air cool. Then a very very thin wipe with food grad neutral oil, then wipe it off as much as possible and you'll feel like you're still holding polished steel.
If I could get all of these parts in a food grade bronze I'd be all over that, but this is a nice middleground
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Hey Matt, concerning my torching, I'm assuming that the V2.5 buttons are fully mechanical but I want to be sure. Is it just a spring inside and no soldered wiring?
I'm thinking of aging the brass a bit (I know it won't get the same hues as the steel) and then polishing the oxidation a little for shine. I know the aluminum won't change at all but that is fine. My magnet on this button is already lose so I can pull it off. I just want to make sure that (as long as I keep the heat below the point where I can melt the metals) I won't be burning up any solder or rubber inside the button.
I know I'll need to remove the oxidation from underneat to retain the electrical conductivity, that's no problem, have a good jewelers set up here.
I'm thinking of aging the brass a bit (I know it won't get the same hues as the steel) and then polishing the oxidation a little for shine. I know the aluminum won't change at all but that is fine. My magnet on this button is already lose so I can pull it off. I just want to make sure that (as long as I keep the heat below the point where I can melt the metals) I won't be burning up any solder or rubber inside the button.
I know I'll need to remove the oxidation from underneat to retain the electrical conductivity, that's no problem, have a good jewelers set up here.
Quiet in here today...is everyone already sitting on the website pounding the F5 key?
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