Table top pipes, and staining techniques

What you see here is a new addition to my regular models. I was recently contacted by a customer interested in a tabletop pipe, and even though I wasn't sure how to accomplish the design, I accepted the challenge anyway. It took me a while to figure out all the details, get stuff sorted out, and craft it such that it looked like an organized unit. The end result is a great harmony of the sinister, realistic, and stylized.

I was so pleased with the initial pipe that I decided to work on a second, and with the blessings of the customer, a new line is born. Check out the Mount Doom line of pipes here. This pipe was so fun to make that you can expect more to be available soon.

In other news, I've recently been experimenting with new contrast staining techniques. Two pipes that use the technique can be found here and here. It's a recipe that's been around for as long as people have been trying to get wood to change colors. I had actually used a variation on some knife handles a while back, but it didn't occur to me to try it on pipes until just a couple months ago. The idea actually came up on the Pipe Makers' Forum and Trever Talbert and I discussed it a little. While we did discuss it, they're actually rather dissimilar. For instance, I know that Trever's has one more ingredient than mine, and my reactive solution is prettier. :) Expect more pipes with this staining, and some very contrasty grain in the future.