Swan Neck Indulgence

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AroEnglish

Lifer
Jan 7, 2020
3,869
11,741
Midwest
Wow. I didn't realize the "shape love" was so prevalent. :) I thought it was a hardcore collector Thing.

The visual magic happens when the stem is pushed to its limit in both size and bend but absolutely no further. Teetering on the brink of cartoonish---one step more and it would fall off the edge---but it never does no matter the viewing angle. Seriousness and dignity prevails.

As for how many pipes I've made, it's six or seven. Quinton Wells and I were going to team up to make lots of 'em in 2012 but it never happened for an assortment of reasons, and I still have some briar blocks from the project in a box under a desk.

Once in a while the urge strikes and I give it a go.

Here's a 90-degree side shot of the swanny I meant to include. Always the benchmark viewing angle when assessing line. (Oblique shots are sexier but less useful)




View attachment 300475
What's the inlay on the top?
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,548
14,319
The logo came about because I always thought pipes---Britshapes, at least---looked naked without something there, and every reasonable combination of colors, dots, and rings had already been taken. Also, stamps like Barling, Charatan, etc. weren't durable. (The world's Great Buffer Army has seen to that.)

An inlaid, semi-stylized half (third?) moon fit the bill.



P1070044.jpg
 
Dec 3, 2021
4,943
41,843
Pennsylvania & New York
The logo came about because I always thought pipes---Britshapes, at least---looked naked without something there, and every reasonable combination of colors, dots, and rings had already been taken. Also, stamps like Barling, Charatan, etc. weren't durable. (The world's Great Buffer Army has seen to that.)

An inlaid, semi-stylized half (third?) moon fit the bill.



View attachment 300535

George, the pipe is gorgeous.

Not to be too nitpicky, but the bottom of the moon doesn’t look parallel to the stem face edge—is it just the camera angle and/or lens distortion making it look off?
 
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AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
4,886
25,562
Florida - Space Coast
Lot of people really like the eagles, tickets are super expensive. I met Joe Walsh in White Rock Canada and we hit it off and ended up going to a river boat casino and gambling and hanging out.

show off.. gorgeous work
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,548
14,319
Not to be too nitpicky, but the bottom of the moon doesn’t look parallel to the stem face edge—is it just the camera angle and/or lens distortion making it look off?

Ever notice how rarely the trademark is dead center on "dot logo" pipes?

It's because hitting dead center on the surface of a casually-shaped object AND have the "strike" have zero tilt as well as be axially aligned is pretty close to impossible to achieve manually more than half the time.

If the logo is a true circle/dot, the only resulting "damage" is the circle will be imperceptibly out of round (from half to maybe three ten-thousandths of an inch depending on dot diameter and stem diameter) . If the logo is anything other than a circle, though, evidence of the miss can usually be seen with the naked eye.

In the case of a half(ish) moon, the straight line across the bottom will tilt a smidge.

Hoover assured me it's OK, though, and to carry on. He likes it when I fuss over stuff. Especially his food.



Screen Shot 2024-04-03 at 6.34.46 PM.png
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,864
29,738
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Ever notice how rarely the trademark is dead center on "dot logo" pipes?

It's because hitting dead center on the surface of a casually-shaped object AND have the "strike" have zero tilt as well as be axially aligned is pretty close to impossible to achieve manually more than half the time.

If the logo is a true circle/dot, the only resulting "damage" is the circle will be imperceptibly out of round (from half to maybe three ten-thousandths of an inch depending on dot diameter and stem diameter) . If the logo is anything other than a circle, though, evidence of the miss can usually be seen with the naked eye.

In the case of a half(ish) moon, the straight line across the bottom will tilt a smidge.

Hoover assured me it's OK, though, and to carry on. He likes it when I fuss over stuff. Especially his food.



View attachment 300551
well if such a handsome beast is fine with it, then it can't be wrong. Though that face says is this going to effect the local fish supply???
 

dunnyboy

Lifer
Jul 6, 2018
2,448
29,849
New York
Spectacular pipe @georged!

I have a question about the swan's neck—really more of a general question about pipes where the shape of the stem causes the rim to be canted when clenched. Most pipes are not perfectly level when clenched but is this more of an issue with the swan's neck?

The reason I ask is because I've had a few pipes where the bowl was more tilted than usual, which made it harder to gauge level and center when lighting up. I scorched a beautiful horn on its maiden voyage because of this, despite taking care to leave plenty of clearance above the bed of tobacco and holding it as level as I could. Because I sometimes light up when distracted, I've been cautious about buying pipes that I think might have a pronounced tilt—although I really do love the elegance of your swan's neck!
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,548
14,319
Pappymac's 151 is one of the coolest Dunhills I've ever seen.

Weirdly, the shape didn't survive long, reason unknown. You'd'a thunk people would have lined up around the block to buy 'em.

Check out the stamping on his specimen. Perfectly executed at the factory---level, straight, even depth, not too shallow, not too deep---and then perfectly preserved (for almost a century!):


Screen Shot 2024-04-04 at 4.27.24 PM.png
Screen Shot 2024-04-04 at 4.27.54 PM.png
 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,548
14,319
I have a question about the swan's neck—really more of a general question about pipes where the shape of the stem causes the rim to be canted when clenched. Most pipes are not perfectly level when clenched but is this more of an issue with the swan's neck?

Few pipe rims are dead level with the shank, and fewer still are held that way by the smoker when being lit.

How much the pipe's geometry adds to the tilt mostly depends on if you're a "one-handed clench lighter" or a two-handed "hold with one hand while lighting with the other" kinda guy.

Collectors tend to be the latter, while smokers who think of pipes mostly as tobacco access devices tend to be the former.
 

dunnyboy

Lifer
Jul 6, 2018
2,448
29,849
New York
Few pipe rims are dead level with the shank, and fewer still are held that way by the smoker when being lit.

How much the pipe's geometry adds to the tilt mostly depends on if you're a "one-handed clench lighter" or a two-handed "hold with one hand while lighting with the other" kinda guy.

Collectors tend to be the latter, while smokers who think of pipes mostly as tobacco access devices tend to be the former.
Very true! I try to be the "collector" but end up being the "smoker" more often than I'd like. Thanks for the reply.
 

runscott

Lifer
Jun 3, 2020
1,114
2,420
Washington State
Pappymac's 151 is one of the coolest Dunhills I've ever seen.

Weirdly, the shape didn't survive long, reason unknown. You'd'a thunk people would have lined up around the block to buy 'em.

Check out the stamping on his specimen. Perfectly executed at the factory---level, straight, even depth, not too shallow, not too deep---and then perfectly preserved (for almost a century!):


View attachment 300751
View attachment 300753

I had a 1923 - kind of miss it.

GUEF7O3.jpeg

GQKCRKU.jpeg