Title Needed

First the -
Obviously its a shame you lost the pipe. I'm not a fan of the belge shape but you hit it right on for sure. That stem material ... ugh. Lose that stuff Chris. Or, buy a stain color it works with - it definately didn't work for me with the orange color of the pipe. But it does look nice with the black blast!

Now, the +
That sand blast ... I never would have expected that blast texture to come from that pipe. Maybe the ring grain just never showed up in the photos but man, that blast is pretty darn cool. I love the way the growth rings showed up on the bottom of the bowl.

A question ... so since you like rejects for your own collection whats stopping you from finishing these two stems? I know the poker has some pretty deep divots but its probably still smokable. The fissures ... well, I think I see them, but I'm not sure. Are they so bad that the pipe is unsmokable?

I had thought the pipe would end up a black blast which is the reason for the funky material and on the lathe I took the bowl down so quick there were some chatter marks which I would not have done if I thought it would make a smooth. Upon selection the block had some decent grain it just wasn't consistent. The block was oversized for the shape and after chewing through it the pipe just happened to be sitting in the midst of some pretty good grain.

That is when the briar started whispering into my ear Please, please I'll do anything you want, just don't drop me into that blast cabinet. I don't want to be pelted with sand flying a hundred miles an hour. Trusting that Mr. Block was telling the truth, I took the bowl down where I would have left a bit more on for a blast.

He played such a nasty trick on me that in total spite I dropped him into the cabinet and blasted the bejeezes out of him. Never again will I listen to Mr. Block.

Yes, both pipes are servicable if I finish the stems. I have two breaking in now and these can sit for a while. So for now I would rather just move on to another block.

I disagree, a belge is more round, especially above the shank. I'd call this a canted dublin, but then, what do I know.

Anyway, it is a shame that pit was there, because it looks like it could have become quite a lovely pipe regardless of what name you give to the shape.

I defer to your expertise in the matter - as I said, I'm no expert on Belges. They seem to small and flimsy for me. I've got these big oven mits for hands and a Belge would just look like a toy in them.

On a serious note - don't Belges overheat easily? Their walls are so darn thin.

killed whatever shape was there, before the blast I agree with Corneel. Exspecially since I just checked his article on belges where I find it closer to #6 with a canted top.

I probably should have taken a refresher course. There is a difference between the two and I think for the most part my mind melds the two together somewhat.

Corneel thanks for the comment, I did not mean to desecrate the shape. If I understand correctly you feel #1 is the best representation. That is not all what I thought of as a belge.

Adding: #1 has the least tulip like shape where I think more like #3.

I'm a very slow smoker, so overheating isn't really a problem (ever) in that regard. I must say that everything has its pros and cons; the thin walls on a belge do make that it gets hotter than, say, a dublin or a bulldog. Or perhaps a billiard, but there it would depend on how wide the chamber has been drilled.

So, yes, it is a bit hotter to the touch than some other shapes, but I think that as the combustion temperature inside the bowl is the same as in any other pipe, the wood will not burn out. You're just closer to the source of heat and more able to feel the heat radiate outward.

A very positive thing for a clencher like myself is that the fact they are so thin makes for a very lightweight pipe. Most of mine are in the 18 to 40 gram region, which is just wonderful.

You may not like belges, that is fine by me, we all have our own personal tastes and preferences and different little odd ways of how we approach something seemingly simple as smoking a pipe. I don't like pokers one bit, for instance, but I don't mind them being made as long as there's someone out there who does indeed love it enough to actually buy such a horrible ugly thing.

There's a certain mantra that we all know, so I don't have to repeat it here. In the end, if you don't like or enjoy a particular shape or style or whatever, there's no point in spending good, hard-earned money on it, now, is there?

I had used a chamber bit smaller than normal. It was a 5/8 conical, I don't think the walls were too thin, maybe not a full .25 but I don't think it was much under.

#6 (a 1969 Dunhill tanshell XX) is there as a reference to show what I believe a cutty looks like.

If you look at what Barling has made, you'll see that there are even more ways to approach the shape. Rad Davis seems to lean more towards those, while Will Purdy, who did not make belges at the time I was writing that article (he started as a result of it) does a very clean version of what I consider to be the quintessential belge. Here's the one I own:
http://www.willpurdy...

#1 all the way through to #5 count as belges. the rest of the article shows even more variations.

The wonderful thing with pipe shapes in general is that there's a fair bit of leeway you have as a carver to put your own mark or style on a pipe while still making a shape everybody can recognize.

Real artistry shows when certain limitations have to be taken into account, and the artist's vision comes through loud and clear through it. That goes for most things, and so it certainly applies to pipe making.

nice pipe by the way, looks as though the rounding pretty much brings the walls out to almost a full .25 where it is needed. Round bottom chamber or conical?

Round.