Author Topic: catlinite pipe (SHE'S DONE!!!)  (Read 21269 times)

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Offline Josh B

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catlinite pipe (SHE'S DONE!!!)
« on: October 01, 2014, 09:35:01 pm »
I had a couple hours this evening so I started yet another project.  ::)  This is a piece of catlinite that was hand quarried from the pipestone national monument quarry in pipestone MN.  Only native Americans can work the quarry there so you must obtain the material from one of them.  It is worth the effort to get the real stuff from that quarry as not all catlinite is made equal.  This piece also has the uncommon but much desired spots in the stone.  I got little more than a start on this pipe in two hours of work using hand tools.  If I were to use power tools, I could have gotten this far in about five minutes.  However, something about using power tools on a chanupa made from hand quarried stone almost seems sacrilegious.  I guess I'm just funny that way.  Here's this evenings progress.  More to come shortly.  Josh
« Last Edit: October 12, 2014, 06:07:52 pm by Gun Doc »

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2014, 09:49:20 pm »
L shaped and not an inverted T shape???  LOL, let's hope your wife don't find out!!!   >:D
Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2014, 10:09:27 pm »
Lol!  It's not for me.  She wouldn't know the significance of it anyway.  Josh

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2014, 10:12:57 pm »
 ;)
Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline lebhuntfish

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2014, 10:31:48 pm »
Very interesting, cant wait to see the results Josh. Patrick
Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout!

Missouri, where all the best wood is! Well maybe not the straightest!

Building a bow has been the most rewarding, peaceful, and frustrating things I have ever made with my own two hands!

Offline stickbender

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2014, 04:10:53 pm »

     Dang!  I had started one, and it is up in Montana at the moment.  I am carving an Eagle head on it, but the bowl is not on an inverted "T" stem, should I add a little protuberance to the front of the stem, under the bowl?  Unfortunately, there isn't much room, as the bowl is already drilled, and pretty much shaped.  Didn't know there was a gender matter in these things, just pretty much thought it was strictly a male privilege.  Dang, now I have to try to redesign a protuberance on it.  Crap!  May just have to scrap the whole thing, and just carve the eagle head, by itself.  My Girlfriend would be happy with that.  I had thought of making the pipe with the eagle head facing the wood stem, and maybe something on the bowl itself, as a gift, and not for my Girlfriend, but now may have to.  It would never be used, as neither of us smoke, but I thought I would give it to someone who would use it.  I have someone in mind, but now, I don't want to insult them.  And now, I may have to forget the whole thing, unless I have enough to protrude a bit to be sufficient.  How much does it require to be masculine.  Yeah, size does matter, I know, ::) but how much? :(  Thanks for any info on the matter.  On the Pipe, on the pipe! :P :P

                                    Wayne

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2014, 08:33:01 pm »
Not an issue of masculine vs feminine, more an issue of married vs single.  Kinda like getting caught goin out to play poker and "forgetting" to wear your wedding ring!   >:D
Guns have triggers. Bicycles have wheels. Trees and bows have wooden limbs.

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2014, 09:12:48 pm »
From what little info I've found from reading and other pipe makers, the marital status significance is more of western tribal practice.  More specific, from the plains to the great basin.  So if you're in Montana it would be a bachelor's pipe.  In Florida it's just a really cool pipe, with no suggestion towards marital status what so ever.  Josh

Offline stickbender

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2014, 06:02:34 pm »

     Ah, thanks.   Well it will just have to be a bachelors pipe, or with a small protuberance and maybe an engaged pipe. ;) ;D  O-tay!  Well that is a relief.  Oh yeah, at a pow wow here, they were talking of three colored rings, and the significance of them.  I think they were red, white, and blue.  Do any of you know anything about that?  I was thinking of putting that on the pipe stem.  Also what was the typical length of the stem?  I have one already made, but might like to make another.  Thanks for any info.

                                    Wayne

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #9 on: October 07, 2014, 09:54:24 pm »
Wayne, I don't know anything about the rings that you describe.  As far as length goes, I just make them to whatever seems right for the pipe.  I know, I'm not much help.   This was my last piece of the good stuff from the quarry, so I was a little concerned about messing it up.  The most challenging part for me is getting the holes right.  If you don't get those right you have nothing.  As luck would have it, my first load of the week took me by pipestone mn.  I went to my friends place to not only get some more stone(which I did)  but to pick his mind on how to get your holes drilled properly with the hand drill.  I run about 50/50 on making a smoking pipe or a display piece.  I showed him my hand drills and he laughed.  He then went into his shop and got his hand drill. It was an 18 volt dewalt. >:(   When I asked them yrs ago what they used, they said hand drills.  I should  have asked for clarification.  Anyway, after he got done laughing, he showed me some stuff he just quarried this week and a piece of spotted that he had set aside for me.  Beautiful stuff!  The first pic is my new stone.  The rest is the small amount of progress made before it got dark.  Pilot holes drilled with the cordless "hand drill" and a start on reducing  the blank down to the dimensions.  If you'll note, I drilled the pilot holes before much final shape reduction.  That is so you have some wiggle room if you don't get everything drilled exactly where you wanted.  Not so important with the cordless, but with flint tipped hand drills its a different story.  It doesn't seem like much has been done, but believe me getting those pilot holes right is a big obstacle cleared.  Thanks for looking!  More to come soon!  Josh

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #10 on: October 11, 2014, 02:38:57 pm »
I'm gaining slowly but surely on this project.  I got the bowl bored out at roughly 3/4" diameter and approximately1 1/4" deep with a 45 degree shoulder at the bottom.  The stem hole is just about finished as well.  It is about 3/4" deep with a 3/8" to 3/16" taper(approximately). Now it's just a matter of removing any excess material thats not the pipe.  More pics later.  Josh

Offline lebhuntfish

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2014, 02:49:28 pm »
Looking good buddy! Patrick
Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout!

Missouri, where all the best wood is! Well maybe not the straightest!

Building a bow has been the most rewarding, peaceful, and frustrating things I have ever made with my own two hands!

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2014, 04:01:38 pm »
Thanks Patrick!  Getting a little closer now.  Pretty much down to the detail work now.  Josh

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2014, 06:30:26 pm »
She's ready for the beeswax finish unless the guy I'm making this for would like to see some changes made.  Josh

Offline Josh B

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Re: catlinite pipe project
« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2014, 07:58:07 pm »
Ok, it has received the stamp of approval!  Phewww!  That's a relief!  So I popped this baby in the nuke for a minute to heat it up and then rubbed beeswax into it.  I got a lucky break on the beeswax.  I was out of the stuff I usually use, but I remembered that Pearly had given me some at the classic in '13.  Got in my string making kit and I still had some of it left!  Good deal!  Thanks again Pearly!  Ok, so here it is with the wax on it.  Now I just need to make the stem.  Josh