A Pipestone Pipe

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 01:57 PM

Pappy’s Pipestone Pipe Production

Introduction: I live near Pipestone, MN, where exists a pipestone (catlinite) quarry. Historically, the quarry has been visited by Native Americans for more than 5 thousand years. They came from all parts of what is now the United States and Canada for the soft red stone, with which they made their ceremonial pipes. Any hostilities between tribes were suspended, while in or near the quarry.

A 4.5 pound piece of pipestone.

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 01:59 PM

Tools I Used

Scroll saw, files, utility knife, Dremel rotary tool, various grits of sandpaper.

First Steps

The stone needs to be flattened on one side to allow cutting on the scroll saw. Also, it needs to have a flat side and end to insure accuracy when drilling the smoke hole and stummel. The first thing that needed to be done was to cut the pointed end off. It had a bend that would have made the flattening process very difficult. I started the flattening with a file/plane. It cuts the stone very quickly. When the surface of the stone is nearly flat I used a sheet of sandpaper (80grit) stuck to a board and worked the stone around until it was flat. I checked the flatness with a couple of straight sticks.

I used the computer to make a simple pipe shape. The printed copy was cut out and placed on the stone. I then drew a pencil line around the shape. I followed this line. with the scroll saw blade. I used a #3 or #5 blade. The stone is so easy to cut; just about any blade could be used. Although I haven’t tried a coping saw, I believe it would cut fairly easily. A hacksaw is the most common way to cut pipestone.

ISO2BWELL · 04-16-2008, 02:02 PM

Pappy,

Thanks MUCHO for reposting this info. I really enjoyed this thread...and hated to see it lost in the fog of the server battles.

ISO

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 02:06 PM

Drilling the holes

The holes should meet in the center of the stone. This is a very tricky thing to do. This is where the flat side and end becomes very important. I put the piece into the drill press vise with the flat side flush with one of the vise’s jaws. I shim the other side, if necessary. This insures that the flat side is on the same vertical plane as the drill bit. The vise I use can be moved around, which allows me to bring the bit down alongside the piece and mark where I want the end of the hole. I use the drill press’ depth stop to stop drilling at the correct depth.

Start drilling in the center of the shank, using a short 1/8 inch bit, Chuck the bit as deeply as possible. This insures a straight hole, without the bit having a tendency to wander to one side or the other. The hole should be drilled about a half inch deep. Then, if your drill press has the room, you can use a longer bit to drill the rest of the hole. My bench top drill press does not have the vertical room to allow the use of an 8 inch bit, which is what I use. So, with the hole started, I drilled the remainder of the hole by hand, using just the bit. When the hole was just about completed, I realized, DUH!, I own a cordless drill. One may want to consider not getting stoned while working on a pipe.

For the smoke hole, the stone is re-positioned in the vise. I started drilling with a ¼ inch bit. As luck would have it, the holes met. I used a 5/8 inch bit to enlarge the bowl.

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 02:09 PM

Shaping

After the holes are successfully drilled, the shaping can begin.

The list of tools that could be used to work with pipestone is endless. Use power tools with this warning. Working with hand tools, such as files, drills, knives, etc., makes a considerable mess in the area where the work is being done. Using power tools, such as power sanders, rotary tools, etc., will produce an unbelievable amount of red dust, which settles on every horizontal surface. If done in an enclosed, 15x15 room, everything in the room will be covered with a fine layer of pink dust.

Working the stone with hand tools still produces the same amount of dust. It just stays in a smaller area. It’s probably not good to breathe the dust, so one should wear a dust mask while working with the stone. Safety glasses are recommended.

The tools used to shape this pipe were a file, utility knife, and various grits of sandpaper.

I started shaping the piece by filing the edges, just to round everything some. The file soon gave way to the utility knife. I found that a lot of material can be removed in a short time. The knife works best when used in a shaving action. I was lucky and didn’t get cut. Be careful! Utility blades are extremely sharp.

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 02:10 PM

As I removed more and more material, I realized that I didn’t have a real good idea of what the pipe should look like when finished.

At some point, I decided to use the edge of a file to make an angled line on the side of the pipe. I thought this would provide some inspiration. And it did. Although the final product isn’t exactly the same as the inspiration, it is pretty close. Most of the pipes I make turn out the way they want to. And this one is no exception. It seems that as I’m carving, the material somehow lets me know what to remove.

I just made the grooves in the sides, then, continued them on the top and bottom. After the grooves were in place, I used the utility knife to do most of the shaping

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 02:17 PM

The bowl seemed too tall in proportion to the rest of the pipe, so I removed the top with a rotary tool. I used a cutoff wheel, which made short work of it.

Smoothing Everything Out

Once the basic shape is where you want it, sanding will make everything extremely smooth. 100 grit sandpaper will remove a lot of material. Some final shaping can be done with sandpaper. But, the magic happens when sanding is taken to the extreme. Sand with 100 grit, until only scratches from the grit are left on the pipe, then move to 220. When only the scratches from the 220 can be seen, move to 400. Then to 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and finally 2000 grit. If done with patience, the stone will look like red glass.

Pappy · 04-16-2008, 02:18 PM

Some pics of the final product. The darker pipe was made a couple years ago. The stone had fewer impurities than the piece I used for this pipe, therefore the darker color. btw, the impurities, (spots) in the stone do not affect the ease of carving or smoking the pipe.

Pappy · 04-17-2008, 01:06 PM

This pipe was to be a traditional peace pipe, but several factors prevented that from happening. Mainly, I couldn't find a suitable piece of material for the long stem. It can still be fitted with a stem at some point in the future, if the owner wants. It still is very smokable the way it is.

While working on this pipe, I had some thoughts of what to name the pipe and what should be its ultimate fate. I don't know what it was, but I kept thinking it should be called "The Shaman". So, it will be known now and forever as "The Shaman". As to its ultimate fate, the original plan was to donate it to GP to be used as a prize in a future contest. However, as I worked on it and the name came to me, it just seemed obvious where it should end up. So, SHAMAN, if you want it, let me know where to send it and its yours. All the mods have been a tremendous help to me, but when I first became a member, SHAMAN was the one that I seemed to have some sort of connection with. I don't know, it's all somewhat weird and maybe shouldn't be analyzed.

Enjoy,
Pappy

pine boy · 04-23-2008, 06:08 PM

Pappy,that was heartfelt...your a good man
(SNIFF,SNIFF)

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A Pipestone Pipe

DIY