# Bamboo pipe tamper



## pipecrafter

I made  a tamper to match a pipe that a customer bought last week.  The shank of the pipe is bamboo that had been sandblasted, so I did the same to this bamboo as well.  This works so well together, I might make more - or at least one more for me.


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## les-smith

Dang! That's nice.  Great website by the way.  Neat bio as well.


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## ahoiberg

that's awesome kurt, i like the rustic-ness of it.


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## VisExp

That's a beautiful effect Kurt.  I read your bio and saw your picture.  You are so not what I was expecting!!  It's funny how we build these mental pictures of someone from posts on a forum and how wrong they can be at times :biggrin:


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## pipecrafter

Thanks guys!



VisExp said:


> I read your bio and saw your picture.  You are so not what I was expecting!!  It's funny how we build these mental pictures of someone from posts on a forum and how wrong they can be at times :biggrin:



Yeah - I get that a lot.  :biggrin:


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## Skye

That texture came from sandblasting? That's wild.

What are the feet, briar?


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## pipecrafter

Yep, that's briar.  I prefer to use briar for the feet of my tampers.  Primarily because it's the same material as the bowl of the pipe.  And I've got tons of briar scraps and bits around that I can use.

This weekend, during my "experimentation day" I want to see what kind of finish I can get by sandblasting some pen barrels.  Something big, like an El Grande would probably show it off well.


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## Skye

That will be interesting for sure.
Hey, just noticed you're in RI. I was born in Providence.


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## woody350ep

That's pretty cool, but I don't know what it is.  Can you explain its purpose?  Thanks


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## OldWrangler

Where do you get bamboo with the joints so close together? The wild bamboo I collect locally has the joints 6" to 10" apart. This bamboo of yours is really cool.

Just sandblasting, huh. Would a wire brush worked longwise do about the same  texture? Will have to try.


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## pipecrafter

woody350ep said:
			
		

> That's pretty cool, but I don't know what it is.  Can you explain its purpose?  Thanks



A pipe tamper is used to lightly compress ash and burning tobacco in the bowl of the pipe while smoking, keeping the ember in contact with the tobacco.  This avoids having to relight the pipe constantly.



			
				OldWrangler said:
			
		

> Where do you get bamboo with the joints so close together? The wild bamboo I collect locally has the joints 6" to 10" apart. This bamboo of yours is really cool.
> 
> Just sandblasting, huh. Would a wire brush worked longwise do about the same  texture? Will have to try.



I actually get mine from another pipe maker.  It's expensive stuff, on par with ebonite.  He, of course, does not want to reveal his source.    But yes, this stuff is actually rather special (it's a certain kind of bamboo), and harvested specifically for pipe making because the knuckles are so close together.  

I've never tried a wire brush, so I don't know.  The texture you see is what's under the outer "skin" of the bamboo, which is what gets sandblasted away.


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## OldWrangler

I've got a local teenager who I am teaching to turn pens and such. He is a good kid, a little slow, but he tries hard to learn what I am showing him.

Today when school was out he came by and said he had been in the woods with a buddy and their bb guns. He said he found a small stand of bamboo that was different from any other around it. He came back, got his dad's limb cutter and went back to harvest some for me. He wanted to see if this was like what I was wanting for pens.
Take a look at some of what he brought me.......

It all is the right diameter for either 7 mm or 10 mm tubes and the joints are as close as 3/4". Gonna try one tomorrow and will let you know how it comes out. Just when I was gonna buy some of that expensive pipe stem bamboo ($25 for a 15" stick). I may harvest some of this to sell if there is some interest. Let me know if you want some at like $3 a blank (plus postage, of course!)


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