Pounamu Pipe

This was a challenging commission.  To make a pounamu pipe for a Grandfather.

It is made from Pounamu found in the Kaniere stream area in the hills behind Hokitika.

[kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNMJa0nTLCU” ]

It started with the idea in clay.

With four korus to represent members of his family.

Seeing what a pounamu carving starts as, when it is part of a bigger block can give real perspective about where it came from.

When deciding on the initial cuts there is an idea of what the final patterning and coloring will look like but you never really know until you are finished.

This is the block that the pipe was carved from.

The first thing I did was the most challenging.  Drilling the 10cm hole through the block to make a functional pipe.  The big challenge was keeping the stone and the drill bit cool, especially as I neared the center.

I drilled in from both ends by hand and met in the middle.  I did burn through quite a few drill bits working out what would work.  The last cm was the hardest and I had to fashion an extension onto my 5cm drill bits for it to reach. Carving out the bowl at this point helped with the drilling from that end and also allowed me to shape the next stage around it.

I love making the curves of an object.  When you get it just right they seem like they were always like that.

This is where the character and feel of the piece is created.

Pencil drawing the design on to see where is will actually go for the final sign off.

The first cut of surface carving like this is the most challenging. I really focus as I do not want a bump or slip and go off track here.

The final of the surface carving before polishing.

His initials were a late addition to the back and I feel like it really completed and personalised the piece.

I do the final sanding and polish on the main body after completing the surface carving to deal with any small scratches that may have happened.

Finally here is the photos of the finished pipe.