Making Wiebe and Falcon bowls for myself (2024)

I posted this already elsewhere, but though you folks might find it interesting too.

Like others, I picked up three Wiebe radiator frames during the close-out sale, because I liked the first one I got and I have a well-known thing for metal pipes in general. My intention was always to make my own bowls for them but it did turn out to be a trickier process than expected. Cutting threading into briar, especially very old and very hard briar, is no easy thing, especially when trying to avoid lots of chipping. Then you have to flip the thing in the lathe for turning the bowl and drilling the chamber. Losing concentricity was an issue, the first couple I made were nice but not quite centered on the frame bottom, so I eventually threaded a plug mount to hold the bowl for accurate drilling and turning. That first threaded mount was a test from delrin, but tomorrow I'll be turning a mount from solid brass with a bottom sized to match the Wiebe frame base for easy turning reference.

It's been an interesting learning experience. I've been at pipemaking for a while, but this is the first time I've done large-scale threading like this, or anything that needed flipping. My first three bowls were decent but so-so in various ways - The first was too small in chamber for me because I underestimated the amount of space in the lower bowl needed for the threaded mount and airhole, then the second was OK and the third was too off center. Fourth try produced this, probably the most boring looking so far but also the most technically accurate, with nice centering, a decent-sized chamber, and all-around lack of bits I wasn't happy with.

Tomorrow if I have time I'll turn and thread the new mount and start picking out a couple more blocks for the other two bowls on my three pipes.

Another addition to this little post - I've recently gotten hold of a custom die to turn properly matching Falcon threads. I've wanted to make a few Falcon bowls for myself for a long while, but didn't want to go the o-ring "squish" method, wanted actual, properly fitting threaded bowls. Just did the first one the other night and it came out nicely. Pics:

Turned threads

And they work!

Using the die to hold the bowl for turning isn't ideal, but I don't have a tap yet so can't make a proper drive mount.

Threading is a little chipped because I was in a hurry and didn't go slowly enough, but it works very nicely.

And voila, a brand new Falcon bowl for my collection! Already smoked it twice and it works great. No moisture leakage either, even without an o-ring or those stupid insta-soggy Falcon ring filters.

In related news, I spent last night turning and threading a custom mount for Wiebe bowls as well. Made this from a solid brass rod:

The goal was a shaft that could be gripped in any 3/4" chuck, a guide area the same size as the Wiebe bowl base for handy turning to size, and a threaded end for mounting bowls for turning.

This will let me chuck this up and turn Wiebe bowls on any of our lathes, or even just stick it on a polishing motor chuck for sanding. Hopefully it will speed things up a bit.

Nice work man! Thanks for the write-up and pics. When I'm working on stuff I'm not really a fan of photo-documenting everything, so I appreciate the time and effort!

-dobbs

dobbs said:

Nice work man! Thanks for the write-up and pics. When I'm working on stuff I'm not really a fan of photo-documenting everything, so I appreciate the time and effort!

-dobbs

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This is the kind of stuff I post to our Patreon, so I just got in the habit. I try to keep half an eye towards, "Will this make an interesting photo article?" whenever trying something new in the shop, since the results are often either interesting, informational or hilarious.

Sheppard’s Pipe said:

Where do we place our orders?

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I'll let Trever chime in to confirm, but I believe for now he's just doing R&D.

TreverT said:

This is the kind of stuff I post to our Patreon, so I just got in the habit. I try to keep half an eye towards, "Will this make an interesting photo article?" whenever trying something new in the shop, since the results are often either interesting, informational or hilarious.

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Did your comics end up on your Patreon? Cause that carp was entertaining.

cossar said:

Did your comics end up on your Patreon? Cause that carp was entertaining.

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No, they're still public, they're all on our website now. But I haven't updated the comic in ages, just been too busy with other stuff and got out of the habit. We moved house and that blew a hole in the output and I've still never gotten back into the rhythm of doing them over here in the new place.

This one would have been the first one for sale, but I screwed up the chamber depth drilling and drilled it too close to the threaded undersection. Not accustomed to having to think about an open space under the bowl chamber. I just bowl coated the heck out of the bottom and kept it for myself, probably last 20 years but I wouldn't have sold it. Still, they're coming out pretty nice now.