FACTORY TOUR CONTINUED

Take a good look at the briar block shown above. Now visualize the final pipe sitting up 
with the bowl to the left and the shank extending to the right. 
You can see that this block, ready to be used in creating a new pipe, shows some surface cracks. 
More than likely, this block will be unacceptable for production.

The first few steps in producing a particular shape involves custom machinery that first cuts the bowl shape. 
Next another machine shapes the bottom of the bowl while others shape the shank.

In the first photo above, you can see a double bladed knife carves out the inside of the bowl 
and at the same time shapes the outside of the bowl as well.
The center photo shows the machinery used to form the bottom outside of the bowl. 
Notice the curved shape of the blades that rotate at very high speeds.
The last photo at right shows one of the stations where the shank is shaped. 
Note the multi bladed machinery.

The machinery used for these operations, is only used by skilled artisan with years of experience 
as the equipment of very powerful and rotates at very high speeds. 
Savinelli takes great care in protecting its workers.

From this point on, all operations are done by hand from sanding 
to applying the proper mouthpieces, to polishing and eventually finishing each pipe.

In between each of these operations are countless checks to determine what grade 
each pipe will become, several sanding processes to make the pipe as smooth as possible, 
checks on color, balance, fit of mouthpiece, and many more. 
In all, most of our pipes go through almost 80 different steps before final OK.

Finally, each pipe is stamped with a shape number and series name. 
Again, this is done one pipe at the time by hand using an apparatus that looks like a drill press.

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