Ok. No pics yet, as all my updates are failures, but I still have hopes of a finished product by Thanksgiving.
Grocery Store Stuff: too small of a pith, couldn't fit my tamper in. Drying in oven kinda worked, I had them in at 170 for 4 hours. Needs more like 10 tho it seems. Had the pith carved out a bit more I'd have thrown them back in, but they won't be usable. I thought about just making an itty bitty pipe and using a nail or something for a tamp, could be a special coffee break, or a sampler pipe. But then decided I'm not gonna go threw this trouble for a smoke that'll last 10 min.
Squirrel feeder corn: SUPER DRY! I was very happy. But alas, these must have some steroid hormones something-or-other in them because the Kernels were friggen huge, and again, after carving carving carving, there was still no way I'd ever be able to fit a tamper inside of them.
Current Plan - Try out a couple of the corn fields around me and see if i can buy a few or go the way of Merry and Pippin on a few cobs and see what some nice Northern Illinois field grown corn will do for me.
I also did pick up some bamboo if I decide to go that route for the stem. I like the idea of carving up some old branch or thick twig I find, but I also like how small the bamboo is. Once I have a bowl I'll make that decision...
Grocery Store Stuff: too small of a pith, couldn't fit my tamper in. Drying in oven kinda worked, I had them in at 170 for 4 hours. Needs more like 10 tho it seems. Had the pith carved out a bit more I'd have thrown them back in, but they won't be usable. I thought about just making an itty bitty pipe and using a nail or something for a tamp, could be a special coffee break, or a sampler pipe. But then decided I'm not gonna go threw this trouble for a smoke that'll last 10 min.
Squirrel feeder corn: SUPER DRY! I was very happy. But alas, these must have some steroid hormones something-or-other in them because the Kernels were friggen huge, and again, after carving carving carving, there was still no way I'd ever be able to fit a tamper inside of them.
Current Plan - Try out a couple of the corn fields around me and see if i can buy a few or go the way of Merry and Pippin on a few cobs and see what some nice Northern Illinois field grown corn will do for me.
I also did pick up some bamboo if I decide to go that route for the stem. I like the idea of carving up some old branch or thick twig I find, but I also like how small the bamboo is. Once I have a bowl I'll make that decision...