making pipe mud

[shikano53]

What I have read about pipe mud is that cigar ash is used.

Can you use ash left after smoking a bowl of pipe tobacco?

 

[ericthered]

A quick search here or at rebornpipes.com for "pipe mud" will give you a master's thesis worth of reading on the subject. My recollection is that pipe ash is not as fine as cigar ash and is usually mixed with more coarse particles of dottle, so it's not as easy to use. There is a camp that prefers fireplace cement over the home-brew, and another argument for a complex mix of firewood ash and several other ingredients I can't recall, so your options are varied, to say the least. None of what I have to say is first-hand though, as I have not yet attempted a pipe mud repair. These are just my recollections from when I looked it up.

 

[jarit]

I've tried both and cigar ash + water was a better formula, IMO. I guess the finer grain helps to make smoother paste.
It's funny. That fireplace ash recipe is first in "pipe mud" google results. Shows good SEO practices from PM.com
I personally will keep using Fred Hanna's cigar ash recipe.

 

[rockymtnsmoker]

Just pulled a couple of forgotten pipes out of a drawer that I thought would make good burners for an upcoming camping trip. They're both drilled too high and I used a sifted pipe tobacco ash to make my mud. A couple of bowls in and it seems to be holding fine. Pipes definitely smoke better. Was put off the cigar ash blend by a post in one thread where the guy complained his pipes tasted like a "wino's trash can" after he went that route. One note: it'll take less water than you think to get the right consistency so go easy.