Pipe Mud
- Thread starter missy
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Pipe mud is generally made by taking ashes from pipe tobacco, or some people use ashes from a cigar, mixed with a tiny bit of water to form a paste. The idea is that pipe mud makes a kind of coating to help facilitate the break in process of a new pipe. My question is: why do you believe you need filler in the bottom of the bowl? There might be something else you can do to fix a certain problem other than pipe mud and if you can be specific as to why you think you need it we can help you further.
ok- I have a missouri meerschaum hardwood. The airway from the stem is about 1/8" higher than the bottom of the bowl. Even though I've smoked it several times already, no carbonization on the floor of the bowl. It could smoke better if the airway started in the bottom of the bowl instead of above it???? I'm thinking I need to fill it in, not much lost if I ruin the pipe-it wasn't expensive!
I adhere to a certain rule in terms of cake/carbon/breaking in a pipe: If you dont smoke the pipe all the way to the bottom, there is no need to have cake/carbon at the bottom. The corn cob you have is not going to burn tobacco and smoke properly past the point that the stem meets the pipe, so as far as the area below that point, dont worry about filler/making cake or carbon at that point. Smoke the pipe to the point where the tobacco no longer tastes good, then dump the rest. Keep smoking to that point and cake/carbon will form naturally. It is best not to worry about carbon or cake, particularly in a corn cob. Corn cobs are like rental cars: You abuse and use the hell out of them at break neck speed with reckless endangerment, and if something happens, no big deal, because you are not out much money and it can be easily replaced. Just fill to the top, smoke wherever you want to, and dump the rest. All other things will occur naturally.
My MM Cob has filled those gaps in just by regularly smoking to the bottom. One thing to be aware of when smoking to the bottom of a MM without a filter is that you can draw the ember through the stem, and that is a little unpleasant.
Actually, regarding filters briefly: the Savinelli balsa filters fit pretty alright in MM filtered cobs. I find they restrict the flow less than the Grabow or Medico paper filters, but tighten it up enough so it feels less like a hallway.
I don't always smoke with a filter, but when I do: Balsa. 8)
Mildly off topic. lol
I don't always smoke with a filter, but when I do: Balsa. 8)
Mildly off topic. lol
The Pipe Mud Post
I have experimented with pipe mud this week to build up the bottom of a couple of briars. My results were not stellar, and I need to think it out a little better.
I have experimented with pipe mud this week to build up the bottom of a couple of briars. My results were not stellar, and I need to think it out a little better.
I have also used pipe-mud to do this to cobs and MM hardwoods, and agree with the others use cigar ash, and make it a thick paste. Like Roth said give it time to completely dry. It does do the trick very well.
I've also mudded MM cobs and used a bit of sieved birch ash from my fireplace after researching threads on the forum. I sieved it through an ordinary strainer and it worked like a dream. The resulting "mud" dried to a pale gray and to near concrete hardness. The cobs that I mudded have had hundreds of smokes through them and no degradation of the mud, the centered air hole seems to work well and and I'm still waiting for one to fail. While the cost of a MM cob isn't much, for me it was more the learning experience and a custom pipe "fix" done by myself. I have mudded a few briars as well and the birch ash seems to work just as well. Good luck, missy and enjoy the experience!
I mud, too. Like Morton, after reading a lot on it I used some ash from burned match sticks mixed with pipe ash, ground up mortar & pestle-style then sifted through an old kitchen screen-strainer to make a nice fine ash. I used saliva and mixed it thick on a piece of waxed paper then applied with the spoon on my Czech tool. I let it dry two days, smoked it, two more days and it is set like a rock. It not only evens the bottom but also fills in the side gaps, too, making it a perfect smoker. And a very easy fix to boot!
Good advice guys. Glad I checked out this thread. Got a couple of old briars I may try this on.
The best pipe mud I've managed to make so far:
Preparation:
- Get activated charcoal in the form of digestive pills from the drug store
- Grind up the contents of 4 capsules with mortal and pestle into very fine powder
- Smoke a cigar, save the white ash
Recipe:
- Mix 2 scoops (of Czech pipe tool spoon) cigar ash with 4 scoops of activated charcoal pulver
- Add 2 drops of water
- Add 2 drops of medium grade maple syrup
- Mix until you get a "slimey" mixture
You gotta work fast then because it dries out pretty quickly. Let dry 24 hours.
This is the most durable/hard pipe mud I've managed to make so far. Bonus: when it's heated while smoking, the maple sugar crystallizes and "seals" the mud up. You get almost like a glass-like charcoal surface, rock hard.
Preparation:
- Get activated charcoal in the form of digestive pills from the drug store
- Grind up the contents of 4 capsules with mortal and pestle into very fine powder
- Smoke a cigar, save the white ash
Recipe:
- Mix 2 scoops (of Czech pipe tool spoon) cigar ash with 4 scoops of activated charcoal pulver
- Add 2 drops of water
- Add 2 drops of medium grade maple syrup
- Mix until you get a "slimey" mixture
You gotta work fast then because it dries out pretty quickly. Let dry 24 hours.
This is the most durable/hard pipe mud I've managed to make so far. Bonus: when it's heated while smoking, the maple sugar crystallizes and "seals" the mud up. You get almost like a glass-like charcoal surface, rock hard.
When I used some to raise the bottom of my cob, I used ash from the fireplace. It was mostly oak and poplar.
I sieved out the larger chunks onto some aluminum foil and mixed in some water a drop at a time until I had a nice thick paste. To help move it into the pipe and "sculpt" it into the shape I wanted, I used my set of dental picks, which I have in my miniatures modelling toolbox. They worked quite well, I picked them up a local wholesaler and they're quite affordable.
I let it dry for a few days before I used it again and by then it had hardened quite well.
I sieved out the larger chunks onto some aluminum foil and mixed in some water a drop at a time until I had a nice thick paste. To help move it into the pipe and "sculpt" it into the shape I wanted, I used my set of dental picks, which I have in my miniatures modelling toolbox. They worked quite well, I picked them up a local wholesaler and they're quite affordable.
I let it dry for a few days before I used it again and by then it had hardened quite well.
Had to BUMP this one for a second go around, since there a lot of new members out there. I bought a pipe new off of ebay and the inside of the bowl had some pits in it that I was afraid would cause some issues. Looking I found this post and found that hfearly's recipe for pipe mud needs alittle kudos. This stuff works like a charm and is by far the best mud I have tried. Once dry it looks and feels just like a factory bowl coating. And 12 smokes in I don't detect any issues with this pipe, but pure enjoyment.
I'm thinking a non toxic clay might work. I've got a couple pipes I'd like to experiment with by leveling the heel with the bottom of the draft hole. It's my impression (true or false) that if your draw hole is above the chamber bottom you will generate dottle and be more susceptible to gurgle.
Some time ago, I used sifted wood ash mixed with just enough water to make a thick paste/thin dough and used it to build up the wall of a burned-out pipe. I just smeared a thick-ish coat on the inside of the chamber with my finger. It has worked like a charm.
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