Poked a hole through my cob

joecobb · Jan 5, 2019

Hi, folks!
I just had an accident with my new favorite pipe, the MM Mizzou. I was poking an airhole through the tobacco with my tool and suddenly I heard the sticker on the bottom move.
The tip of the tool went through, but not so far that it went through the sticker.
I am not the most experienced pipe smoker, but I was shocked at how little pressure it took, lesson learned!
Can this be fixed with mud?

mso489 · Jan 5, 2019

MM cobs are well made generally, but they are mass produced in high volume. I'd start over with another. You can play around with repairs and might do fine, but if your object is smoking, for the minimal price, I'd get a new one.

joecobb · Jan 5, 2019

I would definitely get a new pipe if I lived in the US. I live in Norway so it´s a little bit of a hassle with the order and import taxes and stuff. I tend to want to order for more than $40, which puts import taxes on the wares. That being said, my order from MM made it to the middle of Norway in about a week - during christmas!
I can see myself using the Mizzou a lot, so will probably order a couple next time. I will light up an Alec Bradley this weekend and see how the mud-repair works…
Filling my Pride now, no more pokey holes.

ben88 · Jan 5, 2019

Best thing is to glue-in a hardwood plug and apply some mud next day.

addamsruspipe · Jan 5, 2019

You can can fix that, the question is do you want to based on how cheap they are. I really dislike the wood shank that is in the tobacco chamber(occasional burning wood flavor). So on all of mine I pull the shank, cut off the section that is in the chamber then glue it back into place. Then I use pipe mud to raise the bottom, and create a draft channel in the mud into the shank. At that point I let it dry for several days, may do some cosmetic work to the outside and then they tend to last me for years.

trouttimes · Jan 5, 2019

Very interesting. What glue are you using?

3rdguy · Jan 5, 2019

Welcome to the forum!

addamsruspipe · Jan 5, 2019

I have been using Elmer's Carpenter's Wood glue. Easy to work with and never had a failure with it.

mso489 · Jan 5, 2019

I think Elmer's is the ticket. I can't guarantee it, but I don't think it is toxic or problematical that way,

addamsruspipe · Jan 5, 2019

I Just checked the fact sheet on the Elmer's and it looks pretty safe.

rdavid · Jan 5, 2019

OK. How do you remove the very well glued in wood shanks without destroying the cob bowl? Thanks.

weezell · Jan 5, 2019

Best thing is to glue-in a hardwood plug and apply some mud next day.

or buy a couple new ones with the plug in them and smoke away... : puffy

:

seanv · Jan 6, 2019

OK. How do you remove the very well glued in wood shanks without destroying the cob bowl? Thanks.

You dont have to. Just carefully chisel out the hole in the bottom. Fit it with a piece of hardwood and glue it on. Let it sit for a day or so and enjoy.

joecobb · Jan 6, 2019

I did a mud-only repair last night and so far it looks good. If I put my thumb over the bowl and either blow or suck there is a tiiiny bit of air, but for some reason I can´t figure out where the leak is. Might just be in my head.

Anyways, it´s so little that I would say that it´s good for smoking, but I will let it sit for another day at least to be sure that the mud has dried completely, might even do another layer down there.
Thanks for the warm welcome, I´ve been reading for a while, but now it was time to join, hope I can contribute in some way.

seanv · Jan 6, 2019

Welcome aboard. Hopefully your cob repair can hold up and give you many good smokes

addamsruspipe · Jan 6, 2019

You can can chisel out the part of the shank that is in to bowl. You do need to go slow and make sure you don't chisel through the bottom of the bowl. The other way is hold the bowl in one hand and the shank in the other and slowly start to apply pressure in different directions. The glue holding the shank will eventually crack and loosen. You can then pull it out, it usually never takes me more then few minutes. I will usually put a mark on the shank on the inside of the bowl to make sure I know where to cut the shank.

krizzose · Jan 6, 2019

If you do buy a new cob, get a model with the hardwood insert in the bottom

theloniousmonkfish · Jan 6, 2019

I've yet to glue a wood plug in, opting instead to drill a hole slightly smaller than the plug and carefully file/sand untill it's close then I get the plug part way in and bang it into place on a piece of wood. Shanks are heated for removal if necessary. All the cobs here are plugged and fitted with proper stems, either by the factory or me, simple things that greatly improve them.

addamsruspipe · Jan 6, 2019

Here are three I just finished. You can see the shank is gone from in the chamber and I have raised the bottom with pipe mud.

joshb83 · Jan 7, 2019

As great as MM are, the biggest issue with mass production can be a short site in quality. I will say though with all the MM I’ve had, several have had soft bottoms, it’s the tough part with Cobs. But once you’ve poked through one, you learn to be gentle, they last forever and are high quality everyday smokers. Just chalk it up as a learning curve and you’ll be good from here on out. Welcome to the Forum!

Poked a hole through my cob

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