A Question About MM Cobs

[cavendish]

With the shank going into the bowl and that little tip sticking into the bottom I was wondering if it's better to cut that out or fill the spaces around it with something. I have read that some guys cut it, others just fill it in with different materials. I would rather cut it out. What would be the more correct path to go with this?
I am thinking of removing it but I don't want to mess up the pipe. I smoked a cob for the first time tonight and it was great! Nothing but cool tobacco taste until I got to the bottom and it started to char the stem tip. Then it tasted like I was smoking dirt lol.
EDITED TO ADD ANOTHER QUESTION: I find airflow better without the filter, but it tastes better with the filter. Which is the way to go with filters in cobs. I ask this as I have never smoked my pipe w/o a filter and my new Pete obviously has no filter. I am leaning towards filterless smokes from now on but I don't want to get bad tongue bite and ruin a couple days of smoking, ya know...

 

[nsfisher]

Exactly right coalsmoke.
Give er a few boals mate and you won't notice it. You can trim it, but why bother. Couple smokes and it will be gone anyway. enjoy

 

[nsfisher]

Exactly right coalsmoke.
Give er a few boals mate and you won't notice it. You can trim it, but why bother. Couple smokes and it will be gone anyway. enjoy. As far as the filter, it is a personel preference. Some like em, some don't.

 

[juozapas]

What ever works for you is best. I like the filters because it absorbs the gooey moisture and cuts out some of those nasty ash particles,etc.,I have been using my corn cob for many years and it has never let me down. I should update some recent photos. I have made some "adjustments" to my pipe....

Happy Pipe-ing !! :clap: ::

 

[radio807]

If you don't want to wait for the end of the stem to burn off, then cut it. If you prefer the taste with the filter installed, then smoke with filters. Don't over-think these things.

 

[mso489]

I haven't tried it yet, but a Forums member suggested I try cutting the filters in half if I don't like the full

filtered smoke. So far, I'm happy with a filter in my cob. Also, Medico filters have been recommended to

me by Forums members over Dr. Grabow, and it was pointed out that they are interchangeable. I suspect

that filter and no filter work better with different tobaccos. It's nice to have the filter when a particular blend

has gotten bite. For decades I never used a filter, and I only tired one when I bought a cob that I didn't realize

was filtered. It was an MM at a Missouri convenience store. Mostly, I don't use filters, but they are a good

tool and option to keep things enjoyable.

 

[cavendish]

I find smoking it with a filter allows less airflow (obviously) and without the filter it's hard to keep lit. Should I pack my cob a little tighter than my briars due to the huge draught hole? With the filter it didn't seem to be a problem but once I took it out I found I had to puff more to keep it lit.

 

[cajunguy]

Should I pack my cob a little tighter than my briars due to the huge draught hole?

Like all pipes, it varies from model to model; perhaps a bit more with cobs. I always test the draw on a cob as I fill, just to make sure.

 

[hodirty]

I cut the filters into thirds. You have to dig them out, but you get the taste, and u don't catch any baccy in ur mouth: plus you get the right amount of airflow. IMO

 

[cavendish]

Like all pipes, it varies from model to model; perhaps a bit more with cobs. I always test the draw on a cob as I fill, just to make sure.

That's what I just did and it seems alot tighter than I would pack a briar but it's smoking nicely. Packed it up with some Orlik Golden Sliced for a first try. It's pretty tasty flake.

 

[jazzlover]

Well, as most people above pointed out, you usually don't have to worry about it. The tip of the shank will eventually burn away with repeated smokes. However, I have an MM "General" that I bought a few months ago on Ebay that presented me with a problem. There was a large space between the shank tip and the bottom of the bowl. Large quantities of unsmoked tobacco kept getting caught in that space. So I smoked the pipe several times until the tip was very charred. Then I took a long knife and gently poked at the shank tip until there was nothing left of it. Then, I carefully spooned small amounts of charcoal ash into the bowl until it raised the bottom of the bowl to just below the bore hole. I added a few drops of water, stirred it well with a narrow knife and tamped it down until the mixture was level. The combination of ash and water dries into a cement which many pipe smokers call "pipe mud". I let it dry for about three days. That solved the problem beautifully.
Regarding filters: If a pipe is designed for filters then I prefer to use them. However, you don't have to waste money buying new ones. I make my own filters by cutting balsa wood into triangular rods. You can buy balsa wood in most arts and craft shops. This will save you a lot of money.