Apparently, that big wooden mess at the bottom of a MM cob is supposed to be there, even though it makes smoking to the bottom of the bowl and cleaning it afterwards a pain in the tuchus. Do y'all think that filling the gaps between the spoon and the sides of the bowl with pipe mud would work? I think I could use an oral syringe (like what you use to give toddlers their medicine) to inject it; I just wonder how well it would set and if it could handle the occasional shot from a reamer. What are y'all's thoughts?
Another Breaking-in-a-Cob Thread
- Thread starter Paterfumeus
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You can remove that stub with a small chisel or rounded spade drill used to drill out the pipe and then fill with plaster of Paris and redrill the hole. Or use ash and water making pipe mud.
Oh and since I can't edit...the Plaster of Paris is used to fill the outside of MM pipes - it's that whitish stuff you might see on the outside - so it's safe to use.
Those gaps will naturally fill in by themselves. No need to fill em intentionally.
Have you heard of Czech tool? It has nice pick to pull the crap in that tight space. Don't get rid of that spoon. That's an extension of the shank and with just amount of bad luck, your stummel will drop off while you are smoking.
When I started out three and a half years ago I tried cobs. That wooden mess at the bottom of the bowl was exactly what I hated about them. That taste when it starts to burn towards the bottom of the bowl, yuck. It will go away if you perservere, and as already stated, the gaps will fill themselves. But I actually found it quite gauling that MM wouldn't just lop off the protruding piece of offending timber, and save the smoker all the bother. I gave up on them. If briar or real meer is an option for you, I'd say go with them.
MM cobs dependably smoke down to gray ash most smokes, without modifying the bottom of the bowl in any way, or at least that is my experience. It's gotten so that I can smoke down to ash with most of my briars too, but with the MM cobs it's a sure bet. Maybe dry your tobacco a little more.
Likewise, I haven't found breaking in pipes much of "a thing." Pack 'em, light 'em up, and go with it. People complain about corn cob flavor and such. I've never tasted that.
Likewise, I haven't found breaking in pipes much of "a thing." Pack 'em, light 'em up, and go with it. People complain about corn cob flavor and such. I've never tasted that.
I've never noticed a cob's construction as "that big wooden mess." An MM is what it is. Certainly not worth fiddling with. But, if you want to spend a bunch of time trying to keep it pristine in the chamber ... have at it. I just smoke 'em and enjoy. There's a reason they are sold, cheap, from cards in drugstores and enjoyed by ... well, thousands.
They are what they are, cheap and, more often than not, a very satisfactory tool for smoking. I consider them to be disposable, good for rough treatment, fishing in the float tube, hanging from my mouth while driving the tractor and so forth.
Switch to briar or meerschaum, finished more to your tastes.
H
HRPufnstuf
Guest
It does work, I recently filled a large gap between the spoon and the floor of the bowl with pipe mud (from Oak ash) including the sides of the spoon. It is working very well, much better than I expected. If the mud shows signs of "excavation" in the course of cleaning I will gladly rework the pipe, but there have been no indications of this. It is a great solution. I just used a pipe spoon to pack it in and shape it, it should be thicker than drywall mud to fill gaps.
While the spoon is present, it should be considered to be the bottom of the bowl. You'll get some burning for the first couple of smokes (my signal to stop relighting!), but the spoon should start to cake over like the bottom of a briar after that.
Thanks, folks. I've been smoking it for a while now, and it smokes pretty well. It's just getting the dottle out of all those nooks and crannies (realizing that my one pipe has an abnormally small spoon and abnormally large gaps) is such a pain.
I’ve done it with pipe mud, mixed it a bit on the wet side and used a match stick to work it in, let it dry a couple days and then used a wadded up paper towel to smooth it out, it works but I don’t think the payoff was worth the effort, doubt that I would do it again.
I've actually never "burned away" the part of the stem that sits inside the chamber. They always just fill with cake, and end up rounded off and smooth.
H
HRPufnstuf
Guest
Something to remember is that cobs are the most forgiving of pipes. They are like the family dog, you may neglect them and take them for granted but their love is unconditional. Regardless of the experiements you perform on a cob, you can always get another. Just be sure you perform experiments on the more inexpensive models like the MM Legend.
@Paterfumeus
Missouri Meerschaum Explains Shank In Bowl Bottom :: Pipe Smoking Basics & Beginner Questions
Hello Pipers! Just like myself, and for those that wondered about the shank at the bottom of the bowl you might see in a Missouri Meerschaum, they explained it to me, because I know some people like to burn it out over time. ——————————— We assemble our pipes so the spoon on the shank goes all...
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I never saw the shank as a big wooden mess. The pick from a Czech tool or roofing nail generally gets the loose bits out. The burned wooden shank taste goes away fairly quickly, either it chars or gets caked over or whatever happens to it.
I don't see where pipe mud or even plaster of Paris would hurt anything. I'm just not sure what gains the effort would give you.
I don't see where pipe mud or even plaster of Paris would hurt anything. I'm just not sure what gains the effort would give you.