Corn Cob Pipes

[curl]

I smoke my briars when I want to show off. When I want a good smoke, I smoke a cob pipe.
And I have lots and lots of stems. I'm lazy about cleaning them. I just swap out stems and keep smoking the cob pipe, finally cleaning the pipes and stems later when I'm about out of stems.

 

[didimauw]

ID love that! I lost my diplomat, but it was my favorite smoker. Now my legend with the Vulcanite freehand stem has taken its place as my work horse.

 

[tinsel]

I have about 7 or 8 legends, a great dane, a country gentlemen, a washington, and a freehand from MM. They are all great smokers and every one of them sees regular, if not daily use. Probably gonna pick up one of those new devil anse cobs soon, as well.
One of my first legends, I got a little carried away trying to pick tobacco out of the bottom of the chamber with too sharp an instrument and poked through the bottom of the cob. Learned my lesson, hasn't happened since.
LOVE my MM cobs.

 

[fishnbanjo]

tinsel, get some hardwood dowel and plug it using Elmers Wood Glue to do the job. Keep it a bit beyond the cob then you can sand it or file it flat then keep the rest of the dowel for the other pipes that aren't wooden plugged.

banjo

 

[didimauw]

What service are you talking fishnbanjo?

 

[fishnbanjo]

As time passes some of the original plaster falls out and the bowl can bulge a little depending on how much cake has built up. I generally ream the bowl every six weeks or so but it gets to the point of needing a more thorough reaming to really get it back to the right thickness so I fill the voids with natural wood putty and rub it in with a rough cloth then I do a really good reaming, the shank is often lose and need to be cleaned, reglued and fill any openings to prevent leakage, this is usually done every six to eight months and smoking after a day's rest to dry correctly it can take a month to six weeks to color the wood putty from smoking to where it looks right again, definitely worth the effort since it is a great smoker.

banjo

 

[didimauw]

I have a couple good cracks in my legend, and always wondered if reaming it would ruin it even more, our cause it to leak. Add if the cake was what was holding the bowl together still. I'm glad I asked, and now I can't wait to see the pictures!

 

[carver]

I hava a few disposable corncocs. They do smoke nicely I have to agree. But they don't look as nice. I wouldn't know which corncob to buy if I were to desire a cob that lasts.

 

[didimauw]

Any of the ones from Missouri Meerschaum will last you a very long time. None of the ones from china are worth anything.

 

[ahmadothman]

I just got my first two cobs ever.. Both are Missouri Meerschaum.. A Huck Finn and an Elf Cobbit.. Tried them both and they smoke beautifully. No complaints whatsoever. And for a collective 25$ it's a steal

 

[lawdawg]

I have a good fix for cob cracks.
When my cobs start to crack, I start saving some ash from my pipes, mix it with a little bit of water to create a thick pipe mud, and then I smear it all over the outside of the cob, especially in the cracks, and then I wipe off the excess with a slightly damp paper towel. I think the results looks cool, as the cob looks well-smoked and rustic, and the pipe mud fills all the cracks for at least several more months of regular smoking until the cob expands / contracts and cracks again.
I believe the absorbent properties of the cob cause it to expand and contract based upon changes in humidity and temperature, so there isn't much you can do to prevent cracks from forming and re-forming. I just repeat the pipe mud process as needed. I have two MM Washingtons and a Diplomat (my favorite cob) that I've smoked for at least three years or so using this process. They are my oldest pipes, and I believe they all have many more years of use left in them.
I'll post a pic or two later if I remember ::

 

[didimauw]

Lawdawg, I used that method to repair a Dr Grabow that had a huge crack in the shank. I just Dug out some cake from the bowl and shoved it in there. It has held up quite nicely, other than the fact that the stem is kind of loose now. I probably should have banded it instead.

 

[mso489]

This illustrates that corn cob pipes may be inexpensive, but are not disposable. Once you get one groomed to your habits, they are excellent pipes good for the long haul. It may not be expensive to lose them or burn them out, but it is not a happy day. Keep in mind, 'fish owns a staggering collection of the finest artisanal pipes on earth. Consider how often he grabs his cob.

 

[hmhaines]

Wish I could get my hands on one of those forever stems!

 

[smokeyweb]

Just wondering... When you finally decide to "retire" a cob, is there any way to safely rehydrate the corn so you can enjoy the cob as a smoky snack?

 

[didimauw]

MSO, I was thinking the same thing. Out of all the nice artisan pipes Fish owns! That really goes to show you what a cob can do!
Yes I'm still patiently waiting for the forever stems to come back. The Freehand vulcanite stem is great, but I prefer acrylic.

 

[carver]

Any of the ones from Missouri Meerschaum will last you a very long time. None of the ones from china are worth anything.

Have you tried the ones from China ? Although there is not comparing that stands, still they don't smoke badly. However, they won't last ...

 

[lawdawg]

Here is my old MM Diplomat with its cracks repaired using the pipe mud method described above:

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Have you tried the ones from China ? Although there is not comparing that stands, still they don't smoke badly. However, they won't last ...

I personally don't trust Chinese cobs - I don't know what they use to coat/seal/stick them together. As cheap as real MM's are, why even bother to purchase a Chinese cob?

 

[fishnbanjo]

Servicing the 8 y/o MM Diplomat Corn Cob.
The first set of photos shows the pipe prior to doing anything.

banjo