Customized Cob Churchwarden

[kf5eqv]

I've been smoking out of a cheap $3 MM Cob I picked up at the local Indian smokeshop. I absolutely love the way the cob smokes, but am not crazy about the way it looked.
The first thing I did was take a Ebony wood stain and apply it to the outside of the bowl and shank by dipping a cloth into the stain and wiping it on, letting it set for a minute, and then wiping it back off and repeating the process a few times until I achieved the look I wanted. The top of the bowl and inside were not stained, but colored through smoking and ended up matching very well.

Then, after having the ugly yellow plastic stem that came on it wear out, I decided it was time to upgrade to one of the "Forever Stems" offered by Walker Briar Works.

I ordered my stem late Sunday evening, expecting maybe to get a confirmation Monday night. Dave Wolfe at Walker Briar Works had an email in my inbox before dinner that Sunday! And I had my stem the following Friday. It's comforting to see that they are on top of things the way they are.
I ordered the Churchwarden stem, and it looks amazing! It smokes amazing as well. This pipe went from being a cheap cob that served only as my "truck pipe" to being a favorite companion. For less than $30 I now have an amazingly cool, smooth smoking churchwarden which is truly unique.

 

[pstlpkr]

That really looks good.

I have a "cobwarden" as well.

I might consider your process.

Great job. :clap:

 

[duncan]

Ah, that is a fine looking pipe! I also love my forever stem.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

That is freaking awesome! I love the look of it. Might have to give that one a try. I love the look of corn cobs and churchwardens. Never thought of morphing them together like that. Congrats on the pipe and enjoy smoking it.

 

[teamhavoc28]

Not much on wardens but I love what you did. Nice way to make something more visually appealing that smokes nice.

 

[wizbang]

Now that is a work of art!

 

[lonestar]

Looks great man.

I really like the way this turned out. Definitely a rustic look to it, but refined too.

I have 2 or 3 churchwardens (MM used to make them) but the stems are nowhere as classy looking as what you have.

I'm normally a big fan of the old cobs over what they make these days, but I have to say you've got yourself one fine pipe there!

 

[kf5eqv]

Thanks for the complements guys, but I didn't do much other than the stain on the bowl and assembling parts. The real credit should go to the people at Forever Stems who made the new stem I put on it, that's what really makes the pipe.
Nothing like smoking fine aromatic cavendish out of a corncob churchwarden deep in the woods watching the sunset through the trees to make you feel like a wizard! I love this pipe.

 

[hobie1dog]

amazing transformation...good job

 

[unclearthur]

Looks real good!

 

[hebel]

The church warden is a nice touch, you could also look at the MM Gentlemen, it has a nice color to it and it would look good with a church warden too.

 

[ps27]

Nice. I think a bright cob and a black churchwarden stem come across a little stark in contrast. You've remedied that quite nicely. Good idea.

 

[fatman]

Looks great! MAy hafta 'darken' a couple of my cobs as well. Should look good w/a white stem!
EDIT: have you had any problems w/the added color transfering to your hands?

 

[kf5eqv]

I'll get into the garage tonight sometime and see what brand the stain was, but I have not had any problems with taste, odor, or anything else you might expect.
I didn't "paint" the stain on either, I dropped a small droplet on a soft cloth and wiped it on the cob then wiped it off a few moments later. I continued this over and over again until the pipe had the color and darkness I wanted. I also let it sun-dry for 2 days before smoking out of it.
The pipe has actually darkened a bit more on its own since I took those pictures, and now has a pretty unique looking pattern to it. I'll take some more pics and post them up soon showing the way it looks now.

 

[hilojohnny]

I like your new churchwarden very much....The fine photos are a plus!.... :clap:

 

[nabottle]

Man, this is ultra cool. Excellent job. Who would have thought a cobb could look that bad ass?

 

[romeowood]

Just the inspiration I needed to revive a couple of my fallen cobs (stems chewed through before I discovered heat shrink tubing :roll: )

 

[tiltjlp]

You've got a sharp looking cobwargen there, but it wouldn't work for me. even if I liked long pipes. My arms aren'r long enough and my eyes aren't strong enough.

 

[wheetree]

My dad often uses 'chaw' as stain in his wood shop. Grab a cheekfull of Red Man, chew 'til thoroughly moistened, then rub on the wood. Or alternatively (since my dad's a non-tobacco user) pack two pouches of 'chaw' in a pint jar and fill with turpentine; let sit for a couple of days and rub the leaves on the wood.

 

[logandow]

Well bollocks now I need to buy a new stem, on top of the 300 baccy's I need to buy.