Home-made Corn Cob Pipe, version 3.0

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Joe H

Can't Leave
May 22, 2024
310
3,139
Alaska
I have no need for another pipe but I was in the experimenting mood recently so I decided to make another corn cob pipe. My second ever home-made cob was made back in May of this year and it’s turned out to be a really great smoker. I described the process here:

Home-made Corn Cob Pipe (Version 2.0) :: Pipe Talk - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/home-made-corn-cob-pipe-version-2-0.109909/#post-37222845

I thought it would be interesting to compare the 2.0 version with a pot-shaped version with the same chamber volume. The 2.0 version vaguely resembles a billiard but the chamber is slightly conical on the count of the end piece of corn I used. It gave a nice round bottom (and who doesn’t like that) but the dimensions dictated more of a taper than a classic billiard chamber profile.

For this 3.0 attempt I used a central section of a slightly thicker cob. Same as last time, it was cooked, eaten for dinner and then cleaned up with a knife and left a week or so to dry. Again, the cob section became oval in cross section as it dried. I used the tip of another bamboo garden stake about the same diameter as the billiard so the stems would be roughly equal.

It’s not too difficult to figure the area of a cone but the 3.0 pot would have an oval chamber to get the maximum volume out of the shorter length. Afte clearing out the center, I used a rasp to enlarge the chamber hole rather than a drill. Since I used a center section, it was easier than the 2.0 billiard but required a larger hard wood plug in the bottom. The 2.0 billiard’s chamber is about 1 & 3/8ths” deep while the 3.0 pot is only 1”. I’m rather pleased to report that both pipes hold the exact same amount of tobacco.
pot 4.jpg
pot 3.jpg
pot 2.jpg
I made a few minor improvements on the 3.0 pot just based on lessons learned from the previous build. I’m very happy to say it smokes just great. My initial impression is that it smokes a little bit warmer than the billiard version, but not hot. It seems to last about as long. I didn’t really notice any difference in the taste of the ribbon cut burley cherry aromatic I used for the initial bowl. I’ll run a few more blends through it before I decide if it’s worth adding to my collection, or if I’ll stick it in a snowman this winter.
 
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Joe H

Can't Leave
May 22, 2024
310
3,139
Alaska
Thanks guys! It's in the low 40s today and nothing is frozen in town yet. If I had a raft I'd definitely float around in the local lake with a cob today. But I have some volunteer work to do at a local park (waterproofing interpretive signs) so I'll give the pot another go today out in the woods. I decided to put a slight coat of pipe mud in the bottom to protect the wooden base plug and round the bottom of the chamber out slightly.

Sig, grab a couple of those big cobs and put them up someplace to dry. You never know when you might feel like working on a pipe-related project. I've read Missouri Meershaum dries their cobs out for two years. Mine are lucky to get a week. I cook and eat mine first, I doubt the MM cobs get cooked. Anyway, it's an easy project that costs nothing and doesn't take too long. Waiting for things to dry is the hardest part.