Long Term Cob Torture Test: 6 Months Under The Elements
- Thread starter mikethompson
- Start date
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Site Sponsors
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor
Where your image shows on what page may well differ from others. Here it is!
I had no idea it could be different. And they said this thread wouldn't be educational!
Took a peek up there a few days ago, it seems no worse for wear. No critters have eaten it, no missing pieces.
Not bad for almost 2 months exposure ?
Not bad for almost 2 months exposure ?
Mine blew off its perch in a recent storm. I’m sure it’s still fine, I just haven’t bothered to get out the ladder and go looking for it in the guttering yet
We've had some intense blasts this past month and I'd thought for sure I'd lose it, but the wire has managed to hold.
We have an update!
Looks like a minor crack has started to appear in the bowl
Looks like a minor crack has started to appear in the bowl
I'm going to have to try one of these, maybe drag one behind my truck, and see how long it lasts. Heck, I may not have the patience for that. I might have to just buy a box of MMs and a just spend a day smashing them with a hammer. You know... something spiritually soothing like that. 
The water is probably the hardest on it, with the changes in humidity and the heat running a close second. I'm surprised no critters have sampled it, but I see no signs of that. Speaking of which, I saw either a brown thrasher or a wood thrush in the yard this morning. I spoke to it quietly and it let me pass the bushes where it roosted without flying off. Their appearance is supposed to be a triple A rating for the local environment. It was probably looking to see if I'd put out a cob pipe for it to sample. These species have been in decline, so I was glad to see this one.
It's a $10 pipe, I'm surprised it has survived as well as it has. Put a briar through the same set of conditions and see what conditions it is in. I don't believe it would crack but it would likely look like crap. It is kind of irrelevant because the product wasn't designed to stand up to these conditions anyway.
I would venture to guess that one of the smooth, polished cobs would fare better than the natural finish, rough cob currently on the roof. Too late for that now though -- the Science is already in progress.
Even cheaper actually, I think it was closer to $5.
There's always time for more science
Those look like tourture/ ransom pics I've seen on some police procedurals.
"Send a tin of 2010 McClellands Christmas Cheer to the following location or the Cob gets it..."
?
"Send a tin of 2010 McClellands Christmas Cheer to the following location or the Cob gets it..."
?
Too bad it hasn't been getting our weather down here. It would probably be just a stem by now. I had to start my morning today by dragging some oak limbs off of my roof and rounding up the stuff strewn from the wind last night. We went through the first of summer with a lot of rain and storms everyday. I actually had to deal with a few moisture related fungal infections in my soil this year.
I'm surprised that this pipe hasn't attracted a bunch of homeless people to the roof of your house. It's like hobo bait.
I'm surprised that this pipe hasn't attracted a bunch of homeless people to the roof of your house. It's like hobo bait.
??
Thank you for your enrichment of scientific curiosity among Forums members. I continue to follow this with a certain slow burning curiosity. So far, it has increased my respect for the durability of MM cobs. They don't just hang around the house anymore; they hang on the house.
Here are some updated pictures.
I noticed as well that the metal ring on the stem is very loose. Probably the wooden part shrinks/swells and it's worked its way loose. The bowl is still developing cracks but it hasn't disintegrated yet.