Missouri Meerschaum Explains Shank In Bowl Bottom

[jmill208]

I’ve never burnt the whole way through a cob, but have had failure from excessive moisture in the bottom of the bowl. Cleaning around the “spoon” I once poked a Czech tool right through the bottom only to discover the whole underside was soggy and soft.

Prefer the MM Legends, so it doesn’t break the bank to toss it away and start breaking in a new one.

 

[renfield]

I’ve always removed the spoon with careful use of a Forstner bit and never had a problem with the bottom of the cob failing or the stem popping out.

That said I don’t smoke my cobs to the absolute bottom. My oldest cobs are around 10 years and get regular use. YMMV.

 

[labrax]

I have about 15 of them - and on some I drilled the spoon out, on others I smoked them until they were basically gone. I just had a 3+ year Missouri Pride that developed a crack the was working down from the top, so I went to throw it away, but I went to take the stem off of the bowl and I had to use quite a bit of pressure to break it from the bowl. I just got two Morgans - if I did not remove the spoon - then the chamber would have been about 1/2 of the depth. To each their own, but I remove them - and will occasionally use pipe mud to build up the bottom so that the draft hole is then right at the bottom of the adjusted bowl depth. Seem to be some of my most used and best smoking pipes after that.

 

[saltedplug]

I can't be rational about the shank in the bowl. It doesn't belong there and it looks like hell.

The solution to bottom burnout is the hardware plug, which should have been obvious to MM, but which they were reluctant to implement.

If they made their shanks flush with the inner wall, they might use a stronger glue than Elmers so that the shank need not have anything to do with the bowl's integrity.

When I talked to them they were at pains to portray themselves as the pipe company for "everyman", and selling their pipes cheap, they had to be very dollar conscious. Well, sell your pipes for $25 instead of $10.
Every man can afford $25.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Every man can afford $25.

I won't pay $25 for a standard production cob.

 

[saltedplug]

But don't you have their double calabash? I'm thinking $30 or $40 for it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But don't you have their double calabash? I'm thinking $30 or $40 for it.

I said I wouldn't pay $25 for standard production, the reverse calabash pipes were $50. 250 of the original made, and 500 of the second issue.

 

[anotherbob]

I said I wouldn't pay $25 for standard production, the reverse calabash pipes were $50. 250 of the original made, and 500 of the second issue.

part of the charm of the MM standard issue cob is if you lose one no big deal and if you're thinking what's up with pipes even 25 can be more then you want to spend on something you might only do once or twice. Heck most of the cobs I've owned have been bought immediately preceding a backpacking trip or lake based activity such as canoeing. If they cost 25 then I'd probably just bought a basket briar anyways.

 

[edger]

Relax guys. Buy ‘em, smoke ‘em and smoke ‘em some more. Too much navel gazing going on here. Oh, and buy ‘em with straight stems so your navel is out of view.

 

[anotherbob]

Relax guys. Buy ‘em, smoke ‘em and smoke ‘em some more. Too much navel gazing going on here. Oh, and buy ‘em with straight stems so your navel is out of view.

nothing wrong with navel gazing or even shoegazing, especially shoegazing. Both can lead to astounding things.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Relax guys. Buy ‘em, smoke ‘em and smoke ‘em some more. Too much navel gazing going on here. Oh, and buy ‘em with straight stems so your navel is out of view.

Dont get me wrong, I like cobs better than any other material, just won't pay that much for a regular issue one.

 

[bullet08]

So, I packed MM x Moonshine with CH using codger method. Pushed in twice with index finger for 45 min smoke. It smoked great. Didn't have to dump the ashes, only tamper twice. Then, I noticed weird taste and light goes out. Tamper again. It seems I smoked CH to ashes and started to smoke "spoon". Didn't enjoy smoking hardwood.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

The spoon only burns off on the cobs with hardwood plugs.. I finally figured this one out.

 

[saltedplug]

I think, MM's verbiage is self-serving, the spoon protecting against burnout. Instead, why funny up the bottom of the chamber with the spoon in the first place, and protecting the bottom of the bowl with a hardwood plug?

But suggestions about how MM could make a better pipe run counter to their business mandate to produce their product inexpensively, for a public that demands a very inexpensive pipe.

 

[saltedplug]

I don't need any more cobs... I don't need anymore cobs.... Stop talking about cobs!!!

If you smoke pipes there is a very high percentage that you will buy more, cob or briar. The love of pipes includes buying more. Perhaps at a collection of 500 pipes one would stop. If you need a bigger house to house your collection, get one.

I stopped smoking a few years ago but can't bring myself to get off this forum and stop cruising pipes. I still want to buy them and I don't even smoke. Go figure. I read Al's post yesterday, and the beauty of two of the pipes for sale was stunning.

Were I rich and famous I would most certainly buy more pipes, whether that version of me smoked or not.

 

[snagstangl]

I bought a ebay lot of old used cobs. Many of the older MM cobs i got have wood plugs. I have one cob specifically that went to clean out around the spoon. I though there was some clay or something the shank spoon was set down in. Nope! it was hard wood plug about an inch tall. The stem hole was drilled thorough the cob and into the plug. Some of the plug was sitting above where the shank entered the cob.

 

[coming to_falling too]

@kurtbob ’s cob etiquette 101

Kurtbobs etiquette of the cob

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Spoon burned off.. This is a Hardwood, but the same applies to the hardwood plug cobs.