MM Cob Pipe Query.

[mawnansmiff]

Hi folks, my new (first proper cob) MM Mark Twain pipe arrived this morning and am rather pleased with it. It has a nice chunky feel to it, is thick walled (though did get a little warm on the inaugural smoke) and has a decent sized bowl (20mm wide, 39mm deep). However compared to all other MM cobs I have seen mine appears to be somewhat anaemic, it is more cream coloured than the straw yellow I was expecting.
Is the bowl likely to darken with use I wonder? It is finished with plaster of Paris I believe and has a varnish coating.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[aldecaker]

I have four Twains, and although they vary in shade somewhat, they are all a little on the pale side. They do darken up with handling and smoking. Apparently MM does not use the yellow varnish they use on the Legends.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Sounds about right, all of my cobs vary in color.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Aha Aldecaker, it never occurred to me that the colouring was due to the varnish used, I always assumed it was a natural yellow. Many thanks.
I do hope it does darken with use as the way it looks now it looks rather 'ill'.
Some collection you have there Duane and yes, in a variety of colours. Mine is close to your chairlegged chimney at top right.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[derfatdutchman]

I believe that MM uses shellac on their finished pipes. If this so it would explain the variation in color.

 

[pagan]

All the cobs vary in color/shade but they do change as you smoke and handle them, they take on a personality all themselves

 

[shutterbugg]

If pigs were as picky about the cobs in their swill, corn farmers would be in big trouble :D

 

[aldecaker]

If pigs were payin', they'd have every right to be.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Well folks, earlier tonight I filled up my new cob with some Bold Kentucky and settled down to watch an hour long documentary on the building of the Severn Bridge. That bowl nigh on lasted the entire programme!
For a mere £8.29 ($10:19) I think I got me a bargain, albeit a pale looking one. I can see me buying a couple more...and for a piper who prefers bents that shows how happy I am with the pipe. I just wish they were as yellow as they were in my mind's eye :crying:
Regards,
Jay.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It will definitely darken the more you smoke it, and something I really love is how the amber stems MM uses also darkens. My Mark Twain, second from the bottom on the left actually has an amber stem.

 

[didimauw]

I love my cobs. I took banjos advice and when my legend started cracking, I filled the cracks and voids with wood putty. After only a few smokes you can hardly tell it's there. I plan on Doing the same with my washington, as it is swelling and cracking pretty bad now as well. I plan on ordering another cob, for when and if mine ever bite the bullet. But by the looks of it will not be for a long time. Great price for a pipe that will last many years.

 

[shutterbugg]

If pigs were payin', they'd have every right to be.

They're paying with their lives

 

[aldecaker]

True enough, Shutterbugg. Reminds me of the old saw, "When it comes to a bacon and egg breakfast, the chicken may be involved, but the pig was damn well committed!".

 

[ray47]

I have 4 Mark Twains. The first 2 I bought had a finish like a Legend (lacquered). The second 2 I bought were Natural bowls. I really prefer the Natural bowls because the bowls stay cool. The Natural and Lacquered bowls both provide a good smoke, it's just that I like a bowl that doesn't heat up as much.

 

[jackswilling]

^^^ Yes indeed

 

[didimauw]

I always figured the natural bowls would not last as long. Like they are weaker?

 

[Chasing Embers]

Not at all. I've had that natural General for years.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Duane, mine came with a black stem which luckily is my preference. However my mini cob (3 1/2 inches long) came with an amber coloured stem. I use that pipe for trialling my own tobacco mixes.
One other query if I may, will I forever taste the nutty sweetness that I am getting from the pipe or will that disappear once some cake is formed?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[aldecaker]

Once a cob is broken in, I don't taste the "corn cob" taste any more. The inner surface of the bowl on these things seems to convert to a nice hard carbon layer fairly quickly.
Just as an aside, that "nutty sweetness" you describe? For me, it complements nutty burley-based tobaccos nicely, which is probably why so many people love "codger burleys" in a cob. Conversely, I hate that effect with Latakia; I think it clashes horribly. I should never have smoked a Lat bomb in a new cob, as I am now biased against it!

 

[bryguysc]

The sweet corn taste does go away.

Here is a fun experiment. Smoke a caramel aromatic in a fresh cob, like McClelland Dark Caramel. It tastes like caramel popcorn!