Packing a cob - what am I doing wrong?

[cinosam]

I got two Missouri Meerschaum corncob pipes and have tried smoking with them but find the narrow bowl to be a pain in the ass, and I feel like I'm not packing the tobacco right. I've tried ribbon cut and broken flake in them, and the bowls are so small that I feel the three-step "gravity" method just doesn't work; a few long ribbons or flakes fill up the pipe to the top quickly (or don't even make it into the bowl because they're too long), then I push them down and immediately I feel like they're stuffed too tightly; repeat, same deal. I packed both pipes too tightly because I felt like I couldn't fill the bowl without stuffing in the flakes/ribbons. They just did not fall into the bowl naturally with the effect of gravity.
Should I just take a knife and mince up the tobacco to a finer consistency?

 

[anglesey]

Try the Frank method. Helps with awkward shaped bowls I find.

 

[warren]

The blend may need a bit of rubbing out. I smoke flake, ribbon, ropes, etc. in my cobs. I just rub it out, small flakes, and load slowly, a couple of tiers, each gently tamped with my little finger. As I've said before I slowly twist my finger as I lightly tamp so the tobacco "nests" nicely and gives me a nice even burn.

 

[mso489]

... yeah, or use a tamper. If you have large hands, packing can be more difficult, or arthritis for that

matter. I'd get started with fairly soft, not extra dry, loose tobacco until you get the hang of it, just

to make it easier. Cube, ribbon, sliced, etc. tobacco that you have to cut and/or rub out is more

challenging to pack. So I'd start with the easiest leaf until you get the hang of it. Cobs aren't much

more difficult to pack, except the bowls are a little narrower.

 

[IslandCobFog]

I like to gravity fill mine and when it gets to the topp I tap the pipe a few times to settle it then fill a little more before I pack the first fill half way down. Then repeat till its full.

 

[sjfine]

I pack all my pipes the same way (a variation of the Frank method, I think):
Drizzle in some ribbons without any pressure at all; then take a large pinch, stuff it in the bowl just enough to be able to hold it down with your opposite thumb, trim, the fold in from the outside of the bowl towards the middle.
Works every time.
E v e r y - t i m e.
I think that there is a video of it at pm dot com.

 

[redbeard]

With the smaller cobs I often use the pick tool on my tamper to assist. Throw some in and push it with the pick. This helps to not clog it up by using just the tamper end and creates many air holes in the process. You will get it, just take your time.