I have a new pipe that I wasn’t careful enough breaking in, and have a burnout divot in the bottom of the bowl. I have read the thread on pipe cement using hardwood ash rather than cigar ash. After reading that, I am thinking about using ash from my Green Egg smoker to make pipe cement. The charcoal I use in the Egg is primarily oak and hickory, with cherry and apple chunks added for additional smoke. Any thoughts from the forum as to whether this would work well???
Pipe Mud Question
- Thread starter AZsmoker
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You burned the very bottom of the bowl? Wow! Most men on here, can't even smoke all the way to the bottom, ha ha.
Just off the top of my head... I would worry about adding a new aroma to the mix. I know that when I empty my smoker, that it all has the aromas of pork, sauces, and all sorts of other food smells. But, if you are a latakia smoker, it shouldn't bother you at all, ha ha.
Hell, try it.
I know that Bradly (oldcajun) recommends using fireplace morter.
But, is the bottom of the bowl really going to be a burn out problem? Most of the burnouts I've seen have been on the sides, where the pipe gets hot from over puffing.
Are you hitting the last little bit with a lighter? If so, that is most likely your problem.
The burnout divot is on the side, close to the bottom. I have read about fireplace mortar, but has it been proven to be non-toxic? That would be my only concern about using it. I probably did use the lighter too much trying to light the dottle at the end and burned the pipe itself. I hadn’t thought about the taste of the meat in the ash, but you probably have a good point, though the Green Egg uses a ceramic plate setter that catches most of the drippings. And, as you noted, Latakia will probably outcompete the other smells!
Just get used to letting there remain a little unburned dottle. The satisfaction of smoking every last blade of tobacco in the bowl doesn't quantify the damage that this can do to your pipe.
I have no idea whether there is anything toxic in mortar, but I also can't say whether there is anything toxic in whatever charcoal you have been using in your egg. If you are using some sort of all organic whole wood charcoal, with no accelerants, then use it, but even then there could be some extra molecules of something something. That would just have to be your call. But, if mortar were dangerous, everyone with a fireplace is putting themselves in danger.
Good point on the fireplace mortar, though using it in a pipe will likely be a lot more potent and direct than sitting in a room with a fire burning. Quality hardwood charcoal doesn’t have any accelerants used to make it, and no binders like charcoal briquettes have. And it is like dust when I clean out the bottom, so it should work better than fireplace ash. Guess I’ll have to do a little more research on fireplace mortar and decide which way I want to try. Thanks for your comments, they have given me more to think about.
Are you opposed to cigar ash?
It is a very heavy white ash. And, it gives you the excuse to smoke a cigar, which is a ++.
No, not necessarily. It just seemed that the hardwood ash works better and is more “durable”??? from some of the threads I have read.
Has tobacco?
I've used fireplace mortar on several pipes and it works quite well. No new appendages grown nor any old ones lost.
I guess I know what tobacco has, just wasn’t sure about fireplace mortar. Good to hear that it has worked well for you. I may have to change up my thinking and give it a try.
You can't go wrong with some good ole traditional pipe mud made from either pipe tobacco or cigar ash. I use it to fill in the cracks that form on the outside of my corncob pipes, and the pipe mud filler lasts years before I have to reapply. I suspect it would work even better for a small burnout inside the pipe at the bottom of the bowl.
That certainly is the most traditional and time tested method. I’m an engineer by training, so we always tend to look at the latest methods to see how they compare to traditional ones. Since I am also a cigar smoker, I certainly can generate a lot of ash!
Or you can buy some pipe mud from Aristocob for a buck a bag (small). More than enough for what you need. And hell, pick up a cob while you are there.
I’ve seen their product and it looks interesting. I have several Missouri meerschaums, one probably 40 years old that I primarily used when backpacking. It still smokes well!
I've used JB Weld on a couple of pipes (100+yo) with over-reamed walls and bottoms, then coated with a thin layer of pipe mud made with cigar ash very successfully.
I’ve used JB Weld on motorcycles. I would never have thought about using it on pipes. So, do you just put a coat of epoxy in the bowl, then “season/break in” the pipe with the mud?
Yes. I've used a coating of JB Weld in pipes with "thinned" bottoms to raise the bottom, as well as "thinned" walls. Left to dry >24 hours.
Then a thin coating of pipe mud over the JB weld to promote cake.
I've used pipe mud from cigar ashes mixed with a small amount of water for years. Sometimes two or three coatings have been needed, allowing the prior coating to dry overnight. The first few bowls that I smoke after the cigar mud treatment are with a lighter, dry tobacco to start building up a cake.
I would not recommend JB Weld. Once cured it's rated for 500 degrees F, whereas tobacco burning in a pipe bowl runs about 800 degrees F according to most of the literature I've read. I haven't stuck a thermometer in my bowl while smoking, though. JB Weld contains fiberglass powder, talc powder, and epoxy resin. I wouldn't want to be sucking that in...
For larger divots in estate pipe bowls I use a mix of 4F Pumice, Waterglass (Sodium Silicate), and activated charcoal powder. Dries in 24 hours, can be sanded, and smoked rather quickly after application.
For larger divots in estate pipe bowls I use a mix of 4F Pumice, Waterglass (Sodium Silicate), and activated charcoal powder. Dries in 24 hours, can be sanded, and smoked rather quickly after application.
Why do you object sucking in JB Weld, but do approve of using Waterglass ?
No pun intended, serious question
For me a mixture of hardwood (oak) ash and water always works fine.