Corn Cob Pipe Modification Part 1 Introduction

Links Below. An introduction to corn cob pipes including a look at a few popular shapes and an overview of pipe construction. I also outline the plan for the next 3 videos in this series: 1) Tobacco chamber modification, 2) Ebonite replacement stems, and 3) A complete modification of a pipe for Cobfoolery
Links:
Missouri Meerschaum: corncobpipe.com/
Aristocob: aristocob.com/
Aristocob channel: / aristocob
MMBC: / mmbclub
Assorted Cobfoolery Videos: www.youtube.co...

[@ronduff4325]

I use Meerschaum pipes . I live 30 minutes from Washington Missouri . It's a great store and museum !

[@stayathomepiper4422]

That pipe is a Legend in the Rob Roy shape. Mark Twains are much larger. I love that you are doing this series. I've always wanted to modify my cobs. Thanks for the series.

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Stay At Home Piper Thanks for identifying that! I'll make the correction when I next show that pipe. Thanks for watching! Mike.

[@wishiwasamuffin]

Your voice is incredibly soothing. You had me completely engrossed in the video! I look forward to learning more about corn cob pipes from you!

[@CaneRodPiper]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@englishmanpipesmoker3425]

He one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of doing business with also !!! He fully restored a LL Bean bent pipe for me and did a beautiful job. Very trusting too, he sent me my pipe back before my PayPal even went through to him. A very soothing nice soul!!!

[@longstreetlee]

I love to watch videos by craftsmen like you. I have two Missouri Meerschaums - one was gifted by Parsimonious Piper and the other I bought. The one I bought has the “Forever Stem” while the other is a straight billiard. I haven’t smoked the billiard yet but I love the one with the forever stem. Good smoker that I can smoke most anything in. Also fits well in my hand. Loved your suggestions and info. I learned a lot!! Thank you so much for posting!😊 Wish I had seen this long before now!

[@CaneRodPiper]

I am glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@bveracka]

Hello my fellow MM enthusiast! Although I love my briar pipes, I smoke cobs very often and I love collecting and modifying them. I wanted to mention some friendly info; all of the pipes you showed are coated in plaster, it's just that some aren't varnished. The brown ones are stained _and_ varnished. The plain cobs are easy to spot because they have a very rough textured exterior (it's a corn cob after all), they're _very_ lightweight, and significantly cheaper in price. The factory second pipe at 10:40 is called a Rob Roy, which is a cool shape IMO, and it's stained yellow but has no varnish. Sadly they changed the 10-pipe grab bag to 7, and now it's $34.99. Personally I like the plastered ones - or "polished" as MM calls them, regardless of varnish - best, but the raw ones dissipate heat very quickly, which is a bonus, and that's why some folks prefer those over the polished ones. Anyways, I really liked your video and I'll be sure to check out some more! Best Regards from Cape Cod Massachusetts 👍🇺🇸

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thank you for watching, and for the helpful comment.

[@danoyes1]

Happy to say I've got a hold of Apple Diplomat with straight danish bit, actually ended up shortening the shank by almost half and shortened the bit, and pipe mudded the bottom of the barrel with salt and plaster of paris, lost the metal feurel and replaced it with a brass feruel.

[@CrownHillProduction]

If Bob Ross modified corn cob pipes he would be this guy.

[@m.s.769]

I value my Missouri Meerschaums more than I do a lot of my briars. They are great pipes and always give a fantastic smoke. In fact, I have found that the best smokers are inverse to their price - cobs, clays, briar.

[@dondavi5798]

I am starting to agree. I been smoking 2 different types of tobacco out of some cobs and tried just today to go back to a briar I have dedicated to my favorite- now hate it. Tomorrow will try my favorites in a cob. If it turns out as expected my briar will be my guinea pig for carving customization.

[@bveracka]

Don't get me wrong, I *_LOVE_* MM cobs, and I smoke them just about every day. With that said, I have some briars that smoke amazingly well, but they're handmade. Factory-made pipes like Peterson, Savinelli, Kaywoodie, etc. often smoke like crap (of course, not always). The handmade pipes by the Italian artisan pipemakers are some of the best on Earth, and they smoke equally as good as a cob once they're broken in and if not overused. With that said, cobs are impossible to beat; no break-in period, no worries about overheating them and causing them to sweat-out moisture (at least not after a few smokes when they're new), they're practically indestructible, and they're so reasonably priced. Also, they're made by a good and honest American company. 👍

[@theblishknovk]

I love my cobs as much, if not more than my briar pipes. I even burned a holethrough the bottom of my 6 dollar missouri pride and now wanting to repair it because its the best smoking pipe ive ever had.

[@TheSprinklerNinja]

Cool! I like to stain mine. If you take a diplomat bent apple and put a straight bit on it its a really comfy and handsome shape.

[@happymonk4206]

I like to be creative too, I like your thought process. I have two corn cob pipes and and for the money I like them better because it's a simple smoke.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thanks, glad that you enjoyed it!

[@DutchPointOfView]

All the wood used in the pipes is birch, like the shank and plug, thanks for making this vid :-)

[@CaneRodPiper]

+DutchPointOfView Thanks for the information, and I'm glad you liked the video. Be well, Mike.

[@RedcoatsReturn]

Excellent video! I like corn cobs, just wish they did a 9mm version as the draw would be better. I find the 6mm filters overload with moisture too easy. Savinelli balsa filters are better with moisture but don’t filter much else. I agree with you, the shank taste is a disadvantage, I use filter crystals in the base of the bowls to reduce that and assist the savinelli balsa in absorbing tar. Gonna get me some more Meerschaum models to modify.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thanks for the informative comment, I'm glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@PanfishingJournal]

That Mark Twain is really cool. I have two Legends in my truck that I try new blends with. They seem to heat up really fast, but not enough to toss them out.

[@pastorpipes3885]

Really glad you are doing this new series... Thanks for showing us

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Pastor Pipes Thank you. I hope you find it helpful, or at least entertaining :) Be well, Mike.

[@SgtSavinelli]

The Country Gentleman is my personal favorite as well. Hope you had a Great Thanksgiving!! All the best!!

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thanks Sarge, and happy Thanksgiving to you!

[@NomDeTube]

Definitely interested in the pipe mud video, I think a couple of my cobs could use a nice mud treatment. Thanks for putting this series together!

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Nom De Tube Mud is so easy you are going to have a great time with it. The next video shows how to carve out the shank extension before the mud, but you can even just push it around and over the extension and improve the combustion. Be well, Mike.

[@NomDeTube]

+CaneRodPiper Nice! These pipes are smoking pretty good for me, but who doesn't love a little pipe improvement project :)

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Nom De Tube Oh I agree! The improvement is minimal. Mostly just lets you get to the bottom of the bowl without burning wood. But nothing like a little pipe improvement.

[@carlarthur4442]

Enjoyed your video. Thank you .

[@VincentVader]

I wish you could still get those 2nds

[@danoyes1]

You can still get Missouri Merchaum though... I put in a order with them last week, 4 pipes for under 80$... that's pretty tough to beat.

[@paulbucklebuckle4921]

Thanks

[@rotulha]

hello, could you tell me witch video have the explanation of pipe mude, and sometinhg for I polish my corn pipe (sorry for any english mistake, im from Brasil) tks

[@tardwrangler]

3:16 Huh. My stem doesn't go nowhere near as far inside the chamber. This is the only issue I have with it as some tobacco goes to waste because it's trapped underneath. Still can't beat em at that price point though.

[@bartholomewfotheringay-phi5683]

An excellent and helpful series of videos, Mike. Thanks! My ideal chamber width is 0.85". Most factory cobs measure around 0.75". Which is fine, but I like to build a cake, so the factory chamber width ends up being a bit too narrow for me. Any suggestions for drilling the chamber to make it wider? Some people might panic about doing anything like that, but I've never had a cob burn through. Also, a good cake acts as a firewall, and my cobs seem to last forever anyway. So I'm not concerned with thinning out the walls a bit. Cheers and Mellow Puffs, Mark P.S. I use Virginia ash and tap water for pipe mud and never had a problem. Hard and smooth as granite when it dries. Cigar ash is probably ideal, but inconvenient for me. In the end, pipe tobacco ash seems to work just fine.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Hello Mark, thank you for the comment. I have increased the internal diameter using a 0.75 inch fostner bit in a drill press. Many of the MM cobs measure 0.75 at the top, but seem to narrow. The 0.75 bit opens up the chamber quite nicely. Take a look at my cobfoolery entry on the stubby gentleman for an example. Thanks for the tip on VA ash! Be well, Mike.

[@bveracka]

I too have often wondered why MM makes their chambers so narrow, but as Mike mentioned, you can easily widen one with a drill press. Although for Virginias I find that a chamber diameter around 0.70"-0.75" to be best for optimal flavor, and once the cake builds up I just ream it and start fresh. For Burley and English blends a 0.8"-0.9" is definitely preferable though. 👌

[@rickbissell8678]

great series!

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Rick Bissell Thank you Rick!

[@SteveL781]

I always learn something watching your videos

[@CaneRodPiper]

+Steve L Than you for that kind comment Steve! That's why I'm making these videos so I really do appreciate it. Be well, Mike.

[@tomh8782]

As I am new to Corncob pipes seems like recently having bought one myself a few days ago there seems to be a wooden piece from the stem and going through and poking out on the bottom of the pipe and it has some hole so if trying to smoke the tobacco the smell etc. Possibly travel through that wooden tube part . I was however wondering if anyone who knows/ has experienced this/ has any knowledge of why there is a piece of wooden part sticking out of the bottom of the chamber or bowl leading up from the stem?

[@CaneRodPiper]

In one of these modification videos I show how to chip that away and replace it with pipe mud. But most people just smoke the pipe until the wooden extension burns away. It is annoying, but that is just how the pipes are made. Thanks for watching!

[@shatteredsquare]

smoke the hell out of it and the cake will fill in the spaces in the bottom and burn down the walls of that hole extension till it's flush, then it's great

[@CaneRodPiper]

Yes, that definitely works and it's what most people do. Some folks don't like the taste of the burning wood though. Whatever works for you is the right thing to do!

[@sunriseboy6435]

Yeah...I learned the hard way about that burning hardwood. I thought I was going to have a heart attack the first few times it happened. So I got to, and chiselled the end of the shank out of the pipe. Followed the instructions on the video and voila! It now looks like a properly constructed pipe. At least inside the bowl. Thanks CRP.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thank you for the comment! I'm glad that the videos helped you. Be well, Mike.

[@smokinmystic7363]

shatteredsquare I

[@juanramos5702]

I just bought a cheap chinese corncob. I am new to the tobacco pipe hoppy. My new girlfriend said that she much prefers it over cigarettes. My uncle turned me onto the world of pipe tobacco. Well I dont know much about corn cobs was debating if i should make a trip to homedepot or just let the cake on the bottom build up as they drilled the hole to deep a very thin layer on the bottom. Any advice would be good and appreciated.Thanks John

[@potatokitty]

I have that exact pipe.

[@PNW-Piper]

Being a new piper, seeking tips for boring out the chamber slightly. I am thinking of using a 3/4" spoon bit to ream the chamber to 3/4" and stop shy of the bottom to remove the bit of shank that extends into the chamber. What are your thoughts on this?

[@CaneRodPiper]

You are thinking along the same lines that I did a few years after I made these videos. I don't think the spoon bit would allow you to get the shank extension out without going through the bottom of the bowl. Since I made this video I have switched to using a 3/4 inch Fostner bit to do as you suggest, and that gives a flat bottom that you can then build up with pipe mud or pipe mortar. I really need to make an updated version of this video some day!

[@PNW-Piper]

Thank you for your guidance. I enjoy watching your videos. I felt that a craftsman like yourself would have the answer I was looking for.

[@83project]

Salam kreatif 👍🇮🇩

[@danogle9927]

Got mine for Christmas 1974and its still smoking

[@CaneRodPiper]

Amazing, aren't they? ;-)

[@braianramos4048]

diplomat vs normal pipe,i have a question,does the normal corn pipe durability make a good life time?

[@CaneRodPiper]

I've had cobs that have lasted more that 10 years. Missouri Meerschaum pipes are high quality and will stand up to heavy smoking. Thanks for watching!

[@chottabeamm]

hey I've got this crack near the "lip" of the bowl of my MM morgan natural, cracking down maybe 1 cm to the exterior. seems like there is no leaking, just crack. is that okay? what can I do about it? thank you

[@CaneRodPiper]

I've had that happen on cobs. Never seemed to be a problem other than cosmetic. You could probably fill it with glue and sawdust or plaster of Paris, but I would just smoke it as is.

[@erichan6985]

How long do cobs last for a heavy smoker ? Quarter ounce ish per day .

[@CaneRodPiper]

I have had cobs for over 10 years and they are still going. Of course I don;t smoke the same pipe every day, but they last a good long time. Thanks for watching!

[@wrath642]

Are the stems of regular models and the cobbit series interchangeable? For example: switching a wizard stem with a missouri pride stem and vice versa.

[@CaneRodPiper]

I don't know anything about the Cobbit series. Try and get in touch with Scott at Aristocob.com He probably has the information. Thanks for watching!

[@wrath642]

@@CaneRodPiper Alright. Thanks for the response and help, video liked ;)

[@MR2Davjohn]

That pipe you called a Mark Twain is a Rob Roy.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Thanks!

[@althepipelesspiper9830]

This is great!

[@CaneRodPiper]

+The PiPeLeSs Piper Thank you, and thanks for watching! Be well, Mike.

[@LorettaK.Randolph]

Are "Ladies " pipes available/ made

[@TheSkipper1921]

You mention the "Plaster like material" that's exactly what it is Plaster of Paris.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Hi Tony, it might be. At least the last time I looked for the information MM was not revealing the composition of their plaster. But I do use Plaster of Paris to smooth the pipe after I modify the shape, and it works well. Thanks, Mike,

[@erichan6985]

Also I can’t find on the website where to get the seconds

[@CaneRodPiper]

This is an old video. Maybe they stopped selling them.

[@erichan6985]

I looked some more. They sell 7 for $30 but they’re all sold ouuut.

[@markrush5013]

lf l understand correctly they no longer sell many seconds...they will let chipped bowls etc go thru now ..in other words theyve lowered their cull standards...when i ordered my pipe it came with info that there may be roughness and chipping on the bowl and the rim. one vid l watched said if you buy culls these days they will need some attention(repair) usually before you use them.

[@erichan6985]

mark rush bummer

[@monstrouseflimflam]

Did you used to have a podcast? Your voice is very familiar.

[@CaneRodPiper]

No, no podcasts in my past ;-) Thanks for watching!

[@julialandin7975]

Hi would you like to trade an unsmoked black stemmed pipe with a brand new ember stemmed one.?

[@CaneRodPiper]

Hi Julia, You can purchase new stems (bits) for your cobs at Aristocob: aristocob.com/EXTRA-PIPE-BITS-C154298.aspx?sid=15455 They are very inexpensive, so it would probably not be worth the postage for us to trade. But if you want to send me an email (address on my about page) with your address and the type of stem you are looking for I'll gladly drop one in the mail for you if I have it. Be well, Mike.

[@julialandin7975]

+CaneRodPiper i diddent medan just stemm i menat intire pipe.🙂

[@hermithank9514]

I think the stem is corn cob too.

[@CaneRodPiper]

Hi Hank, I'm certain that it is not corn cob. I've cut and sanded them and they are definitely wood. Thank for watching, Mike.

[@kewlpiper984]

I love my Missouri Meerschaum pipes......100% AMERICAN MADE......…...BUY AMERICAN!!!

[@djmaur]

Why whisper?

[@CaneRodPiper]

I don't want to wake the lions.

[@bulentcaglar2390]

How durable are corncob pipes? How many years can I use them?

[@CaneRodPiper]

I have a few that I have smoked for over 10 years. Not daily, but a few times/ month. They show no sign of giving up.

[@bulentcaglar2390]

@@CaneRodPiper ta