@mfresa — great find. It would be fun to try this out. I’m not a woodworker. So I wonder what type of tools would be required to carve a “not ugly” pipe?
The non filtered pipes are 1/4" a little more than 6 mm The filtered is 11/32" just a smidge larger than 9 mm, the 9 mm fits pretty well in the in the filtered cob with just a tiny bit of thickening.
@mfresa -- I like it. I just texted this link to a couple of pipe-smoking buddies of mine. I suggested that we each buy a kit and have a competition as to who could carve the best Churchwarden.
@jfreedy Great idea!! Will you post photos of the finished pipes? You need some good files, a vice to hold the briar in while you file, and a drill with some sanding discs and polishing wheels.
Most stems are some form of plastic. I never searched but it seems people have a hard time finding them. Why do they make it a big deal to buy extra stems? They should be cheap and easy to come by. Why spend money trying to refresh and old nasty stem when we sould be able to buy a new one? It should not be a big deal.
@Londy3 vermont freehand carries all kinds of pre formed vulcanized and acrylic stems even churwardwen stem 6 and 8 inches long if you want one longer you can buy the rod and drill it and shape your own. They sell every thing from ebonite to Cumberland rods even bakelite if you want to spend tha kind of cash. The preformed stems are relatively inexpensive.
Many people who buy my pipes–especially the churchwardens–are just getting into pipe smoking. Here are some pointers on successful pipe smoking, especially with churchwardens.
The best way to break in a pipe is just to smoke it. Some people like to apply a very thin layer of honey to the bowl of a new pipe in order to build the “cake” faster–the cake is the thin layer of char that builds up on the inside of the bowl after a few smokes. Cake built that way can be somewhat fragile, and anyway, I don’t think it’s necessary. Just smoking the pipe will build a fine cake all on its own.
Like smoking cigars (and unlike smoking cigarettes), pipe smoke should be taken into the mouth only, not the lungs.
Figuring out how to pack a pipe can be tricky. You want the tobacco to be very loose at the bottom of the bowl but pinched fairly tightly at the top. When you draw air through the stem, there should be just a little resistance. If it’s hard to draw, you’ve packed too tightly. If there’s no resistance at all, you’ve packed too loosely.
The first time you light the tobacco, it may go out quickly, and that’s okay. Just re-light and puff slowly to get the tobacco smoldering.
Churchwardens can be a little more difficult to keep lit than shorter pipes, so be patient with your first few bowls as you learn exactly how the pipe smokes–how frequently to puff, and how hard, in order to keep it lit. It’s not uncommon to re-light two or three times. You may find a tamper helpful in keeping the fire going. A golf tee makes a pretty good tamper in a pinch.
Once you’re done smoking one bowl, set the pipe aside to cool completely before refilling and smoking it again. Every few bowls, use a pipe cleaner to keep the airway clean and free of ash. Should you need to do a thorough cleaning, the stem is detachable; just twist and pull gently, and it should come right out. You can wipe excess ash out of the bowl with clean cloth.
With occasional cleaning and gentle handling, a good pipe should last many years.
@ghostsofpompeii, thanks, my wife made the stand for me, the pipe smokes great. I think it is going to be my main pipe, as the MT churchwarden needs a bit of refurbishment.
I have to be in a different state of mind to smoke a Churchwarden, they are not my pipe of choice. I have two and I personally find it's more of a novelty than my usual pipe smoking experience. It's not a clincher, so you can't be tinkering around in the garage or workshop or doing yard work. When you're smoking a Churchwarden you are 'smoking a Churchwarden' and that's pretty much all you're doing. It's a pipe for those quiet reflective moments when you can be seated in an easy chair doing nothing at all, and don't mind holding your arm a foot away from your face for an extended period of time. Don't get me wrong I love my Churchwardens and think they make a fine addition to my collection. They are smart looking and have an air of fantasy about them. And are helpful in reducing tongue bite when smoking a hot burning tobacco. But in terms of practicality they are positively useless to the pipe smoker with an active lifestyle. It's not a pipe you'd consider packing in your backpack for a hiking excursion or on a camping trip. Or even a leisurely walk through the park. Not a pipe I'd expect to see tucked away in the tackle box of an avid fisherman. And surely wouldn't expect to see a guy smoking a Churchwarden in his car on the way to work. The Churchwarden presents limitations, dictating when and where you can smoke it, unlike a conventional pipe. Which is something to consider when buying a relatively expensive Churchwarden.
My churchwardens are often my companion out on the porch, I sit out there slowly puffing and letting my mind wander over the day. Pipe smoking is often a passive thing for me and a churchwarden suits me fine for times like that.
@ghostsofpompeii and @Woodsman , I agree with both of you. A churchwarden is for sitting and thinking, reading, contemplating the universe, etc. You can't hike up a mountain or mow the lawn with a churchwarden. It is a holder, not a clencher. That being said, it has a place in a smoker's rotation somewhere...
The option to clench is one of the great things about the MM Cobbit series. These pipes are actually semi-churchwardens. The Cobbit Dwarf that @Londy3 mentioned in his original post has the look and feel of a churchwarden, yet is light enough to clench if you want or need to do so. Same can be said about the Elf and the Shire.
I never really got into churchwardens like @ghostsofpompeii said not real practical for my style of smoking that being said I might have to get one for those front porch summers.
Churchwardens were designed to be smoked when communing with God. Hence the name.
Seriously, I have read several different explanations behind the name. 1. European churches used to remain open 24 hours a day but were guarded by Wardens. The long pipes were named churchwarden, after them, because it allowed them to smoke their pipes while giving them a clear vision of the church.
2. Churchwarden pipes were long stemmed pipes that allowed the pipe smokers to sit in the back of the church and rest the bowls on open windows or on the pew in front of them.
3. Churchwarden pipes were made long so that the smokers could smoke their pipes while reading the Bible.
Comments
The filtered is 11/32" just a smidge larger than 9 mm, the 9 mm fits pretty well in the in the filtered cob with just a tiny bit of thickening.
You need some good files, a vice to hold the briar in while you file, and a drill with some sanding discs and polishing wheels.
EXCERPT:
No, just the part of my collection that is not in a drawer or inside a barrister bookcase. Bye-the-bye, only one of those 21 is a nosewarmer.
That being said, it has a place in a smoker's rotation somewhere...
Seriously, I have read several different explanations behind the name.
1. European churches used to remain open 24 hours a day but were guarded by Wardens. The long pipes were named churchwarden, after them, because it allowed them to smoke their pipes while giving them a clear vision of the church.
2. Churchwarden pipes were long stemmed pipes that allowed the pipe smokers to sit in the back of the church and rest the bowls on open windows or on the pew in front of them.
3. Churchwarden pipes were made long so that the smokers could smoke their pipes while reading the Bible.
[From iPad]