Modified Corn Cobs?

Oddjob27

Hey all, anyone ever modify or customize a corn cob? Been thinking taking a stab at it myself, but wanted to see if anyone has done it and what they've done. Thanks!

motie2

https://pipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Corncob_primer

Oddjob27

Just ordered the Missouri Meerschaum's Smokable seconds to experiment with. Here we go! haha. Thanks @motie2 for the resource!

Londy3

@Oddjob27, cool man. Please share what you got and what you plan to do. Along with pics of course 

Oddjob27

@Londy3 Will do!

Woodsman

I've done 2:

Oddjob27

@Woodsman Those look great! that Churchwarden though... beautiful!

Woodsman

@Oddjob27 thank you, The Cobbit Dwarf  came in the bag of seconds from MM shipped with a short stem. A little color and shellac and a 6mm stem I found on Ebay that I had to enlarge the ferrule slightly to fit.

Londy3

@Woodsman, I concur! Love the Churchwarden! 

motie2

https://rebornpipes.com/2014/06/25/a-quick-and-easy-face-lift-for-a-missouri-meerschaum-corn-cob-pipe/

A Quick and Easy Face Lift for a Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe

"..... a quick and fun project for me and my five year-old grandson...."

KA9FFJ

Thanks @motie2 I checked out the link you provided and didn't realize a "facelift" for a cob could be so easy. I guess I'll eventually have to get me one since I've never had one. How about you, do you own a cob?

motie2

@KA9FFJ -- Not during this pipe life. In my first pipe life (mid 1960's - mid 1980's) I had several. They are usually great smoking.

motie2

How about a briar pipe (a Carey as it happens) that sorta looks like a cob?

motie2

Interesting? http://www.tobaccopipes.com/blog/old-dominion-corn-cob-pipes/

Kmhartle

@motie2 I'm guessing with the bamboo stems, the Old Dominion cobs wouldn't be good "clenchers".  I'm curious if anyone has feedback on these? 

motie2

Missouri Meerschaums are the big name.

Meanwhile, check out these cob mods

Oddjob27

@motie2 wow... love it! Thanks for the inspiration!

Corey562

Looks like dodif pipes.

Kmhartle

The only modification I make to all of my Missouri Meerschaums is to pitch the stem that comes with them and replace with a longer, more substantial stem.  I did apply a coat of leather dye to one a few years ago but it didn't do much for me.  I like the natural look myself. That said, I look forward to seeing what you create @Oddjob27

thebadgerpiper

I've never tried modifying a cob, but these cob modifications are wonderful. If they're not hard to do, then I wouldn't mind taking a crack at one.

Oddjob27

@thebadgerpiper I was JUST watching this on YouTube... and I read your comment. I was thinking, "Wait.. is this THE Badger Piper?" hahaha

https://youtu.be/tmk5W_va0xw

thebadgerpiper

Ah, that would be the other Badger Piper. There are two of us around. He's on youtube, and I'm a blogger. It's a bit confusing, I know.

Charles

I never modified a cob or any other pipe for that matter.  Bought my first Missouri Meerschaum cob at age 15 in the drugstore for about $1.25 and broke it a year later.  Learned that caring a pipe in your back pocket is not a good idea.  Bought another one at the same price and believe it or not, I still have that one.  Have bought a few others since as well. 

I remember one summer when I was about 12 or 13, my younger brother and I decided to make our own corncob pipes.  We saved a corncob after dinner one night, dried it out in the sun for a few days and cut it in half so we each had one.  We found some tree branches and, cut them to size and hollowed them out.  About a week or two later, we hollowed out our corncob pieces after cutting them down to size.  After we inserted our stems into the cob, we lit up some corn silk we set aside.  Was not a bad little smoker, though it took some time to find some actual tobacco to smoke.  By then, my father quit smoking a pipe and there was not tobacco readily at hand.

No longer have that little pipe, my brother does not smoke pipes, only cigars.  Had some good memories of that summer making those pipes as a kid.  We got that idea of making our own corncob pipes after reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 

Oddjob27

@Charles Great story my friend! Enjoyed that. I've been meaning to read Huckleberry Finn... 

Oddjob27

My order from MM came in today! I ordered the smokeable seconds. Here are the results. Was hoping for a little more variety but hey, I can't complain.

Charles

@Oddjob27- Nice collection!  What makes them smokeable seconds as opposed to a first rate pipe?  Are they flawed in some way?  Just curious, never heard of a smokeable second before.  Thanks!

Oddjob27

@Charles Exactly what you said, they are "flawed" according to Missouri Meerschaum's standards, but they are completely smokeable. Most of the issues I've seen seem to be imperfect bowl, more specifically the top seems to be a little chipped here and there. Some have REALLY tight shanks. But beyond that, I really see no issues. It costs $33.99 + s/h. It's a random grab bag, from what I've seen on YT and my experience. The 5th Ave Legend seems to be the most common that comes in the packs. I'll probably order another one soon, but my goal is to spend time learning and experimenting with these and modifying them. 

OOOO~~~ I got promoted to Apprentice!

Charles

Thanks @Oddjob27, much appreciated. And, Congratulations!!!

motie2

Corn Cob Pipe Modification Part 1 Introduction

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdNGYVQwQxk

Links: Missouri Meerschaum: http://corncobpipe.com/
Aristocob: http://aristocob.com/
Aristocob channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Aristocob
MMBC: https://www.youtube.com/user/MMBClub
Assorted Cobfoolery Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?searc...

ChaplainCorey

@motie2 thank you so much for resurrecting this discussion. I found the forum a month or two after this but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. 
Maybe I should dig back a few pages to see what’s out there. 

Bloodhound61

These are some great ideas y'all have posted. Some of those are gorgeous. I've got my fingers crossed that the MM seed corn I planted this year is going to provide me with enough cobs to screw up a few and possibly end up with a pipe or two I can use.