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Cob Breakin
dstrib
Apprentice
When I have a new cob pipe I try to smoke it down to the end with hopes to char the wood stem in hopes to allow for more enjoyable smokes after it is burnt out. I have seem some people fill the bottom with pipe mud. I was wondering what the rest of the cob pipe owner here prefer to do when breaking in a new cob.
Comments
Pipe mud- from what I've read it just helps to keep the bottom from burning out, under the stem in the bowl. The pipes that have hardwood plugs shouldn't need it as the plug serves that purpose. I bought some from Aristocob to try but haven't had a chance yet as my cobs have the hardwood plugs.
Charring the stem in the bowl by smoking down to it. I finally tried that the other day and I prefer to not purposely do it again as smoking pine is not pleasant. However, the idea is that by charring the wood you actually make it fire proof and it lasts longer.
Cutting the stem back- I have heard that some people actually completely remove/cut the stem back so it is not inside the bowl. I thinks it's so it doesn't catch fire but I may be wrong. I read that some don't do it because it just leaves more unburnt tobacco in the bottom of the bowl, since the hole in the stem is actually above the bottom, and the stem actually acts as a filler or plug.
I kinda like having the space below the shank in the bowl.
In my house, the cob deserves the same respect as any high grade or production briar. I always pipe mud the bottom of the bowl, and smoke gently until a good cake starts to build. I am reluctant to burn out the birch shank extension, and try to preserve it, under the protective pipe mud. When done properly, the cob becomes unadulterated and perfectly broken in with love and patience. Just because it is a cob, doesn't mean it deserves to be abused. On the contrary, it deserves the loving patient breakin that all pipes deserve. In the long run, you will have a pipe that serves you well, with a minimum expenditure.
@abcbill, Bill, I always use cigar ash mixed with saliva when mixing up a batch of pipe mud. You will notice that after mixing, the pipe mud begins to get watery after sitting a couple minutes. I like to continue adding cigar ash into the mix, until I get the mud the consistency of brick mortar. I want it gritty with very little moisture. If the mud is too watery, it will tend to chip out more easily. Another reason I like pipe mud, is because once I have it packed into the bottom of the bowl, I can use a pipe cleaner to make a perfect trough, similar to what you find in a well engineered briar or meer. After mudding the pipe, I will let it sit for 72 hours to properly dry.
The pipe ash serves the purpose of bullet proofing the bottom of the bowl, as well as bringing the bottom up to meet the draft hole at the perfect height. A factory cob can last for years, but the weak point is in the birch shank. A custom cob that has had the shank replaced with a more durable wood and a vulcanite or acrylic bit, can easily last for decades.
The entire process is fairly quick and simple, and can be easily performed without a set of calipers.
@Woodsman, Dave Wolff of Walker Briar Works sold his Forever Stems biz to Pat Morgan of Missouri Meerschaum around May of 2015. Everything went smoothly for about a year, and then in the spring of 2016 Old Log Cabin Pipe Works (The new name under the new ownership) posted a message on their website stating that they were having issues due to a "disruption in shipment of materials."
Hopefully, they will be able to continue to produce these high quality stems at some point down the road. I have 2 of them, that I purchased from Dave, one in vulcanite, and the other acrylic. IMO, they are a must have for any cob you keep in regular rotation. I especially like the little stubby nosewarmer models.
Do a google or bing search for Old Log Cabin Pipe Works, and keep an eye on their homepage for updates.
@abcbill, you fellas might want to consider buying cobs with the higher grade stems already fitted. In most cases, you will spend the same amount of money for the pipe with the fitted stem as you did purchasing them separately, and you will have a matched stem for every pipe. One of the problems I had when I tried to buy just 1 forever stem, and use it with all my cobs, is that the shanks sometimes have slight variances internally, and then the end result on the tighter fitting stems, is a cracked shank. The birch shank isn't as durable as some of the aftermarket cobs, with upgraded shanks and stems.
There are several sellers on ebay that buy their cobs directly from MM, and then replace the stem and/or shank with higher grade materials. If you go ahead and buy the upgraded cobs, with a little pipe mud, they have the potential to last decades.
When we are talking around $25 to $30 for a long lasting cob, they are still the best bang for the buck, and my recommendation for a new pipe smoker attempting to build a regular rotation.
@Aristocob Scott do you know anything about Cobbit stem replacements?