I have made many. My favorites were deer antler pipes. I always used the base of the antler and the guard tine. I cut the base from the rest of the antler a couple inches above the guard tine and hollow the bowl out with a dremel and very carefully drill down the length of the tine. I then coat the inside of the bowl with clay I get from a creek that runs through my property. It's a really fine grained, white clay that adheres well to the porous bone, doesn't crack, and dries hard as stone. If you have ever smoked from an unlined antler or bone pipe you will understand the need for the clay. After smoking a few bowls of tobacco in it the clay becomes seasoned and won't even scrape loose from the pipe. There is no burnt bone flavor (tastes like burnt hair smells). It makes a very durable pipe with a large bowl that smokes very well. They are very rustic looking pipes as I don't polish or stain the antler. They do that naturally with use. I've also made pipes from black Walnut that I harvested from my property, corncob with bamboo stems, I even made one from a piece of agate my grandfather had in his workshop. That was a challenge to say the least. It made a beautiful pipe but didn't smoke very well. The stone soaked up to much heat I think. I have a piece of African iron wood that I want to make into a pipe. Very pretty when it's polished, hard as iron. Might make a good pipe. I've always wanted to make a pipe from ebony, but the cost of ebony is prohibitive. I give them away as gifts usually unless I really like them. After all, a man can only smoke one pipe at a time and I think that pipe smoking is a gift that should be shared. So I gift wrap my pipes with a pouch of really fine tobacco (the blend depends on the person I'm gifting it to) and hope that they are well used and ca red for. I'm 45 years old and hardly anyone in my age group smokes a pipe. Such a shame that people would smoke a cigarette (yuck) and miss out on the relaxing, delicious, and aromatic smoke from a pipe. It's like they are cheating theirselves. Not to mention the crazy chemicals they put in cigarettes. A good ending to a day is when I can kick my feet up, smoke a bowl, sip a good bourbon, and watch the sunset from my back porch. THAT my friends is the Pipe Life.
I added another “Cholula” cap pipe to my collection. This time I made the stem from a piece of the plum wood from my mom’s tree we cut down a few years ago. For it’s inaugural run, I filled it with C&D “Espresso”. It burned to gray ash without any gurgle. It lasted 45 minutes. My new tamper worked as intended as well.
@Pskeeter9@RockyMountainBriar You may want to research the exotic wood a little further. However, I have been told that some of the wood listed as toxic are only toxic while you are working the wood (drilling and sanding) and the fine particles are airborne.
@mfresa Unfortunately, I don't have one here to photograph. I've given them all away and lost a lot of things in a fire that destroyed my garage/workshop/mancave. I'm still heartbroken over that. Total loss. Insurance paid for a lot of it but some things can't just be bought or replaced, you know. I only do it as a hobby. If I can find some antler sheds or have one tucked away in one of the outbuildings I'll make another. I also need a piece of the antler for an antique hunting knife from around the early 1800s that I traded some old but not very valuable coins for at a swap meet. The knife had a bone\antler handle on it but it had been chewed on by mice. Probably, gonna sell it when I'm done with it. BTW, I've found that a shed antler makes a better pipe that one from a kill. It's more porous but has less soft tissues in the bone. They also work easier with less dust if you soak it in water for a couple days. You supposedly not supposed to wear a mask. It's not good to breath bone dust apparently.
@PappyJoe I didn't think of that. I know that some woods are toxic but it never crossed my mind. If walnut was toxic I would have died years ago. I'll check into it. Thanks for the heads up.
@PappyJoe Everything I have read on Beechwood says it is non-toxic (well, no more so than what most smoke is already) and it is a very good, slow burning firewood. It is also a wood that is used, and has been used, in commercial tobacco pipe bowl manufacture. Peterson has in the past when briar was scarce, during WWII and also Stanwell. Stanwell made a commemorative set of pipes a few years ago, one Beech, the other Briar (Stanwell Limited Edition Kyringe Bulldog Set (2007). As far as plum goes, some people may have a slight reaction to breathing the dust when working it, but it too is used for firewood, including smoking meats, especially fish, pork and fowl. Where I used the plum, it does not get enough heat to burn any more than the initial char from the first smoke…unless one smokes like a freight train. I do not, as can be attested to the fact that I get 30-45 minute plus smokes out of the little guys🙂.
@RockyMountainBriar That's like pear. A lot of Eastern European carvers use Pear or Pear Root for pipes and they sell thousands of them with intricate carving on the bowls. From what I've been told, just about any hardwood can be used for pipes. I've seen some carved from cherry wood, apple and white oak. Don't know where they rank on the list of toxic woods.
@PappyJoe I know that apple seeds have arsenic in them, not sure if the wood does. arsenic is a poison that builds up over time. Similar to the toxin in Black Walnut. I’m not making a pipe out of Black Walnut, even though it might look nice🙂. I think Cocobolo and Ebony have some toxicity as well. I would use any of those woods for accoutrements, just not bowls….unless it was as a rim inlay on a briar.
@Pskeeter9 yes the smell of antler is pretty bad. Similar to going to the dentist to have your teeth drilled. I made a pipe with a bit of antler on it, will have to see if I can find the picture for it. I'll post it here. PS sorry about the loss of your workshop/mancave.
Comments
I'm intrigued by number 7.
You have a gift! I thank you for sharing it with you're brothers and sisters on TPL. Truly, truly magnificent!
Will be a good smoker for someone.
Nice👍🏻
Still more magic from a master pipe maker!
I've also made pipes from black Walnut that I harvested from my property, corncob with bamboo stems, I even made one from a piece of agate my grandfather had in his workshop. That was a challenge to say the least. It made a beautiful pipe but didn't smoke very well. The stone soaked up to much heat I think. I have a piece of African iron wood that I want to make into a pipe. Very pretty when it's polished, hard as iron. Might make a good pipe. I've always wanted to make a pipe from ebony, but the cost of ebony is prohibitive.
I give them away as gifts usually unless I really like them. After all, a man can only smoke one pipe at a time and I think that pipe smoking is a gift that should be shared. So I gift wrap my pipes with a pouch of really fine tobacco (the blend depends on the person I'm gifting it to) and hope that they are well used and ca red for.
I'm 45 years old and hardly anyone in my age group smokes a pipe. Such a shame that people would smoke a cigarette (yuck) and miss out on the relaxing, delicious, and aromatic smoke from a pipe. It's like they are cheating theirselves. Not to mention the crazy chemicals they put in cigarettes.
A good ending to a day is when I can kick my feet up, smoke a bowl, sip a good bourbon, and watch the sunset from my back porch. THAT my friends is the Pipe Life.
You might want to rethink the ironwood, I think it may be toxic/irritant? Black Walnut may be as well?
You may want to research the exotic wood a little further. However, I have been told that some of the wood listed as toxic are only toxic while you are working the wood (drilling and sanding) and the fine particles are airborne.
BTW, I've found that a shed antler makes a better pipe that one from a kill. It's more porous but has less soft tissues in the bone. They also work easier with less dust if you soak it in water for a couple days. You supposedly not supposed to wear a mask. It's not good to breath bone dust apparently.
Everything I have read on Beechwood says it is non-toxic (well, no more so than what most smoke is already) and it is a very good, slow burning firewood. It is also a wood that is used, and has been used, in commercial tobacco pipe bowl manufacture. Peterson has in the past when briar was scarce, during WWII and also Stanwell. Stanwell made a commemorative set of pipes a few years ago, one Beech, the other Briar (Stanwell Limited Edition Kyringe Bulldog Set (2007).
As far as plum goes, some people may have a slight reaction to breathing the dust when working it, but it too is used for firewood, including smoking meats, especially fish, pork and fowl. Where I used the plum, it does not get enough heat to burn any more than the initial char from the first smoke…unless one smokes like a freight train. I do not, as can be attested to the fact that I get 30-45 minute plus smokes out of the little guys🙂.
That's like pear. A lot of Eastern European carvers use Pear or Pear Root for pipes and they sell thousands of them with intricate carving on the bowls.
From what I've been told, just about any hardwood can be used for pipes. I've seen some carved from cherry wood, apple and white oak. Don't know where they rank on the list of toxic woods.
I know that apple seeds have arsenic in them, not sure if the wood does. arsenic is a poison that builds up over time. Similar to the toxin in Black Walnut. I’m not making a pipe out of Black Walnut, even though it might look nice🙂. I think Cocobolo and Ebony have some toxicity as well. I would use any of those woods for accoutrements, just not bowls….unless it was as a rim inlay on a briar.
True about apple seeds but apple wood has long been used for cooking.