

though it'll take you a while to dig through the corncob wall like that, and you're quite likely to end up with a hole in the wrong place when the knife snaps shut on your finger. If you like to do things the hard way, you can use the small blade of your knife for this job. Next, bore a hole in the side of the bowl just above the bottom of the dug-out portion. When you put your pipe together, this cut will be on the upper side of the stem. When your pipe stem is cut and pierced, prepare the bowl end by taking a flattish slice - about a third of an inch long - off one side to form a U-shaped opening. Since the rice plant is already hollow except at the joints, the hard bit at the mouthpiece is the only place you'll have to clear out. and yes, it's comfortable to bite onto.) The other end of the stem - the bowl end - should also be cut just above a joint in the reed. If you use wild rice stalk for your pipe stem, cut the mouthpiece just above one of the joints so you'll be able to hold this strong point in your teeth without worrying about splitting the tube. (After you've pierced the stem, by the way, be sure to blow through it before you suck on it.) It's heartbreaking to split that stick while you're working on it and not be able to find another to fit your carefully prepared chunk of corncob. You'll be saner to do this now, before you bore the bowl to receive the twig. The traditional cornstalk or elder pipe stem has a pith that must be hollowed out at some point, either with a hot wire - the old farmer's way - or with a small twist drill. Whatever material you choose, make the stem about six inches long (shorter, if anything) and about a quarter of an inch in diameter. I make my pipe stems from the woody stalks of wild rice, though I'm told that the old-timers used the slenderest part of the cornstalk - cut near the top of the plant - or elder twigs. The result won't be as slick looking as the store-bought product, but I like the cushiony feel of the untrimmed ear in my hand, anyhow. It's said - truly, in my experience - that the thicker the walls of the pipe are, the cooler it'll smoke, so don't shave the outside of the bowl. Your finished hole will be one-half to three-quarters of an inch across, depending on the size of the cob. That firm ring is what gives your pipe its durability, so don't pare it away too much. You'll notice that the next layer out from the core is hard and woody. down to a depth of about two inches (estimate by using your knife and finger as a gauge). Corn of the old Yellow Dent variety is probably best, if you can find it.Īfter trimming (or not trimming) the top of the bowl, take the larger blade of your penknife and dig the pith out of the cob with a twisting motion. In other words, the pith - the soft core of the ear - is too small to hollow out properly. Moreover, I'm told that the new hybrid corns are no dern good for pipe making because they're bred to produce as much kernel and as little cob as possible. For one thing, the best pipe material is a recently grown ear that's still firm and not soft with age. To begin, you have to get hold of a good corncob. and besides, the thrifty farmer thought, why buy what you can make? If a return to that kind of self-sufficiency makes sense to you - as it does to many folks these days - you may want to try your hand at a homemade smoking tool. In the first place, there was probably nowhere to shop within a day's ride of his place. It's pretty certain, however, that the kind of old-timer who made the corncob pipe famous didn't go to the store when he needed a new one.

At least, we've all seen factory-made corncob pipes in the stores - for 50¢ or a buck each - complete with plastic stem and, sometimes, a metal filter that filters nothing, but does heat up the smoke so that it burns your tongue.

HOW TO CHANGE TIME ON HITFILM PRO HOW TO
would you like to know how to make a corncob pipe?Įverybody knows the "farmer's meerschaum".
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In fact, the equipment's free for the making, so. but if you haven't kicked the habit yet, you could try doing it in a way that's safer than cigarettes.
