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2020 Corn Cob Pipe Modification Contest

seabee1999

On the lookout for new chicks
The last part I can guarantee. The functional part, not so much. :lol:

There's a technical challenge, and an artistic challenge on mine. Neither will be easy. I'm planning on starting with a Little Devil Acorn, with the bowl sat upright, and the stem pointed down.

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That then needs splicing into... something... so a stem can be mounted in a bent position further away.

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That's the technical challenge. Trying to both get that smokeable, and also have the joint in such a way, that a pipe cleaner can find its way into the bowl.

Then the artistic challenge is building round it...

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...so I end up with something like a meerschaum claw, but holding a cob.

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I think it’ll look awesome! For function and possible stability, you may want to consider a small, metal tube to help connect the shank and bowl. From what I understand, MM used something similar when they made their recent run of bulldog shaped pipes (The Corndog) for their anniversary.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I think it’ll look awesome! For function and possible stability, you may want to consider a small, metal tube to help connect the shank and bowl. From what I understand, MM used something similar when they made their recent run of bulldog shaped pipes (The Corndog) for their anniversary.

The problem there is that the cob is already drilled for the existing stem... which also foms the bowl bottom, so I might as well use it. I'm also going to try to stick to using materials I already have here, so the cob is the only bought item.

I have a piece of walnut, which I think should serve for the stem extension. If I cut the acorn stem off at 45 degrees-ish, I should be able to joint them. Wrong cob used in this pic, but you get the idea.

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I also have some terracotta Milliput, which dries as per the piece sat on top of the box. The translucent off-white sheets are 3mm Kirinite. If I glue two thicknesses together, they should give me material for the claws.

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As the Kirinite and Milliput are durable materials, if it all works, the pipe as a whole should last as long as the cob bowl.
 

seabee1999

On the lookout for new chicks
The problem there is that the cob is already drilled for the existing stem... which also foms the bowl bottom, so I might as well use it. I'm also going to try to stick to using materials I already have here, so the cob is the only bought item.

I have a piece of walnut, which I think should serve for the stem extension. If I cut the acorn stem off at 45 degrees-ish, I should be able to joint them. Wrong cob used in this pic, but you get the idea.

View attachment 1166844

I also have some terracotta Milliput, which dries as per the piece sat on top of the box. The translucent off-white sheets are 3mm Kirinite. If I glue two thicknesses together, they should give me material for the claws.

View attachment 1166845

As the Kirinite and Milliput are durable materials, if it all works, the pipe as a whole should last as long as the cob bowl.

I think you have a great plan to go with! That walnut will look awesome too! Enjoy!
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
Sweetnesses! For me, no need to share in advance your plan. If you’d like to, that is ok with me. Also, no need to post progress. However, it would be neat to see your progress if you’re willing to share. Ideally though, it’s a pipe and should be able to hold tobacco and be smoked. The MOST important thing though is you have fun!😄
Totally agree with Dave and was going to see exactly the same thing.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
My cob is here. The stem angle doesn't drop quite as steeply as I thought/hoped.

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Also, the stem doesn't protrude into the bowl as far as it might, and there's a lot of glue visible at the bottom of the bowl.

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So first of all, I need to disassemble this, try to remove the surplus glue, and then try to tweak the stem to it goes in both deeper, and steeper.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
That's more like it!

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Just needs a little fine tuning, then I can glue it back in.

You can remove the shank and plug it with a dowel. Then re-drill at the angle you need

A few minutes shaving the shank with a pocket knife was all it took, Mike. I'll finish it off with a little sandpaper to make sure it's evenly snug, which should also give a little bit more inward travel, then fix it back in a with a little wood glue. :thumbsup:
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
That's more like it!

View attachment 1168247

View attachment 1168248

Just needs a little fine tuning, then I can glue it back in.



A few minutes shaving the shank with a pocket knife was all it took, Mike. I'll finish it off with a little sandpaper to make sure it's evenly snug, which should also give a little bit more inward travel, then fix it back in a with a little wood glue. :thumbsup:
Nice work my friend!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
When finishing up, I managed to get the stem in a little further still.

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The stem is now glued back into its new position, so I can start working on the cranked stem extension. I still haven't fully worked out how best to joint them, but have a few rough sketches I'm playing with.

The new angle of the stem has reduced the effective bowl depth slightly, but not too much. The highest part of the stem in the bowl is now 26mm below the rim (just over 1"), and at 19mm (3/4") diameter, that's still a reasonable bowl size. Sorry, I never measured the depth as received from the tobacconist. I did carve the top of the channel down a little bit, but didn't want to over do it, and risk it burning out. The descending coal might increase that a little further over the first few smokes though, as the uppermost parts char back.
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
I've been so busy I haven't been able to catch up yet. Everything I'm seeing here so far looks great gents. I'm hoping to have some progress posted by Sunday!
 
I'm almost set. I have my cobs and sketches. I'll be at my local home improvement box store sometime before the weekend.

Mrs. Rookie asked me what I was sketching out. I told her about this contest. Her first remark was to tell me this is not in any way an excuse to get a lathe.
 
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