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Good Afternoon Folks.
Well, I couldn't help but notice a new display of MM Cobs and Ozarks had just been put up in one of the local smoke shops I stop in now and then..
Like most of us, another pipe on the rack never hurts.. So I decided to pick one of the nicer looking dark Ozarks off the cardboard and take it home to add to the collection.
I happen to like the other Ozark I have , It is the lighter colored one with the straight stem and it smokes like a charm. So I have a feeling this one will work out the same.
The first thing you notice when you buy most of these MM pipes is the way the stem and bowl are assembled and put together.
Sometimes they ain't pretty and there can be quite a few gaps and areas where the inside of the bowl and stem do not touch.
IMHO, This is nothing a little honey and ash mud putty can't fix. I think it probably prolongs the life of the pipe as well as provide a nice surface for a good carbon cake to cling to.. Not to mention the carbon in the ash acting as a good insulator to keep your pipe a bit cooler.
I know alot of folks consider these types of pipes "disposable" of sort.. and they are.. But why not make the best of what you have dropped a few bucks on with a few minutes work , and maybe turn a relatively cheap pipe into something you can enjoy for a while at the same time minimizing the potential of burning out a bottom or smoking the wood your pipe is made from , instead of the tobacco you have loaded it with.
I took alot of pics of the entire process and hope someone can find use of the info here
Here is what you will need:
1) Your pipe.
2) A decent collection of tobacco ash ( cigar and pipe seem to have a little more meat and bodyto them then cigarette ash.. So that is what I have collected in a can)
3) Honey ( I know there are alot of different types out there.. This is just what I robbed from my pantry.. It has a nice little dropper built in the lid. But I would think any type would do..)
4) A working surface that you can toss when done. ( A few sheets of printer paper is used here.)
5) A Few wooden matches , or something you can mix your putty with.
6) A few Q-tips or anything like it.
7) A few pipe cleaners.
8.) Your 3 way pipe tool or a small spoon.
9) A few napkins or paper towels to clean your fingers as needed.
10) And a little bit of PATIENCE.. ( Remember to have fun and relax... That is what we all want from our pipes...)
Here is the new pipe and a few close-ups of the stem and bowl insertion gaps and spots we will be filling in with our mud putty, as well as the smooth insides of the bowl walls which we will be giving some texture too as well.
![]()
Here are my supplies.
I have dumped a little mound of ash on the lid of a can and used a finger to create a small crator to hold my drops of honey. I was careful not to push this crator all the way down to bare metal. I want to drop the honey on top of some ash so it doesnt stick to the metal. and then have some ash on around the crator to "fold in" of sorts.
![]()
Just 2 or 3 drops in the middle.. start mixing and pressing the ash into the glob. It will be sticky at first and then start to firm up a bit as the ash draws the miosture from the honey.
![]()
A little more mixing and working the ash into our honey glob. With the right amounts of each you can get it to a nice workable consistancy.. I would add more of either depending on how big my glob is, how wet or how dry.
![]()
Seems like a need a little more honey. and I might as well dump a little on the paper to coat the inside of the bowl with.
![]()
I shoved a folded PC down the stem and used my Q-tip to coat the inside of every surface in the bowl. The PC keeps material out of the stem as you will see later.
![]()
I have rolled my putty into small turd shaped pieces , I found it easier to jam these into the side gaps along the shank edges then just round pieces.
I placed one piece in and pushed it into position, and kept doing so until every gap was filled and I was almost level with the shank /stem end... But not covering it. I would twist the PC I inserted once in a while to make sure everything stayed open.
![]()
Next, I took some of the finer ash and spooned a bit in on top pf my putty. I added enough to make sure that during the next step.. everything would get coated with it.
![]()
The ash is in and its time to shake and tap the ash around.. So it sticks to the honey on the walls of the bowl and whatever moisture is still shining on my putty work. Leave the PC in place during this part.
![]()
A have a little piece of putty left. Everything seems to be coated and pressed into place nicely.. Time to remove the PC and do a Lumen patency check under the lightbulb.
![]()
A few pics of the finished product.. a few taps on my palm to get rid of any loose ash pieces / dust , a nice blow through the stem to get anyhting out of it and I will let it sit overnight.
![]()
The next day I used some good old Carter Hall to pack my first bowl.
Not too tight.. But fill her up.. and smoke her down.
No tools in for poking yet.. After your down to your ash.. Just tap it out and whatver has stayed stuck to the bottom of the bowl, Just tamp in with your Czech tool.
Let it cool , and repeat...
One or 2 more bowl fulls and you are GOOD TO GO.
I hope you enjoyed this little babble about how I do this stuff. It has worked for me. and I hope it does the same for you.
Got a question? I'll be happy to answer the best I can.
Enjoy your pipe, No matter what you paid for it.
and have fun with your project as you put a finishing touch on your new MM ( whatever you like .. Cobb. Ozark. )
Special Thanks to Mister Moo for bringing this topic up a week or so ago and his mud photo work on his new JH Cobb.. ( Looked great Moo !! )
Peace and God Bless.
Vin.
Well, I couldn't help but notice a new display of MM Cobs and Ozarks had just been put up in one of the local smoke shops I stop in now and then..
Like most of us, another pipe on the rack never hurts.. So I decided to pick one of the nicer looking dark Ozarks off the cardboard and take it home to add to the collection.
I happen to like the other Ozark I have , It is the lighter colored one with the straight stem and it smokes like a charm. So I have a feeling this one will work out the same.
The first thing you notice when you buy most of these MM pipes is the way the stem and bowl are assembled and put together.
Sometimes they ain't pretty and there can be quite a few gaps and areas where the inside of the bowl and stem do not touch.
IMHO, This is nothing a little honey and ash mud putty can't fix. I think it probably prolongs the life of the pipe as well as provide a nice surface for a good carbon cake to cling to.. Not to mention the carbon in the ash acting as a good insulator to keep your pipe a bit cooler.
I know alot of folks consider these types of pipes "disposable" of sort.. and they are.. But why not make the best of what you have dropped a few bucks on with a few minutes work , and maybe turn a relatively cheap pipe into something you can enjoy for a while at the same time minimizing the potential of burning out a bottom or smoking the wood your pipe is made from , instead of the tobacco you have loaded it with.
I took alot of pics of the entire process and hope someone can find use of the info here
Here is what you will need:
1) Your pipe.
2) A decent collection of tobacco ash ( cigar and pipe seem to have a little more meat and bodyto them then cigarette ash.. So that is what I have collected in a can)
3) Honey ( I know there are alot of different types out there.. This is just what I robbed from my pantry.. It has a nice little dropper built in the lid. But I would think any type would do..)
4) A working surface that you can toss when done. ( A few sheets of printer paper is used here.)
5) A Few wooden matches , or something you can mix your putty with.
6) A few Q-tips or anything like it.
7) A few pipe cleaners.
8.) Your 3 way pipe tool or a small spoon.
9) A few napkins or paper towels to clean your fingers as needed.
10) And a little bit of PATIENCE.. ( Remember to have fun and relax... That is what we all want from our pipes...)
Here is the new pipe and a few close-ups of the stem and bowl insertion gaps and spots we will be filling in with our mud putty, as well as the smooth insides of the bowl walls which we will be giving some texture too as well.
Here are my supplies.
I have dumped a little mound of ash on the lid of a can and used a finger to create a small crator to hold my drops of honey. I was careful not to push this crator all the way down to bare metal. I want to drop the honey on top of some ash so it doesnt stick to the metal. and then have some ash on around the crator to "fold in" of sorts.
Just 2 or 3 drops in the middle.. start mixing and pressing the ash into the glob. It will be sticky at first and then start to firm up a bit as the ash draws the miosture from the honey.
A little more mixing and working the ash into our honey glob. With the right amounts of each you can get it to a nice workable consistancy.. I would add more of either depending on how big my glob is, how wet or how dry.
Seems like a need a little more honey. and I might as well dump a little on the paper to coat the inside of the bowl with.
I shoved a folded PC down the stem and used my Q-tip to coat the inside of every surface in the bowl. The PC keeps material out of the stem as you will see later.
I have rolled my putty into small turd shaped pieces , I found it easier to jam these into the side gaps along the shank edges then just round pieces.
I placed one piece in and pushed it into position, and kept doing so until every gap was filled and I was almost level with the shank /stem end... But not covering it. I would twist the PC I inserted once in a while to make sure everything stayed open.
Next, I took some of the finer ash and spooned a bit in on top pf my putty. I added enough to make sure that during the next step.. everything would get coated with it.
The ash is in and its time to shake and tap the ash around.. So it sticks to the honey on the walls of the bowl and whatever moisture is still shining on my putty work. Leave the PC in place during this part.
A have a little piece of putty left. Everything seems to be coated and pressed into place nicely.. Time to remove the PC and do a Lumen patency check under the lightbulb.
A few pics of the finished product.. a few taps on my palm to get rid of any loose ash pieces / dust , a nice blow through the stem to get anyhting out of it and I will let it sit overnight.
The next day I used some good old Carter Hall to pack my first bowl.
Not too tight.. But fill her up.. and smoke her down.
No tools in for poking yet.. After your down to your ash.. Just tap it out and whatver has stayed stuck to the bottom of the bowl, Just tamp in with your Czech tool.
Let it cool , and repeat...
One or 2 more bowl fulls and you are GOOD TO GO.
I hope you enjoyed this little babble about how I do this stuff. It has worked for me. and I hope it does the same for you.
Got a question? I'll be happy to answer the best I can.
Enjoy your pipe, No matter what you paid for it.
and have fun with your project as you put a finishing touch on your new MM ( whatever you like .. Cobb. Ozark. )
Special Thanks to Mister Moo for bringing this topic up a week or so ago and his mud photo work on his new JH Cobb.. ( Looked great Moo !! )
Peace and God Bless.
Vin.
