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Post by Dramatwist on Jul 12, 2018 14:26:09 GMT -5
I was wondering/thinking last night about why my MM cobs and hardwoods smoke so much better than my briars.
Is it the engineering?
Conventional wisdom dictates that, for a briar, the draw hole must be as close to the bottom of the chamber as possible... or so I've always read/heard/believed.
Aside from the benefits of the material (corn cobs, maple, cherry) it seems to me that the way the shank is attached to the bowl may account for the smoking quality.
Or, I may be full of it and have too much time on my hands!
Comments?
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Post by oldcajun123 on Jul 12, 2018 14:52:34 GMT -5
 Drama I like cobs, big ones, Gerneral cobs, they have one drawback, cleaning the btm of the shank. In early days I pioneered the use of Fireplace Motar repair to fix pipes with deep gouges in btm and spider webbing. I pumped this mixture on both sides of shank, smoothed it out and viloa a hard surface easy to clean. My cobs have forever stems. I smoke them during yard work, on tractor, and they do just fine.
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Post by Dramatwist on Jul 12, 2018 15:00:25 GMT -5
Drama I like cobs, big ones, Gerneral cobs, they have one drawback, cleaning the btm of the shank. In early days I pioneered the use of Fireplace Motar repair to fix pipes with deep gouges in btm and spider webbing. I pumped this mixture on both sides of shank, smoothed it out and viloa a hard surface easy to clean. My cobs have forever stems. I smoke them during yard work, on tractor, and they do just fine. ...yes, cleaning under the shank is a pain in the arse. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2018 15:27:00 GMT -5
On briars and Meer’s the draft hole is on the small side compared to a Cob. That’s also why the draft hole has to be drilled precisely on wood and Meer pipes. Now look inside one of your Cobs, notice the gap on both sides of the shank that protrudes inside the chamber. Plus the additional gap from the draft hole to the bottom of the pipe. Well, Cobs have a much bigger draft hole that’s also cut on an angle which makes the draft hole really stick out. If on a wood or Meer pipe the draft hole is drilled improperly you might end up with a poor smoking pipe and one that might even gurgle more! None of my Cobs are precise with the length of the shank sticking inside the Cobs chamber and I just took a good look at 6 of my better Cobs on the inside, no two are alike. Yet, all my Cobs are excellent smoking pipes, know matter what tobacco’s I smoke in them! I’ve never had a Cob that gurgled.......has anyone??? I have no complaints with any Cob Pipes but the cheaper soft Cobs I stay away from, that’s just me I guess. When I was working and had no money problems of course I purchased some over priced pipes, we ALL have! Will I now, no way in HELL. For me personally it’s a waste of money if I spend over $250.00 on a new briar, both makers that I hope to purchase a new briar from makes a number of beautiful pipes for under $250.00. Do I need another briar pipe...nope, but one day I might treat myself to another RDPipes or Don Warren pipe....superb quality and priced right, even if it takes me two months to pay it off, I’m worth it👍 The reality is a pipe is a vessel that holds tobacco that you can smoke with, right now I’m extremely happy with the quality of MM Cobs and they are certainly priced within my budget.....plus 99% of the time you’ll get a phenomenal smoking pipe👌👍👍 Anyone disagree???
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Post by Dramatwist on Jul 12, 2018 15:38:44 GMT -5
On briars and Meer’s the draft hole is on the small side compared to a Cob. That’s also why the draft hole has to be drilled precisely on wood and Meer pipes. Now look inside one of your Cobs, notice the gap on both sides of the shank that protrudes inside the chamber. Plus the additional gap from the draft hole to the bottom of the pipe. Well, Cobs have a much bigger draft hole that’s also cut on an angle which makes the draft hole really stick out. If on a wood or Meer pipe the draft hole is drilled improperly you might end up with a poor smoking pipe and one that might even gurgle more! None of my Cobs are precise with the length of the shank sticking inside the Cobs chamber and I just took a good look at 6 of my better Cobs on the inside, no two are alike. Yet, all my Cobs are excellent smoking pipes, know matter what tobacco’s I smoke in them! I’ve never had a Cob that gurgled.......has anyone??? I have no complaints with any Cob Pipes but the cheaper soft Cobs I stay away from, that’s just me I guess. When I was working and had no money problems of course I purchased some over priced pipes, we ALL have! Will I now, no way in HELL. For me personally it’s a waste of money if I spend over $250.00 on a new briar, both makers that I hope to purchase a new briar from makes a number of beautiful pipes for under $250.00. Do I need another briar pipe...nope, but one day I might treat myself to another RDPipes or Don Warren pipe....superb quality and priced right, even if it takes me two months to pay it off, I’m worth it👍 The reality is a pipe is a vessel that holds tobacco that you can smoke with, right now I’m extremely happy with the quality of MM Cobs and they are certainly priced within my budget.....plus 99% of the time you’ll get a phenomenal smoking pipe👌👍👍 Anyone disagree??? I appreciate your thoughts, Ted... so well expressed. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2018 15:41:42 GMT -5
Drama I like cobs, big ones, Gerneral cobs, they have one drawback, cleaning the btm of the shank. In early days I pioneered the use of Fireplace Motar repair to fix pipes with deep gouges in btm and spider webbing. I pumped this mixture on both sides of shank, smoothed it out and viloa a hard surface easy to clean. My cobs have forever stems. I smoke them during yard work, on tractor, and they do just fine. oldcajun, when I purchase a new Cob the first thing I do is make a thick pipe mud from good cigar ash and a few drops of water. I fill in those gaps on both sides of the shank, very similar too what you’ve done for years. This way no burning embers stay lit under the shank and will eventually burn a hole in the bottom. Since I’ve done this method I’ve yet to burn thru a Cob. On my better Cobs I brush a thin mixture of my pipe mud on the chambers wall so a cake builds up faster without damaging the inside chamber. It takes a few minutes, but the end result is time well spent. 👌👍 |
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Post by peteguy on Jul 12, 2018 16:27:54 GMT -5
I rate Cobs behind my Meers and Briars. My freehand is as good as anything I own but the rest are meh.
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Post by AJ on Jul 12, 2018 18:46:39 GMT -5
I think the indubitable evidence displayed in my pipe collection would prove my affinity for Briar. However, I must admit that I’ve never had any pipe that smokes better than a Country Gentleman cob. Why is yet to be discovered. Maybe one day I’ll care enough to make an attempt to find the reason. Until then I’ll just enjoy all of my pipes.
Drama: I could be wrong but I sincerely believe that engineering has zilch to with the smoking qualities of a cob. Years ago I hollowed out a cob and stuck a reed into the side for a stem. I was pleasantly surprised how well it smoked. I believe the cob absorbs moisture given off from the burning tobacco which removes some of the acrid byproducts that often finds its way to our taste buds. No doubt there are many that will disagree with this hypothesis but I doubt they can convince me otherwise. 🤫
AJ
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Post by beardedmi on Jul 12, 2018 20:25:21 GMT -5
I have induced a cob to gurgle, not bad and only one smoke. I hadn't cleaned the shank in something like 3 months at 4 or 5 bowls a day. I still have that cob as it was my first one and I'll baby it for the rest of its life. I still treat my new cobs the same way, they are truck pipes until they need to be reamed the first time. It usually takes about 2 weeks to get them caked to the point where my pinky gets a squeeze. I love cobs for the ease of use and painless acquisition, but my briars are what I smoke when I'm relaxing with a bowl anywhere else. Meers havent tripped my trigger all that much, olivewood is fantastic smoking, and I have zero experience with anything else. Cobs are definitely king of the pile when on the go.
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Post by Dramatwist on Jul 12, 2018 22:06:40 GMT -5
Thanks, guys. As always, I appreciate your opinions.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jul 13, 2018 17:03:43 GMT -5
I have wondered the same thing, Dramatwist. I also thought it had something to do with the size of the draft hole and the position of it, but I've no real idea. Good question though. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jul 19, 2018 9:04:36 GMT -5
How are MM hardwoods? I've shied away from them, since I've read several times that the hardwood DOESN'T smoke well, and can have a funny taste. If I get the thumbs up from you guys, one of them will be my next purchase.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2018 9:22:26 GMT -5
How are MM hardwoods? I've shied away from them, since I've read several times that the hardwood DOESN'T smoke well, and can have a funny taste. If I get the thumbs up from you guys, one of them will be my next purchase. For me the way MM is now curing the Country Gentleman & Diplomat bowls they are superb smokers and last forever. I’ve read a few negative reviews on the MM hardwoods and one very positive review. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Jul 19, 2018 9:29:30 GMT -5
My oldest cobs are filled in around the shank. I use a screen in the newer ones. "Conventional Wisdom" breaks in the face of the reality. I have pipes with the draft hole in the side of the bowl 3/8" high that smoke fine.
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Post by cgvt on Jul 19, 2018 9:30:10 GMT -5
I think that one possible reason for lack of gurgle is that most smoke their filter cobs without a filter. The stem and bit are very wide with little restriction that changes temperature and causes moisture to collect.
I do get an occasional gurgle when I am using a Forever Stem and smoke a very moist tobacco. The only thing that is different is that the Forever Stem restricts the air flow where attaches to the shank.
Now, my theory may be a load of crap, but dammit, it's my theory and it's the only one I have. So there's that.
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Post by cgvt on Jul 19, 2018 9:41:48 GMT -5
My oldest cobs are filled in around the shank. I use a screen in the newer ones. "Conventional Wisdom" breaks in the face of the reality. I have pipes with the draft hole in the side of the bowl 3/8" high that smoke fine. I rarely do any engineering to my cobs, but it seems that even after the stem burns out inside the bowl and the draft hole is well above the bottom, they smoke fine and don't leave any tobacco unsmoked. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2018 10:12:35 GMT -5
I think that one possible reason for lack of gurgle is that most smoke their filter cobs without a filter. The stem and bit are very wide with little restriction that changes temperature and causes moisture to collect. I do get an occasional gurgle when I am using a Forever Stem and smoke a very moist tobacco. The only thing that is different is that the Forever Stem restricts the air flow where attaches to the shank. Now, my theory may be a load of crap, but dammit, it's my theory and it's the only one I have. So there's that. Same thing here.....my Cobs if smoked without the filter don’t gurgle.If I use a tight hole forever stem the Cob can gurgle like a water pipe. Your not alone with your theory. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Jul 19, 2018 10:29:11 GMT -5
Might that explain why my cobbit Shire gurgles at times...cos of the smaller diameter, non-filtered stem?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2018 11:20:05 GMT -5
When I coat a pipe with pipe mud when new, I’ve yet to have the inner shank burn away and kept the draft hole fairly even to the bottom of the bowl. Just my method for 5 plus years and has worked for me every time 👍
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Post by Dramatwist on Jul 19, 2018 12:24:25 GMT -5
How are MM hardwoods? I've shied away from them, since I've read several times that the hardwood DOESN'T smoke well, and can have a funny taste. If I get the thumbs up from you guys, one of them will be my next purchase. ...they smoke great... I have several of the Ozark Mountains... made out of maple... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2018 13:14:33 GMT -5
Ozark's have a Maple finish. Same for the Cherry when it was offered. I forget the actual wood they are made of. Some folks like Drama and Todd are quite fond of them.
Considering the price, by all means, try one.
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Post by Cramptholomew on Jul 19, 2018 13:31:53 GMT -5
Thanks, guys. I'll give it a go. They're cheap enough, that I can't really go wrong.
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Post by beardedmi on Jul 19, 2018 17:41:37 GMT -5
Might that explain why my cobbit Shire gurgles at times...cos of the smaller diameter, non-filtered stem? The engineering aspect is that any restriction or opening of flow has to be done in a way that is even and smooth. Turbulence creates a deposit point for tar condensates and crud. So what you really want along any pipes internal workings is a smooth easy transition from larger holes in a cob shank to a smaller hole in a forever stem, some sort of countersink will usually help, but it is where the problem really comes from. Its not present in the plastic stems because the area of the opening remains close to the same from bowl to button. Clear as mud? I work in blow molding the amount of polymer I see in our air lines has the same proof over a much more frequent cycle. Think of millions of bowls smoked without cleaning for a close comparison to what our airlines look like after a run. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Jul 20, 2018 3:04:54 GMT -5
Might that explain why my cobbit Shire gurgles at times...cos of the smaller diameter, non-filtered stem? The engineering aspect is that any restriction or opening of flow has to be done in a way that is even and smooth. Turbulence creates a deposit point for tar condensates and crud. So what you really want along any pipes internal workings is a smooth easy transition from larger holes in a cob shank to a smaller hole in a forever stem, some sort of countersink will usually help, but it is where the problem really comes from. Its not present in the plastic stems because the area of the opening remains close to the same from bowl to button. Clear as mud? I work in blow molding the amount of polymer I see in our air lines has the same proof over a much more frequent cycle. Think of millions of bowls smoked without cleaning for a close comparison to what our airlines look like after a run. cheers for that. |
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Drama I like cobs, big ones, Gerneral cobs, they have one drawback, cleaning the btm of the shank. In early days I pioneered the use of Fireplace Motar repair to fix pipes with deep gouges in btm and spider webbing. I pumped this mixture on both sides of shank, smoothed it out and viloa a hard surface easy to clean. My cobs have forever stems. I smoke them during yard work, on tractor, and they do just fine.
