Pipe smoking/making

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Ahjno

Vice-Adminral
Admin
Aug 9, 2004
6,861
51
Rotterdam (NL)
www.bushcraftuk.com
Leon-1 made one when we meet up on Dartmoor when he ran out of cig papers :lmao:

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woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
i found that link too its pretty good to get you started i.e roughly what tools etc u may need! essentially it shouldnt be that hard, its gonna be as hard as you want it to be!

i am using a briar stem that i will steam bend once the pith will be removed that i will do with a hot wire (unless anyone can suggest a better way??!) then use a round cross section of blackthorn to make my bowl and hand sand it down to finish with beeswax, depending on the fit i will keep it so you can pull it apart to clean it etc

sure i will come across many tricks while making that will be worthy of a tutorial.
 

Melonfish

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 8, 2009
2,460
1
Warrington, UK
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woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
@melonfish - awesome idea, i was gonna remove pith while straight then steam bend as dont have easy access to yew!?

heard of heating wire on a blowtorch or stove and then ramming it through gradually burning away excess, i may be able to push it through straight off but we'll see!
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
54
Rossendale, Lancashire
I'm only a pipe smoker of sorts now, just when I'm on holiday since the kids came along. Perversely I started on the pipe when I was 19 and grew my first beard


When I gave up smoking all the time I gave away all my normal lenght briars to a mate but kept the churchwardens, partly as they were such good smokes and partly as the wife bought them. I also the clays and have been adding to them when ever I see them on carboots, They also smoke remarkably well especially the foot long hobbit jobs. They do break easy but at least if its the mouth end you can still smoke them. You can redip the end in sealing wax easily I've found.

Not long since I've discovered they used to have metal cages for burning the clogged clays out, I'd never heard of them before but evidentally they were quite common.

I'd be interested in seeing how you get on making your own as I have been toying with doing the same for a while now.

Best of luck

Tom
 

woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
cheers tom!

i like the idea of the hobbit pipe while looking into the flames of a campfire with my feet up having just scoffed a rabbit over the fire and sunk a pint...perfect! fingers crossed clear skies this weekend!
 

malente

Life member
Jan 14, 2007
894
2
Germany
seasoned wood is wood that after having been cut, lies and dries out slowly for half a year or so, or maybe a year. Do not use freshly cut (still wet) wood.
 

Alexlebrit

Tenderfoot
Dec 22, 2009
90
0
France
I'm Alex and I'm a smoker. There I've got that out the way and admitted I'm a social leper, forced to stand outside to enjoy my pleasure.

I took up a pipe while in Finland two summers ago, it just seemed to fit, I like the whole lighting and maintaining process, and the fact that by the time you've fiddled with it, cleaned it, loaded it, you don't really feel the need to actually smoke it.

Once you've got it made, don't forget to season it, the general thing to do is keep it smoking cool, if it gets hot to handle time to slow it down, small puffs and when lighting keep the flame away from the edges. And a lot of people say don't smoke it more than twice a day for a couple of weeks. The idea is to build up a carbon layer from the baccy, not a charred wood layer. Don't worry though if it goes wrong you can ream it back to the wood and start again.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5693099_season-pipe.html
 

woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
cheers axelbrit! thats what i wanted to know! started on the stem today, ended up splitting it in half (intentionally) then gouging the pith out with folded wet and dry, glued it back together and is all good!
 

Wilderbeast

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 9, 2008
2,036
9
32
Essex-Cardiff
yup I do! Not usually the young mans caper I know but I love it! It's very relaxing when done properly!

As for the pipe, mine's made with a cherry wood bowl which is very good! You don't want a wood that will give off an aroma when got because it might be toxic etc!

get your baccy from uktobacco.com i've dealt with them many times and they're great!

Try their house blend and also their dark cherry!
 

Muncus

Member
Anyone smoke a pipe?

i am currently making a churchwarden style pipe, am using briar as the stem but was wondering what woods apart from wild cherry are ok to use as the bowl? can i use blackthorn as it is also a member of the prunus family i work with it alot and know it shares many properties such as its incredible hardness etc but just wondering if anyone has any experiences that may help?

ATB

Joe

Hi Joe

I smoke a pipe and have had a look through my collection, I have pipes with the bowls made out of Pear wood, Olive wood and Corn Cob. I have also seen pipes made from Morta (Bog Oak). Pear and Olive wood bowls tend to smoke hotter than briar, but smoke well.

I have never made a pipe myself but I think the reason briar is chosen is because it has absorbent properties, the resistance to burning is due to the layer of carbon you build up in the bowl during the breaking in period.

If you need more information or advice pop over to the Smokers Forum, it's a mine of information and a friendly place too.

Cheers

James
 

Bogman10

Nomad
Dec 28, 2006
300
0
Edmonton,ab,Can
I have been smoking a pipe for 10yrs + . usually only 2-6 pipes a week no inhaling and outdoors only. I know it still isn't great for you, but I don't want to die perfectly healthy either. I smoked cigarettes for 20 yrs. gave those up and started on the Brier. To this day I can't stand Cigarette smoke. It is something you can't rush, so it it very relaxing. I feel it is more a hobby then habit, and Nessmuk's stump/ log next to the fire is a great place to enjoy a bowl. No worse then what Booze does to your liver and every other part of your body, in my mind. In the end though , it is your body! Cheers.
 
May 14, 2006
311
4
55
Consett County Durham
Wilst were on the subject, what's the general opinion as to a good packable pipe (eg a pipe that can be taken along for campfireside smokes) ?

I'd go with a Falcon with a meer lined bowl as the bowl is removable (takedown lol) and a meer lined bowl shouldn't hold onto ghost flavours.

Kev
 

woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
thanks again for the tips guys, i roughed out a bowl from beech yesterday to see about sizing etc, made the stem, all i need to do now is copy that design onto the plum wood i am using for a bowl! i am going to try for a friction fit (takedown!lol) if not then i dont mind gluing it!

i have been browsing the smokers forum and your right it is a good place to start!

i want this to be a deeply personal thing and i plan for each pipe i make to be different, the stem i harvested whilst on a surveying job at work then the bowl wood is taken from a plum tree that was planted the year i was born, i know its a soppy one but i can't help it! i have made bows, sticks, axe handles and now i have the chance to complete my set! all those things will litetrally be unique to me...how brilliant!?
 

gregorach

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 15, 2005
3,723
28
50
Edinburgh
There's a thread about my homemade pipe here... I've added a plain silver band inlay around the bowl since those photos were taken though.
 

woodwalker1987

Tenderfoot
Feb 4, 2010
77
0
essex
looks grand mate

i hope mine looks half as good!

it also answered my question about blackthorn! i shall use that next time! oh man if we get a chance to head down to the bush moot we should all take a pipe together! i dont know if i will be able to make it yet tho :(
 

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