How to Make Interesting Homemade Pipes
Making interesting homemade pipes is a creative way to show off your visual art skills. A dried out cob of corn, for example, makes for an appealing pipe bowl. Invented by woodworker Henry Tibbe, four years after the end of the Civil War, according to PipesMagazine.com, corncob pipes soon became well known around the world. Crafting your own corncob pipe puts you in touch with American history and gives you a fascinating conversation starter with friends, family and fellow pipe enthusiasts.
Things You'll Need
- 4-inch cob of corn
- Work gloves
- Pocket knife
- Ruler
- Power drill
- 7/16-inch drill bit
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- 1/4-inch-by-3-inch bamboo or bay tree wood branch
- 3/8-inch drill bit
- Loose tobacco
- Matches
Instructions
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1
Break a fresh cob -- or ear -- of corn in half. Keep the lower 4 inches -- the lower half -- of the cob. Remove all husk and silk.
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2
Bake the corn in an oven at 125 degrees for three hours. Allow the cob to air dry for seven days.
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3
Slide on a pair of work gloves to protect your skin. Carve out a 2-inch deep hole in the top of the cob with a pocket knife.
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4
Drill a 7/16-inch hole 1 inch down through the bottom of the hole.
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5
Measure up 1 1/2-inches from the base of the cob. Drill a 1/4-inch hole halfway through the side of the cob until the 1/4-inch hole meets with the 7/16-inch hole.
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6
Measure and cut a 1/4-inch-by-3-inch branch of bamboo or bay tree wood. Drill a 3/8-inch hole into one short end of the branch all the way through the opposite end. The branch acts as the stem of your pipe.
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7
Push one end of the stem tight into the cob bowl. Pack the bowl with loose tobacco and light with a match to begin smoking.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
