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How to Make an Old Style Tobacco Pipe

Tobacco pipes have been around for centuries, long before the advent of electric tools and milling techniques. Because of this, it is very easy to make an effective tobacco pipe out of commonly found materials with minimal access to tools. With a little time and some careful work, you can make yourself a pipe just as was used hundreds of years ago. If the following materials can not be sourced, similar replacements may be used.

Things You'll Need

Corn cob
straight wood or bamboo stick
Pocket knife
Drill or wire coat hanger

Instructions

- 1
  Break the corn cob in half. Ensure that there are no remaining corn kernels remaining on the outside of the cob.
- 2
  Let the cob dry out for one to two weeks to make it more durable.
- 3
  Shape the broken cob into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inches long by the existing width of the cob.
- 4
  Dig out the pith (hard center core of the corn cob) with a pocket knife to shape the pipe's bowl. Leave enough pith on the bottom and sides to insulate your hand from the heat of burning tobacco.
- 5
  Drill a small hole at the base of the cob into the bottom of the carved bowl. If you do not have access to a drill, heat up the end of a metal coat hanger and use it to carve a hole into the cob.
- 6
  Make the stem of the pipe by using a drill or heated end of a coat hanger to make a hole lengthwise through the center of your wood or bamboo stick.
- 7
  Whittle one end of this stick with the pocket knife so that it will fit into the corn cob bowl, where you made the hole. Press the stem into the hole in the bowl.

Antiquing