| Archive for Dr. Grabow Pipes "America's One and Only" |
| Editor |
Grabow Cobs / Cobs in General
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| Sir Duke |
Does this mean that Grabow only got two ears, and someone else got the others, or that the plants only yielded two per stock I wonder.
I also, always assumed that Missouri Meerschaum had some sort of propriotory right over this special cob corn seed. |
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| ted |
SD.....This corn only produced 2 ears per stalk..MM's corn was developed with the help of the University of Missouri and the University allowed Grabow to have enough for the test crop.
This corn was altered so it grew very small kernals and a very big, very hard cob. |
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| drbridges |
Harvesting cobs requires an old out-date corn puller. Can't run a combine through it. They may still have corn pullers in NC, but I suspect MM has bought up most of them in the country. Keepin' those antique corn pullers running may keep some Missouri parts collectors and fabricators employed.
2 ears/stalk sounds about right to me. |
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| ted |
Grabow's corn pullers were the 5 man maintenance department, and most of the male office staff. Part of the problem I suppose. | ||||
| drbridges |
I've never seen a mechanized corn puller, but most of the older farmers I know are familiar with them. They pre-dated the combine harvester.
Missouri Meerschaum maintains some corn pullers for harvesting their corn crop. I expect the hard job was keeping that 5 man maintenance dept. out of the crop when they were roastin' ear ready. |
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| Sir Duke |
Our drbridges kobs now on SALE in the Trading Post. | ||||
| ted |
Dr. Bridges..My congratulations on the name. Up to the league of Dr. Grabow, Dr Plum, Dr Bernard, Dr. Hardy. You are well above the last three. Maybe a little work to do to catch Dr. G -ted- | ||||
| ted |
some of you have fussed about the construction of the Cob pipes. Especially that the shank extends too far into the bowl. If not for that piece of shank that extends into the bowl, the pipe would "burn out" in a smoke or two. Take the label off the bottom, and "check out" the consistency of the "pith" in the center of the cob. Scratch it with a fingernail. Those of us that smoke like "a weasel sucking eggs" could burn through that "pith" instantly. The extension of the shank (into the bowl) protects the pith and slows "burn out".
The first person that says "pith" on you, is on my .... list. -ted- |
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| drbridges |
Now you tell me ... after I drilled the shank extensions out of most of my new cob pipes. Fortunately I acquired some pipe screens and installed those. Perhaps I can screen my pith. Can you pith through a screen? The drill bit got a good bite in one of the shanks and spun the bowl in my grip shattering the fragile cob bowl and tearing out the shank. I've glued it back together. Will give testimony re the glue if it holds long term and doesn't give me a terminal cancer. Some of the better MM cobs have a hardwood plug in their bottom. I prefer having a plug in my pith spot. |
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| Sir Duke |
Oh wait...ummm. I smoke Like a weasel sucking egg. ted is right. I aint never burned through the botton.He who piths through screen makes stinky welcome mat.
I just read* about how Native Americans made pipe stems from branches. On method was to burn through the pith with a hot iron stick/rod. I wonder how this would work for boring the tobacco chamber of a cob? Would it just promote faste burn out? The Pipe Book implied that, before being Missouri Meerschaums, they were sometimes called "Barnyard Briar". We (i do anyway) often give all the credit to H Tibbes, but it was John Schranke who presented them to Tibbes who owned a lathe. The rest is history. "Never hot, and refreshingly Piquant," TM aka Sir Duke. aka child of the corn *The Pipe Book william Goldring. [/quote] |
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| drbridges |
Yes, well I feel there must be a better way to prevent bottom burnout. Breaking in the cob isn't as objectionable as breaking in the hardwood stem in the bottom of the bowl. And it is burned back to the cob in most of my broke in cob pipes.
MM could at least cut the protruding shank at a longer bevel, so you don't have to burn away the top half of the shank. BTW, for some unknown reason the Dr. Bridges Mac has been the easiest cob break in I've experienced, ever. May have something to do with 3 inches of loose tobacco filter between me and the ember. |
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| GrabowGuy |
Not a fan of cobs!
I like Meers though. |
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| Texhealer |
This may be a little off topic but here goes, I have been collecting tools and supplies over the last couple of years to hopefully start making a few pipes.
Consequently I have also been reading a LOT about pipe making. A lot of discussion and effort is given to the importance of precise drilling, the exactness of the mortice and tennon fit and making sure the tennon and airway meet without the slightist gap lest there be gurgling, airflow constriction, and all sorts of horrors. And everyone seems to pretty much agree that if it's not all just perfect then it's firewood.... Then I light up a cob or a Grabow without the filter and wonder..... 
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| drbridges |
Curiosity is the beginning of wisdom. Some may disagree with you, but I am solidly in your corner on this. If you ever figure out what makes a pipe gurgle, AND can predict which ones will do it, let me know. So far the only certainty is tampon filter pipes don't (if there is a dry filter in place). |
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| ted |
Healer and Dr.B...During my career at Grabow, I made or oversaw the making of over 50 million pipes. On my first day in the office in 1966, Paul Fish, President, gave me a Silver Duke and a Starfire, and I knew I was supposed to learn to smoke them. I did, and probably smoked thousands of pipes during my time.
The Starfire gurgled. Of course, the SD didn't. I asked Mr. Fish, and his answer has stuck with me for 40 years....Here it is paraphrased. Consumers expect the airhole to be bored "perfectly" into the bottom of the bowl. This "bottom" bore will gurgle, always. An airhole needs to be bored slightly higher than the bowl bottom for a comfortable smoke. Moisture needs to have a place to collect rather than coming back out of the bowl into the shank and stem. The paper filter compensates in many pipes. This is not what the "sophisticated" pipe smoker wants to hear, but it sure has worked for me. I think that's why the cob is so "gurgle-proof" with or without filter. Today I (and I'm sure Paul ) will admit that "wet"tobacco has a bearing. I firmly, and always believe that a correct airhole bore is slightly high. It's so hard to convince the smokers of that, that I've been hesitant to mention it. Start another Civil War probably. Anyway...My thoughts and remembrances.....ted |
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| ozark southpaw |
I think you are probably right Ted.Most pipes with stingers that I have smoked seem to gurgle more. the filtered Dukes dont seem to gurgle much unless the filter gets soaked,usually because the tobacco is to moist. I have noticed that the grabows are not drilled right at the bottom although they aint drilled way high either.I read on one forum where they were talking about making "mud" using wet cigar ashes to make a paste to build up the bottom of the bowls of pipes that were drilled high. I do open up the airhole in my pipes which semms to help make them drier smoking and easier to draw on. | ||||
| Gig |
All pipes which I carve have a 4mm draught hole which gives a niice easy draw and I love Cob pipes 
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| drbridges |
I agree with ted, and OS. I might agree with Gig, except I can't convert 4mm into a standard inch equivalent.
I do use a drill on a tap wrench to standardize the airway on my pipes. Once I experimented and used a drill that was 1/32" larger, and it proved too much. Your personal packing and drawing style determines which airway diameter will please you. And whether you use an additional filter will also. Smoke a Viking and a Pacer. The Pacer is the bent Viking. I find the Pacer more prone to gurgle, and I suspect it is because of the bent stem. Because of their shape bent pipes may concentrate moisture deep in the airway. |
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| drbridges |
Would it be feasible to improve a gurgling pipe with a low "bottom-of-the-bowl" airway by deepening the bowl?
I'm thinking of a conical sanding attachment on a rotary Dremel-like tool that could be used to lower the bottom of the bowl about 1/32" below the airway. Of course cake would be partially removed, and new briar exposed, requiring a new break-in period. Opinions? |
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| Mike Leverette |
4mm = approx. 5/32" I like to use 9/64" for the airway but haven't made any in 25 years now. |
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| Terry292 |
Of about a dozen cobs I have, these two are the best smokers. Interestingly, neither was made by the Missouri Meerschaum Company, neither uses a filter, and neither has the stem cut at an angle where it enters the bowl. They're both square. The larger was made by the Phoenix-American Pipe Works, Booneville, MO, and the smaller by Missouri Pipe, Inc. Also, neither of them appears to have any plaster of paris, just the natural cob. |
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| drbridges |
Those cobs appear to be in good shape. You must be very easy on your pipes. I would be embarassed to show you my used cob pipes. | ||||
| Terry292 |
To tell you the truth, Dr B, I hardly ever smoke my cobs. I know I should, but I've always been partial to briar over all other types of pipes.
Terry |
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| Rev. Avery |
I love my Missouri cobs. The Country Gentleman is an especially good smoker. I also have several Washingtons and they are all wonderful.
I think in a blind test I would probably prefer the cob over my Woodies and even my Omegas (but, my Omegas are really, really good smokers too). Just my two cents
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| steverino |
RA, you'd fit right in with the Cobunist Party over on CPS. | ||||
| Rev. Avery |
Steve, I hope I don't sound stupid but ... is that a special section of the CPS forum or is that just what they call themselves or ... ? | ||||
| steverino |
It's kind of a running joke, actually. The Cobunist Party is led by Zed, master of cobs. Zed is very adamant, you might say, about the propriety of smoking cobs over anything else. He is purported to have a contract with Missouri Meerschaum for regular delivery of his favorite models.
Of course, no such organization would be complete without an opposing group, in this case, B.R.A.T.A.S.S. I'll let you look that one up, but suffice it to say, these are the opposite guys. No cobs, briar only. You don't want to get in the middle of a shootin war between these two factions. Of course, all of this takes place with tongue firmly implanted in cheek and for fun only, so no real casualties ever result from these battles. Just a subset of the general silliness that takes place when you get a bunch of pipe smokers together with nothing better to do. |
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| Flycruiser |
Zed, is the true cobfather of CPS. He even has corn cob ink pens. I'm surprised his children aren't named after varieties of corn. |
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| TheDuke |
I tried to not weigh in on this but, I HATE COBS! What an inferior smoking device! That's why ZED has to replace them so often! I'm smoking Briar from the 30's & 40's. Many cobs out there that age? Doubt it,unless their NOS.Corncob's are pigfeed!Long Live the Briarite's! That is all. EM |
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| Rev. Avery |
I'm not sure I got your meaning ... 
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| steverino |
Like all fraternal organizations, the Cobunists and the Briarites must forever be shrouded in mystery.
(That way, we can make up whatever we want to say about them.  )
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| TheDuke |
This may shed alittle light on the mystery: http://christianpipesmokers.net/m...s=0&postorder=asc&start=0 I just read through the whole topic and laughed coffee right out of my nose! EM |
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| steverino |
Yeah, that thread is a scream, ain't it. | ||||