I screwed up. . .what's new.

[NathanA]

I am embarrassed to even ask this question, but in drilling my most recent block I got in a hurry and messed up the alignment. The airhole is about 6 or 7 millimeters from the bottom of the bowl. Is there anything I can do to salvage this block (for personal use only, of course) or is it ruined? Thanks once again. Hopefully I will be able to stop asking stupid questions soon.

[KurtHuhn]

Just be sure to leave enough meat at the bottom of the bowl so you don't get burn-through, and then use a bowl coating to raise the bottom of the tobacco chamber up to the level of the airway.

For bowl coating, use the normal sour cream, buttermilk, and charcoal recipe - or use the age-old "pipe mud" which is a mix of cigar ash and water (sometimes with some honey or something).

[baweaverpipes]

It might be easier to drill the air hole prior to drilling the chamber.

[RadDavis]

It might be easier to drill the air hole prior to drilling the chamber.

Yes! It's much easier to drill DOWN to the smoke hole than to drill the bowl and try to drill into the bottom of it.

Rad

[NathanA]

Just be sure to leave enough meat at the bottom of the bowl so you don't get burn-through, and then use a bowl coating to raise the bottom of the tobacco chamber up to the level of the airway.

Thank you, Kurt. I had the same idea but wasn't sure if it would work or not.

baweaverpipes wrote:
It might be easier to drill the air hole prior to drilling the chamber.


Yes! It's much easier to drill DOWN to the smoke hole than to drill the bowl and try to drill into the bottom of it.

I actually did drill the airhole first. I just got in a hurry and was a little over zealous with the drill press and pushed too far. Thanks for the advice.

[kkendall]

or.... just pack it and smoke it. You will just be dumping a tiny bit of unburnt tobacco.... so what?

[eder]

Yes! It's much easier to drill DOWN to the smoke hole than to drill the bowl and try to drill into the bottom of it.
Rad

I actually did drill the airhole first. I just got in a hurry and was a little over zealous with the drill press and pushed too far. Thanks for the advice.

Am I the only one doing the opposite!?

After a very well defined pre-shape, I drill the bowl having 33mm as standard, and then I figure
out how to drill the airhole. Eventually some adaptation in the chamber depth is needed 'cause
there is no way the airhole can meet the chamber. Any way, I drill the bowl fist because I use
it as a reference to make a centered airhole.

eder.

• • •
Eder Mathias
http://mrhydepipes.com

[staffwalker]

I did the same thing several years back somewhere around pipe #6 or #7 when I was still using a hand drill. I reamed the charcoal/cake out of a couple other pipes I was smoking, put the charcoal in a coffee grinder and ground it to a fine powder. I then mixed this with honey until I had a stiff paste. Took my finger and shaped the paste in the bottom of the bowl until I had built it up to the exact height I wanted. I let this dry for a couple of days and fired it up. It didn't taste bad until I had smoked all the way to the mixture. If I remember correctly that was the only bad smoke out of the pipe, the next time it was OK. I'm still smoking that pipe four or five years later, the paste is still in the bottom, never had a problem. It's so hard now I would have to drill it out. The honey caramelizes and cements the carbon so it becomes hard as a rock. bob gilbert

[RadDavis]

Yes! It's much easier to drill DOWN to the smoke hole than to drill the bowl and try to drill into the bottom of it.
Rad

I actually did drill the airhole first. I just got in a hurry and was a little over zealous with the drill press and pushed too far. Thanks for the advice.

Am I the only one doing the opposite!?

After a very well defined pre-shape, I drill the bowl having 33mm as standard, and then I figure
out how to drill the airhole. Eventually some adaptation in the chamber depth is needed 'cause
there is no way the airhole can meet the chamber. Any way, I drill the bowl fist because I use
it as a reference to make a centered airhole.

eder.

• • •
Eder Mathias
http://mrhydepipes.com

I started off drilling the chamber first and then the airhole. Every time I would have to go back and drill a bit further with the chamber to get the airhole on the bottom.

Then I thought, "What if I driil that stupid air hole first?" I haven't had to "adjust" since.

Rad