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From what I've read about Morta so far I am wondering if the material composition is similar enough that I could refer to basics from Morta tutorials, and how to tips, as a starting reference for working with Mpingo?

I was gifted a mystery crate of scraps and blanks that turned out to be mpingo and a couple other compression looking woods that I haven't been able to identify as of yet.

I am learning how to work with the Mpingo; in some ways it almost doesn't seem to behave like wood!

The strength and density of the Mpingo is just amazing yet at the same time it seems that brittle may be a good description?

Also there are sneaky hairline cracks in the Mpingo that I discover by suddenly having my work piece split apart when it was under almost no stress. It's so worth the learning curve so far when I can buff up a piece of wood that almost looks like ebony.

If this seems like a stupid'ish topic I apologize ahead of time; so far in my googling I have found WAY more Morta results than Mpingo related to pipe making hence I'm hoping they may translate to some degree.

TY!

From what I have found, Mpingo is another word for African Blackwood. Perhaps you will find more information searching for the latter.

I think the reason you may not find information about pipe making and African Blackwood is the fact that it's listed as a sensitizer on the wood database. http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-ide ... blackwood/ Some people may have allergic reactions to the dust. I have used it for tampers and shank adornments, but wouldn't feel comfortable making a pipe from wood that is listed as a sensitizer.

If you're looking for how to work it into shank adornments, you'd do it just about the same as any other kind of wood. Use sharp tools for drilling and facing, then sand it to as high a grit as you need. Depending on your stock's condition, you may need to stabilize it.

sandahlpipe wrote:From what I have found, Mpingo is another word for African Blackwood. Perhaps you will find more information searching for the latter.

I will give that a shot ty

sandahlpipe wrote:I think the reason you may not find information about pipe making and African Blackwood is the fact that it's listed as a sensitizer on the wood database. http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-ide ... blackwood/

That site looks like a great resource, thank you for that link. I have been concerned about the type of dust I get from working with the wood and started wearing dust masks, especially when I found out how bad the dust stains almost anything it comes in contact with (staining appears permanent from my attempts to wash the black out of work rags). I imagine having any amount of a strong black dye going in to the nasal or lung passages is a bad idea.

I was hoping the finishing processes (and the cake) would take care of possible irritations from the wood but I will definitely be doing some more homework.

sandahlpipe wrote:Depending on your stock's condition, you may need to stabilize it.

This is the first time I've heard of stabilizing wood, thank you for including that tip! I am googling the how's and why's today reg. stabilizing. So far I have found results regarding stabilizing as a way to resist warping and improving water resistance. If you have time for another reply I would love to hear the why's of stabilizing from a pipe makers frame of reference.

Thank you for the reply!

You stabilize wood so it doesn't move on you. You don't want to have a flush fit and then have the wood twist, warp, or shrink as the moisture leaves it. In some cases, it can even crack if it isn't properly stabilized. Lots of guys use CA glue as a stabilizer and I haven't experimented enough to know anything else to use.

As for the dust, I recommend getting an air purifier sooner rather than later in your shop. If you're working with a lot of exotic woods, you're likely to get that dust in your lungs. A dust collector gets the visible dust, but it's the microscopic stuff that lingers in the air that is actually dangerous over the long haul. I bought myself a big air purifier and have enjoyed clean air within minutes of finishing sanding. As an added bonus, within a couple of hours, even the smell of cigar smoke is completely absent in my shop. But for now, wearing dust masks is a good temporary solution.

If what you got is African Blackwood, there will be no problem using it for a pipe, healthwise.
If the dust "stains" everything black, I doubt it though.
The grain is very very dense, but, because of that, the pipe will eventually split.

No, they are not comparable materials at all.