Finally! They're done!


Back in the mill they went to get a little counter-bore in the bottom and a very short 8-32 socket head cap screw inset into the wood with a little more JB weld. JB weld may not be a legitimate pipe-making adhesive but it does hold very well and in the end, these are still just cob pipes. Here's one of them shown with the little screws and the installation fixture still in place. This assembly was clamped in a vise overnight to make sure the screw stayed where I wanted it while the epoxy cured.



Now for a few finishing touches: Black stain (sharpie marker) for the counter-bore and a little polyurethane for the rest of the work area. Have you figured out what the stud is for yet?



I was opening up the passage in the bit anyway, so I went and ran a 3/32 reamer thru the mouth piece so that the pick/tamper could be stowed in the stem while you're transporting the pipe in your coat pocket.



So here you have it. When you're turkey hunting especially, it's hard to find a good place to prop your pipe where it won't constantly tip over. The tamper screws to the bottom of the pipe so that, while not in use for tamping or picking, it makes for a peg that you can poke into the ground. So now, I'm just waiting for the next hunting season... Hope to have it nice and broke in by then.