# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  pipe making

## smokelessfire

hey folks, got any ideas on how to make a smoking pipe in nature, without modern tools, such as a power drill lol. the drilling part is the biggest problem, or the stem making, i should say. also, what materials.

----------


## Atomic

You could make a bow drill. It would more than likely have to be two part. A cob pipe sort of thing.

----------


## chiggersngrits

i have made one out of corn cob using a piece of stalk as a stem. all you need is a pocket knife and a little time. the middle of the cob is easily removed using your knife like a drill. use the same technique to make the stem hole taking time to get a tight fit. make the stem hole as close to the bottom of the bowl as possible. then take a long thin stick about the size of a toothpick and pass it through the stem into the bowl. next make up a small mud pattie and coat the inside of the bowl with the mud. before it completely hardens gently remove the thin stick leaving a small hole from bowl to stem. also put some mud at the stem bowl juncture to seal it up. that is how i made mine and you can skip the mud part if you like to smoke cob. :Stick Out Tongue:  i only smoked on mine once just to test it out. if you do use the mud be careful tapping out the ashes or you'll knock your mud out. :EEK!:

----------


## Rick

Assuming you make it out of wood. You could also use bone or soapstone.

----------


## danmc

clay.

bamboo is hollow.  In the southeast we have asian bamboo and also river cane.  I've used bamboo as a blow tube for burning out a wooden bowl.  I see no particular reason why it wouldn't work in the opposite direction.  

There are other plants with hollow stems.  If you're making a pipe out of plant material, just make sure you know what it is and if it is safe (or at least no worse than smoking...).  For example you could probably carve a nice looking poison ivy vine pipe that would make you suffer tremendously for your last day on earth.  Joe pye weed is hollow but I'm not sure about smoking through it.

-Dan

----------


## smokelessfire

good advice.thanks fellas

----------


## RobertRogers

ha, "poison ivy pipe".

----------


## coldkill13

I've experimented with making pipes before using bamboo without much success. Bamboo makes a smell/taste that I'm not particularly fond of, and mine have always burned up even when using green bamboo. I've never tried the mud thing though. People never believe me when I tell them that we have bamboo in our backyard, but actually, it grows like a weed! Im not sure if its the species or climate but it only gets to about 3/4" diameter, maybe 1" tops. Im not even too sure why I was doing it, I dont  smoke. Just boredom I guess.

----------


## Gray Wolf

> People never believe me when I tell them that we have bamboo in our backyard, but actually, it grows like a weed! Im not sure if its the species or climate but...


What area do you live in?

----------


## danmc

> ha, "poison ivy pipe".


well... I have heard a horror story which I don't know if it's true or not about a group that used green mountain laurel branches for roasting hot dogs over a fire.

For all its beauty, a mountain laurel is deadly poisonous if ingested.

-Dan

----------


## danmc

> I've experimented with making pipes before using bamboo without much success. Bamboo makes a smell/taste that I'm not particularly fond of, and mine have always burned up even when using green bamboo. I've never tried the mud thing though. People never believe me when I tell them that we have bamboo in our backyard, but actually, it grows like a weed! Im not sure if its the species or climate but it only gets to about 3/4" diameter, maybe 1" tops. Im not even too sure why I was doing it, I dont  smoke. Just boredom I guess.


I didn't realize it grew as far north as Michigan.  It will certainly grow like a 30' tall weed here.  

Ever put whole sections in a campfire?  The 'bang' can be pretty impressive.  I'd keep back until it blows though.

----------


## tacmedic

Japanese honeysuckle, which is an invasive species in many areas, has naturally hollow woody stems that could be used for a pipestem I would think.

----------


## tsitenha

I would try river clay to mold one out

----------


## tsitenha

you could use a piece of wire to burn/drill out a hole in the stem, to the bowl.

----------


## crashdive123

Ahhhh.  Just quit smoking.

----------


## Beo

In the old days the colonial pipes were made of 1. All clay, 2. Sandstone with a reed stem, 3. Clay with a reed stem. And the Native Americans used Catlinite (pipestone)to make there peace pipes as the whites call them although the Native Americans just called them pipes.
Catlinite (pipestone)
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
Clay Pipe
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
Red clay pipe with reed stem
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
I have one of each and all are good smokes with some Kinni-Kinnick Native American Tobacco.
Beo,

----------


## crashdive123

Carved bone will work.

----------


## Rick

Lt.!!!!! 

Beo! Get out of the evidence locker. Now!! and put the Kinni-Kinnick back!!

----------


## Beo

Here is a pipe a friend of mine has, I like the tongs with the tamp and pick on the handle ends.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

----------


## canid

what; kinicknik's only mildly narcotic, and it blends so well with tobacco and willow bark.

----------


## pocomoonskyeyes

If you have a piece of thin Rod you can find a Sycamore where a limb has died. This can be hollowed out with a pocketknife.Take the rod and heat it in a fire 'til red hot and burn a stem hole through the stem part of the pipe. Once this is done you can then carve the pipe out. I have done this and prefer the Sycamore as it is a fairly sweet Non-toxic wood, plus the "Knot-holes" make an almost ready made bowl!
Only tools needed are a knife, rod,and something to hold the rod with, like a rag or glove, to prevent burning your hand!

----------


## your_comforting_company

bamboo / river cane

I have made 2 tobacco pipes using this with only rocks. take a big section off the lower end and whittle a hole the diameter of a smaller piece. the bowl is the "knuckle" and the stem is the "stem". make a small hole in the bowl, and when it burns out, simply replace the bowl with a new piece.
sorry, no pics (grrr...) takes about 30 minutes to make one with just rocks.

----------


## hunter63

Was always gonna make a bowl out of Saw Brier, but never got around to it. God knows there is plenty around DD yard.

Have made corn cob pipes, pretty much as described, never thought about the mud part (Thinking)
Also have a selection of clay pipes, but broke my long stem pipes.
Nice set up BW, like the tool.

As far as kinnikinnick goes, it means "mixture", some times containing tobacco, and other things.
Used to tell pilgrims it was "bufflar schmitt"

http://www.herbcraft.org/kinnikinnick.html,

----------


## crashdive123

Pipe making is work ----- so I quit smoking. :Sailor:

----------


## gryffynklm

I have used river cane and use a heavy coat hanger to ream it out. 

Find a reed that is at least the diameter of the stem hole. and has a length about 8" from node to node. The node is a bump in the branch that the leaves come from, remove the nodes.

cut a coat hanger 2" longer then the cut reed. The chisel point on the hanger wire will  scour the inside. work the coat hanger in and out of the hole so the shavings come out. When reamed out, I heat the coat hanger end with a torch to cherry hot to clean it out and remove loose fibers. Shape one end to fit the pipe bowl shape the other to a shape you like. 

I know you can use branches from plants that have a pithy center, but I would identify the plant and check the toxicity before using it. I don't know any acceptable species of the top of my head. 

I have an 19th century clay bowl I smoke with a reed stem I made.

----------


## Rick

How difficult would it be to make a clay bowl? Couldn't you bake that in your oven?

----------


## pocomoonskyeyes

Sure you could Rick! The only problem in a wilderness situation is firing it. Buuuut in a true wilderness situation it would probably be the easiest and best way. If you have the wire you can use it on the sycamore too. One reason I prefer the Sycamore is that of the Knot holes and it can be used to get a Pure water source, by tapping into it. I've done the same with Cherry, which is nice too. I just found a sapling or branch with a small branch large enough to make the stem. I had a long 1/8 drill that had the actual drill broke off, Heat and press,heat and repeat. Takes awhile, but makes some real nice one piece pipes.

----------


## gryffynklm

Thanks Poco good info. I have some maple burl seasoning. 

Rick, I've read about firing pottery in a something like Dakota fire hole. Interesting question.

----------


## rwc1969

well, you'd need a knife or some sort of cutting tool, but here you go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdD1a2sz6o

I stumbled on this checking out bushcraft vids on you tube.

Mors Kochanski shows a similar method using Cottonwood or, as he calls it, Black Poplar bark in his book "Bushcraft". A great book BTW.

I might head out and try to make one of these tomorrow. Lord knows i've got plenty of experience drilling holes with a bow drill and since I can't make fire at least maybe I can make a pipe. :Sailor:

----------


## pocomoonskyeyes

Yeah, just watch now you will get an ember and we won't be able to get you to STOP making pipes!!! You will be building pipes and fires at the same time!!

----------


## your_comforting_company

Just putting this out there. Clay and earthen materials like clay have a lot of expansion and contraction in heat. All the ceramic or earthenware bowl I made back in high school had to have some other type of bowl attached as they couldn't handle the heat of the tobacco. The glaze and ware expand and contract at different amounts and will likely crack.
standard earthenware takes about 8-10 hours at 1800 degrees F to fire. That's pretty hard to control in a primitive situation, but if you can work it into some sort of kiln, like the dakota fire-hole, you'd be in business!! If anyone manages to make a homemade kiln, I'd love to see pics and hear how it works. I aim to build one over the summer after tanning season goes out and start working on primitive pottery.

----------


## Rick

What wood did the indigenous use in ceremonial pipes? Anyone know?

----------


## rwc1969

> Yeah, just watch now you will get an ember and we won't be able to get you to STOP making pipes!!! You will be building pipes and fires at the same time!!



Haha! that's my plan. Maybe if I don't try it will finally work. LOL!

AS far as Abo pipes, the material probably varied based on geographic location.

----------


## gryffynklm

This thread go me thinking about firing clay for bowls, pipes and such. I did some poking about on line and found the link below.

http://www.goshen.edu/art/DeptPgs/rework.html#firing

This link provides some information on Pit Firing Clay as well as how to collect clay and remove contaminants that can cause failure during firing.

There is little about the pit, its construction or how to load the pit. The pits described ranged in size from 3' wide by 3' deep. to quite large 8' x 12' x 3'. One even showed a ceramic, looked like a bowl like terra cotta planter 12" deep with a 2" opening at the top and a 3" circumference in use as a clay firing kiln using pit firing methods. 

Rick, I guess the answer to your question is yes you can fire clay at home with out a kiln, I'm not so sure about using your oven unless you find clay formulated for low temp firing.    

I can describe methods I have just read if someone wishes and provide the links. Let me know if there is interest. I will try this in the spring or summer. I have a good bed of clay in my cellar and planed to do some work down there any way. I will post more then

----------


## Rick

I was just thinking that clay has been fired for probably thousands of years and I know everyone didn't have a kiln to process it in. At least not a kiln like we think of.

----------


## Rick

Here's an old one I found: 

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

"The Greeks were master potters, technically adept at controlling time, temperature, and atmosphere—the essential aspects of the firing process. The Greek kiln, illustrated on several potsherds, was a beehive-shaped, updraft kiln with a rectangular fuel box and a short chimney. The characteristic red-on-black or black-on-red decoration was achieved in a three-stage firing process: oxidation-reduction-oxidation. First, the kiln was heated using ample wood fuel and good air circulation (_oxidation_) and all peep-holes open. When the temperature reached about 850°C, indicated by the cherry-red color of the fire, the chimney and peep-holes were blocked and green wood or damp sawdust was added to the fuel box. This created a _reducing_ atmosphere, causing red iron oxide to convert to black iron oxide and turning all the pottery black. In the third phase of firing, peep-holes and chimney were reopened, allowing air to circulate again and turn the clay body back to red-orange. In a successful firing, the slipped areas remained jet black, providing a pleasing contrast with the red-orange color of the fired Athenian clay."

Source: http://www.itarp.uiuc.edu/atam/teaching/gvexhibit.html

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

The Anagama kiln is an ancient type of pottery kiln brought to Japan from China via Korea in the 5th century.

An anagama (a Japanese term meaning "cave kiln") consists of a firing chamber with a firebox at one end and a flue at the other (note that although the term "firebox" is used to describe the space for the fire, there is no physical structure separating the stoking space from the pottery space). The term Anagama describes single-chamber kilns built in a sloping tunnel shape. In fact, ancient kilns were sometimes built by digging tunnels into banks of clay.

  The anagama is fueled with firewood, in contrast to the electric or gas-fueled kilns commonly used by most contemporary potters. A continuous supply of fuel is needed for firing, as wood thrown into the hot kiln is consumed very rapidly. Stoking occurs round-the-clock until an appropriate temperature is reached.

Burning wood not only produces heat — up to 2,500 °F (1400 °C) — it also produces fly ash and volatile salts. Wood ash settles on the pieces during the firing, and the complex interaction between flame, ash, and the minerals comprising the clay body forms a natural ash glaze. This glaze may show great variation in color, texture, and thickness, ranging from smooth and glossy to rough and sharp. The placement of pieces within the kiln distinctly affects the pottery's appearance, as pieces closer to the firebox may receive heavy coats of ash, or even be immersed in embers, while others deeper in the kiln may only be softly touched by ash effects. Other factors that depend on the location include temperature and oxidation/reduction. Besides location in the kiln, (as with other fuel fired updraft kilns) the way pieces are placed near each other affects the flame path and thus, the appearance of pieces within localized zones of the kiln can vary as well. It is said that loading an anagama kiln is the most difficult part of the firing. The potter must imagine the flame path as it rushes through the kiln, and use this sense to paint the pieces with fire.

The length of the firing depends on the volume of the kiln, and may take anywhere from 48 hours to 12 days or more. The kiln generally takes the same amount of time to cool down. Records of historic firings in large Asian kilns shared by several village potters describe several weeks of steady stoking per firing.    

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Source: Various on the internet

----------


## Rick

One more for pit firing: 

*Pit Firing*

     The final step is a firing technique used by many ancient cultures. As       they did, I load my work into a pit (a 3' x 4' hole in the ground), and       fire the ware in combustible materials (fuel). These materials may include       burled wood shavings, a variety of sawdust, newspaper, straw, metal shavings,       ceramic frits, used steel wool and sandpaper, and manure. The fuel is essentially       someone else's garbage.


            Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.



     The burning of these materials traps carbon on the surface of the burnished       forms. Where the fire burns hot, the surface of the form will be gray to       white. Where the fire burns slowly, it will be black. The firing time is       between 18 to 24 hours. Once cooled, the finished pieces are cleaned and       polished three more times.


            Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Source: http://www.alexmandli.com/techniques/pit_firing.html

----------


## gryffynklm

Good info, I found some of the same links. 

Here is the link for the tera cotta pit fired kiln in mentioned. 

http://www.firecatpottery.com/pit.html

It is a series of photos in a sequence with out description. 

I can tell form the photos that a pre firing or bisque firing is done. This is a gradual raising of the temperature by controlling the fuel and the amount of air allowed to the fire. The photos show a fire built at the center with the clay objects on the outside perimeter. The container is covered to allow air input.

The next image shows the clay objects and fresh charcoal briquettes mixed in the container followed by an image of a piece of cardboard on top of the the mixed pile with more briquettes on top. This is allowed to burn down with hot coals with the lid allowing for air. 

This is repeated a second time. The purpose is to create a good coal bed mixed with ash. The ash and resulting carbon residue on the clay creates random discolorations adding to the athstetics of the item being fired. 

It looks like there is one final addition of briquettes well covering the clay objects. This last fire looks like perhaps the coals are allowed to get good and gray before the lid is placed over the container with less air to the fire. 

Found a similar bowl at Lowes 15.5" for $11.98

http://www.lowes.com/pd_65199-303-67...80$Ntt=planter

Judging by the tracking of the shadows this could have taken as long as 7 hours perhaps longer. 

I want to try this

----------


## Ole WV Coot

Spiraea alba, Native to Southern WV been used for many years with corncobs or clay.

----------


## gryffynklm

Thanks Coot, your referring to being used for the stems I assume.  

I think I have seen some by the old rail tracks.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi....-.lindsey.jpg

----------


## Beo

I have read that some Native American Tribes did the Pit Firing, the wood of the long "peace pipes" was usually made from cedar or pine by most tribes across the country.
I use river cane when making my pipe stems, cut it about an inch or two longer than you want, boil it in water until soft then using a coat hanger (or long drill bit) drill or dig out the guts or marrow of the river cane. Let it sit for about 24 hours on a flat surface to dry out and as you smoke it will age and harden real nice. 
While I have a longer pipe or "peace pipe" I have only smoked it once as its too long.

Beo,

----------


## hunter63

> Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


I saw an old kiln while hunting in Missouri that had been used to make the brick for a pre-Civil War Plantation house. Actually there was a couple of them side by side.
It looked real similar to the pic, but had been dug into the side of ravine.
(Yeah I know, I was supposed to be hunting, but I get led astray easily)

This kinda interests me as well.
Good info guys, and to think this thread could have just died with a "Smoking isn't good for you"

----------


## Durtyoleman

*Actually the seminole indians here in florida dry fired many clay pottery items in a normal campfire by burning very hot fires and burying thier pottery directly in the coals of the fire and adding fresh wood to keep it burning hot for a day or more then letting it slowly go out and cool. True it didn't have the clean perfection of modern china but it made servicable items and even if they lost a few items to heat cracks or other flaws..the clay dug from river banks was reasonably easy to aquire.

D.O.M.*

----------


## gryffynklm

DOM, thanks for pointing that out. Thats basically the same method wether its above or in a pit, the objective is to keep enough coals going so the clay remains at a high enough temperature. The earth acts as an insulator and helps reflect the heat back. It will also reduce the amount of fuel used in firing.  Tribes located in wetland areas, would have the high water table to deal with.

----------


## gryffynklm

In a previous post Rick questioned if a clay pipe could be made in your oven.  I've been doing some more looking at clay itself. There are several oven baked clays available at Dick Blick art stores. 

The link below has several kinds of oven clays. Della Robbia Oven Baked Clay, Laguna oven baked Clay, Sculpey Bake Shop Oven-Bake Clay and Staedtler Fimo Efaplast Microwave Modeling Clay. 

The first two from the description may be more ceramic like and I think both the Sculpey and the Fimo clays have a plastic quality. 

I did some checking on toxicity for these products and found that they are basically Non toxic because of the children crafting applications. I think that Sculpey has a warning that it is recommended for decoration purposes only not recommended for use with food and smoking applications. I assume that the Fimo product would also have a similar disclaimer.

Without knowing that the toxicity was evaluated with direct contact to burning embers I'd be uncomfortable with smoking from a Pipe made from the last two. 

My son is actually considering having a tobacco shop at the renaissance faire In WI and making clay pipes as a demo. So this thread had been intriguing for him. He will likely use one of these clays for his pipe mould making. We need to do more research and experimenting on that. Faire politics may change his mind.  

http://www.dickblick.com/categories/ovenbakeclays/

----------

