Cracking Cobs..

[labsix]

So I now have six cobs that I have been smoking in a random rotation and every single one of them is showing small hairline cracks to different degrees.. I even have cracks in one I barley smoke because the bowl is so small.. I have attempted to smoke slower and cooler and let them rest and they are still turning into little cob grenades and blowing apart.. One is actually falling to pieces.. I would not think much of it if it happened after say six months, but this is say after two bowls in some of the pipes.. One large one I smoked like mad for three weeks on my trip did not crack until I returned to CA.. Is it the smog? Can't be the heat as it was much hotter in AZ and even FL.. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.. I'm going to put off buying many more until I can get this mystery sorted out..

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by labsix

So I now have six cobs that I have been smoking in a random rotation and every single one of them is showing small hairline cracks to different degrees.. I even have cracks in one I barley smoke because the bowl is so small.. I have attempted to smoke slower and cooler and let them rest and they are still turning into little cob grenades and blowing apart.. One is actually falling to pieces.. I would not think much of it if it happened after say six months, but this is say after two bowls in some of the pipes.. One large one I smoked like mad for three weeks on my trip did not crack until I returned to CA.. Is it the smog? Can't be the heat as it was much hotter in AZ and even FL.. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great.. I'm going to put off buying many more until I can get this mystery sorted out..

Must be either a bad batch of cobs (Missouri Meerschaum stand behind their products) or else you're packing your tobacco waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too tightly

[billhud]

You didn't try to clean the bowls, did you?

[DSturg369]

Are they Missouri Meerschaum Cob pipes or another brand?

Could it have just been a bad batch?

Could the place that you bought them from possibly have damaged them prior to your buying them and possibly your smoking them (heat issues) causing further cracking?

Dis they get wet or possibly otherwise damaged while you were on vacation?

Lots of variables.

[JacksonCognac]

One of mine did this and I made a thread about it a few months back... little cracks in the plaster. It's probably from smoking the pipe too hot. No big deal really... if they bother you you can take a little wood glue to seal the cracks up a bit and then sand it down. If the pipe is literally falling apart then perhaps you got your $5 worth.

[Cheeto]

I've had a couple of cracks in one of my cobs before, and they came about by packing them entirely too tight and smoking them entirely too hot. Even then it didn't bother me. I'd smoke away with a big old crack down the middle of the cob no problem. Cobs are cheap but good smokers, they shouldn't be breaking super easily.

[labsix]

Originally Posted by billhud

You didn't try to clean the bowls, did you?

I just take A Pipe knife and gently scrape the inside after a smoke.. no heavy cleaning.. They are all Missouri Meerschaum.. All bought from the same shop and from the looks of it the same batch.. Im the only one buying the things and they sit on the floor on their little circular rack.. I have no idea how old they are but I did not think that would be a factor.. I have slowed WAYYY down on smoking them to keep them cool as I can and I did not think I was packing them too tightly.. But that must be what it is.. The ones I took on vacation faired better than those left in LA.. Never wet.. not dropped.. I even let them rest.. all of them still smoke well even the one that I first picked up that I beat to death in a month.. But I may pick my next one up from a different shop just to see..

[Arizona]

I've smoked cobs for years and never had this problem. My old MM cob from 1981 has some hairline cracks that run vertically along the natural lines of the cob's grain or whatever you call it but they haven't gotten any bigger or resulted in the pipe falling apart.

I currently have 3 MM cobs that I've gotten in the past year and smoke them regularly. None of them has cracked at all so far and they get smoked a few times a week in rotation.

As a cob ages and is smoked many times it acquires a natural darkening from the tars, etc.

Heat is mostly likely the cause. Smoking it way too hot.

[parris001]

I'm not a cob smoker, but I wonder if you store the pipe with a cotton ball moistened with, hell, maybe just regular old water, if it would impart enough moisture into the cob to keep the cracks from starting.

Being that the cob was once saturated with moisture (on the stalk), in this dry state with heat applied I can see why it would want to crack. Maybe a spritz of water on the outside from time to time wouldn't be a bad idea.......

[The Pirate]

This is very unusual for MM cobs. I have several that I smoked for years. The good news is that MM will most likely replace them...no questions asked.
I live on the Arizona desert. The Heat has no ill effects on the cobs. In fact, a good way to freshen a cob is to set it outside durinf the day. I do it frequently with great success..
Ken

[JacksonCognac]

Originally Posted by parris001

I'm not a cob smoker, but I wonder if you store the pipe with a cotton ball moistened with, hell, maybe just regular old water, if it would impart enough moisture into the cob to keep the cracks from starting.

Being that the cob was once saturated with moisture (on the stalk), in this dry state with heat applied I can see why it would want to crack. Maybe a spritz of water on the outside from time to time wouldn't be a bad idea.......

My guess is the moisture would cause the pipe to possibly sour and mold. Keep in mind the cobs are dried and seasoned for a good bit of time. They get enough moisture from the tobacco burning... so much in fact that usually it's a good idea to let them breath a bit between bowls (although it's definately not necessary).

Typically after I smoke a bowl I wipe down the inside with a piece of paper towel and run a few pipe cleaners. I think your problem is mainly caused by smoking the pipe too hot. Proper care and cleaning will certainly help extend the life of the pipe however.