Smoking pipe (tobacco)

A pipe for tobacco smoking typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (the bit). Pipes can range from the very simple machine-made briar pipe to highly-prized handmade and artful implements created by renowned pipemakers which are often very expensive collector's items.

The bowls of tobacco pipes are commonly made of briar, corncob, meerschaum, and clay. Less common are cherrywood, olivewood, maple, mesquite, and oak. Generally a dense-grained wood is ideal. Minerals such as catlinite and soapstone have also been used. Pipe bowls are frequently carved with a great deal of artistry.

Unusual, but still noteworthy pipe bowl materials include gourds, as in the famous calabash pipe, and pyrolytic graphite.[1] Metal and glass are uncommon materials for tobacco pipes, but are common for pipes intended for other substances.

The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it, and this is difficult to carve out of a pre-existing block. Because it is molded rather than carved, clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl, but most other materials have stems made separately and detachable. Stems and bits of tobacco pipes are usually made of moldable materials like vulcanite, lucite, Bakelite, and soft plastic. Less common are stems made of reeds, bamboo, or hollowed out pieces of wood. Expensive pipes once had stems made of amber, though this is rare now.

Tobaccos for smoking in pipes are often carefully treated and blended to achieve flavour nuances not available in other tobacco products. Many of these are blends using staple ingredients of variously cured Burley and Virginia tobaccos which are enhanced by spice tobaccos, among them many Oriental or Balkan varietals, Latakia (a fire-cured spice tobacco of Cypriot or Syrian origin), Perique (uniquely grown in St. James Parish, Louisiana) or blends of Virginia and Burley tobaccos of African, Indian, or South American origins. Traditionally, many U.S. blends are made of American Burley with sweeteners and flavorings added to create an "aromatic" flavor, whereas "English" blends are based on natural Virginia tobaccos enhanced with Oriental and other natural tobaccos. There is a growing tendency towards "natural" tobaccos which derive their aromas from artful blending with selected spice tobaccos only and careful, often historically-based, curing processes.

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How to Make a Clay Pot Mouse Christmas Ornament

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Clay pot
• Hot glue sticks
• Hot glue gun
• 1 Small black button
• 1 Gray pipe cleaner
• 2 Wiggly craft eyes
• Black yarn
• Grey and white craft felt
• A small craft bell
• Scissors
• Grey craft paint
• Paintbrush

Step1
Paint the entire outside of a small clay pot gray. Let all of the paint dry before moving to the next step.
Step2
Place the painted clay pot face down on a flat surface. The bottom of the pot should be pointing upward.
Step3
Cut two circles for mouse ears out of gray craft felt. Cut two smaller circles for the insides of the ears out of white craft felt.
Step4
Glue the white circles inside of the gray felt circles to form the ears of the mouse. Attach them to the bottom of the clay pot to form the top of the mouse's head.
Step5
Roll a piece of yarn into a nest shape. Use hot glue to attach it to the top of the clay pot between the two ears to form fur on the head of the mouse.
Step6
Place two dots of hot glue onto the front of the clay pot. Apply the two wiggly craft eyes to them.
Step7
Attach a small black button with glue to the clay pot below the wiggly eyes to form the nose of the mouse.
Step8
Cut a gray pipe cleaner in half with scissors.
Step9
Hot glue one half of the gray pipe cleaner to the back of the clay pot near the bottom. This will form the tail of the mouse.
Step10
Shape the pipe cleaner into a wavy tail. Step11 Use glue to attach a piece of yarn or string to the top of the clay pot mouse ornament. Hang it on a tree, garland or wreath around your home. Visit the Resources section below for more information on other Christmas ornament crafts.

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