The following photos are from a factory tour on my visit in March of 2019. Several of the pipe makers have worked for Missouri Meerschaum for thirty years. The ones I spoke with took a great deal of pride in their work, and being part of an American tradition enjoyed Worldwide. Courtesy, S.E. Thile Pipes
- Factory Tour, March 2019
The wonderful old building across from the Missouri River. The corner is the original building, which was added onto in all directions to keep up with the demand for cobs
One of many stacks of cobs aging (a minimum of two years before being made into pipes)
Corn cobs awaiting their fate
Cutting machine (some start here while others are cut singly)
Drilling the chamber is an early step--it facilitates the remaining work by allowing the cobs to be easily chucked
Cobs after drilling chamber
Cobs after drilling chamber
Cobs waiting to be shaped
One of several fraising (shaping) machines used for some of the standard shapes
Cobs heading into the fraising machine
Operating the fraising machine
Many of the shapes are hand turned on one of several lathes
Sanding the outside of the bowls to smooth and carefully refine the shape
Mixing the plaster of Paris, discovered and adopted by Henry Tribb, the founder of Missouri Meerschaum, and still used for many of the models
All done by feel--feel of plaster consistency, feel of the amount used, and feel of when it has been worked optimally into the cob
Inspecting the next cob to have plaster applied
Bowls drying after plastering (takes a day or so before they can be sanded)
Stay tuned, more photos are coming...