campfire Blowpipe/poker/blowker

[gking]

I have been asked to make a blow pipe with a hook near the end to be able to adjust logs in a campfire. He gave me some 1/2" square tubing to make it.

any suggestion for how to make the mouthpiece for this?

[Dave Budd]

most of the bushcrafters I know that use a blow pipe just have a simple round tube (often broken tent poles or arrow shafts). Some do fit a small length of plastic tubing over one end to allow some flexibility and to make it more comfortable to use.

I like the idea of a hook on the end. Maybe 1/2" is a bit on the large size, but maybe it needs to be tried?

[gking]

i forgot to mention that he wants the mouthpiece forged so he can take it to civil war and fur trader events.

[Backwoods Blacksmith]

Fuller down a neck about 1 1/2 in from one end to 1/4 in. Round out the short end and roll the edge for the mouth piece. Roundout and taper the long end down to about 1/4. This will allow the blast to be more concentrated and direct the breath where it needs to be

[ThomasPowers]

Heat one end and swage it round with a tapered pin and a light hammer. Next with it hot swage it larger by hammering on the pipe as you rotate it on the pin. Finally roll the outer edge over towards the outside to produce a mouthpiece. (sometimes starting the curl with a pair of heavy duty needle nose pliers helps)

Tapering the poking end is a good idea---remember to square then taper then round!

Frankly I don't believe that they were generally used back then when every ounce counted and *you* had to pack *all* your stuff in and out.

[Backwoods Blacksmith]

Having been to many rendevous, these are nice to have early in the morning, hung over, trying to get the coffee fire stared. Since my pack mule was a 3/4 ton Dodge the extra weight did not bother me too much. But you are correct, very few mountain men had blow tubes, but they were common on wagon trains.

[Glenn]

Why not flair the end much like you would flair a candle cup? Good mouth contact and no sharp edges. Maybe fuller the working end down to say a 1/4 inch opening to concentrate the air.

[CurlyGeorge]

On the ones that I make, I just use a tapered pin to start the flare and then heat it back up and use a small ballpein hammer to finish the flare. File it smooth and you are done. As for the hook, the only way that I have done that is to forge the hook and weld it on with a welder.

[Frank Turley]

Sorry the photos aren't too clear. Ric Moorhouse of California made this blow tool about 30 years ago.The handle is shape/tapered a little bit and is of 1/8" x 3/4" square tube oxyed to a 1/2" square tube poker length. The fire tip is hammer tapered down to about a 1/4" hole. The poker point is of 3/16" x 1/2" strap; it curves around to allow blown air clearance.

[CurlyGeorge]

Frank, thank you for posting those pics. I have been setting here racking my brain, (OUCH), trying to come up with a way to make the hook from the tubing. The picture gives a good view of it. :)

[Wesley Chambers]

I have an idea on this and will try to forge it out tonight, maybe pics tomorrow if able!

[thingmaker3]

Would something like a calla lily work? Cut one end with a hacksaw at a 45 on the diamond, then forge out?

[JNewman]

Frankly I don't believe that they were generally used back then when every ounce counted and *you* had to pack *all* your stuff in and out.

I don't think they carted around steel tentpegs and lantern stands either... But it never kept me from making them for war of 1812 and civil war reenactors.

[forger]

I did about 1000 for a catalog years ago and Curly George gets my vote, it's how I did it but I was using round tubing. I used a hook on mine I cut, shaped,
and forged into a forged/shrink fit. simple, fast, easy and an attractive look as well. One some of the non-production ones a simple forge a hook and weld
on works best.
Mike

[Hayden H]

I may be a newbie at this trade, but I can play the trumpet. The thing I'd dois get a peice ofsomething around 3/4 inch thick wall, heat one end, put it on say.... The anvil horn, or if you have a swage cone, use it to stretch it out like a french horn mouthpeice. Then get after the edges with a peice of wet-dry sand paper, with a leather backing to get into the edges?

[gking]

thanks for all the advice.

i till work on it this weekend.

[KST1-Derek Fultz]

The family and I decided to go camping last weekend. We planned on leaving Sat. mid day and staying out until Monday since the kids were out for Columbus Day (I have vacation I need to use up). Anyway, I decided late Friday evening to make a bloker to take along after reading this thread. Here's my results.



3/4" heavy wall tubing (too heavy, but it's what I had on hand), blow flare made using the horn initially then a ballpeen hammer. Scrap peices laying around for the handle and hook.

I have to say, this was worth the effort in entertainment value around the fire if nothing else. But, DON'T BREATH IN while it's in the fire....

-Derek

[ThomasPowers]

Don't leave it in the fire either as the chimney effect can try to transform you into a character from MASH

[KST1-Derek Fultz]

Thomas, you're absolutely correct. Plus the thing gets pretty hot with the heat rising up through it as well as on the outside.

One problem we found with the current design is that people naturally wanted to poke it into the ground around the fire when not using it. This of course plugged the tip with dirt which then had to be cleaned out.

I think I will try it with a 3-4" rod welded to the tip that can be stuck in the ground when not in use. I don't think it should affect the usability to much.

-Derek

[Wesley Chambers]

Would something like a calla lily work? Cut one end with a hacksaw at a 45 on the diamond, then forge out?

These were my thoughts, but I forgot to take pics that night. My only issue was I only had 1" stock to play with so its waaaay to big inside to get good air pressure, I could taper this down more and make it work but I think using the proper size stock would be much easier.

[Wesley Chambers]

I guess keeping a point on it is a new requirement everyone that wanted one made so far complains that they are always plugged up... when I asked why do you jam it into the dirt? they reply with a shrug, so spike it is... I think in the future it will be easier for me to forge it into a nice point/hook and just drill an air hole at an angle near the tip so its in no way able to get packed full of mud and dirt

[Joe C B]

gking, The blow pipe from 1/2 " sq tubing is a regular project that the Scouts do at our camp smithy. A useful addition to any camp fire kit.

1. 4 ft length of 1/2" square tubing... plug one end with wet paper or mud ( blocks chimney effect)
2. flair the mouth piece end by working the tube end over the point of the anvil horn, go slow and keep an even heat
3. normally we don't flair enough to roll the edge, but with care this can be done ( sometimes the tube splits at the weld joint)
4. shift the plug to the other end... heat and taper the nozzle end down to a 1/8 SQUARE opening, keeping the taper square.
5. do a reverse bend about 5 " up from the nozzle (use hardy bending fork)... keeps the nozzle horizontal with the tube up at convienient "kneeling" height and the reverse bend can be used to hook a log or lift a pot.
6. for "fancy" ... a twist can be added to the shaft, be sure to keep the heat spread and uniform or you can collaps the tube.

Hope this helps,
Joe B

[ThomasPowers]

I like to make everything that goes around the fire to have a hook on the handle end to hang on a crossbar set up next to the fire. So all my pots, cooking tools, spits, pokers, etc have a hook (or a hole for an S hook). Most people are trainable to hang things back up.

My crossbar is just a "loose piece tripod" re arranged as two uprights and a cross bar for small camp outs and the Spit holder from a 1570 work on camp kitchens for large events.