Editing Tobacco pipe (section)

===Materials===
The bowls of tobacco pipes are commonly made of [[Erica arborea|briar]] wood, [[Meerschaum pipe|meerschaum]], [[corncob]], pear-wood, [[Rosewood|rose-wood]] or [[clay]]. Less common materials include other dense-grained woods such as [[cherry]], [[olive]], [[maple]], [[mesquite]], [[oak]], and [[bog-wood]]. Minerals such as [[catlinite]] and [[soapstone]] have also been used. Pipe bowls are sometimes decorated by carving, and moulded clay pipes often had simple decoration in the mould.

Unusual pipe materials include gourds (as in the famous [[#Calabash|calabash]] pipe) and [[Pyrolytic carbon| pyrolytic graphite]]. Metal and glass, seldom used for tobacco pipes,  are common for pipes intended for [[Pipe smoking#Substance-specific pipes| other substances]], such as [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]].
[[File:Bamboo-buds pipes made by CuongD.jpg|thumb|right|Pipes made of [[bamboo]] buds (handmade)]]
[[File:Smoking bamboo pipe.jpg|thumb|right|Smoking a bamboo-bud pipe]]
The stem needs a long channel of constant position and diameter running through it for a proper draw, although filter pipes have varying diameters and can be successfully smoked even without filters or adapters. Because it is molded rather than carved, clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl; pipes made of most other materials have stems constructed separately and detachable. Stems and bits of tobacco pipes are usually made of moldable materials like [[Ebonite]], [[Poly(methyl methacrylate) |Lucite]], [[Bakelite]], or soft [[plastic]]. Less common are stems made of [[Reed (plant) |reeds]], [[bamboo]], or hollowed-out pieces of wood. Expensive pipes once{{when?|date=January 2022}} had stems made of [[amber]], though this is rare now.