Water and Tobacco Pipes
A smoking pipe is a device used for smoking tobacco. The smoking pipe 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).
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. Clay may make up the entire pipe or just the bowl. Many pipes are carved with a great deal of artistry.