How to Make a Fake Pipe
By Brenda Priddy
Clay glaze
Small piece of wire
Cookie sheet
A fake pipe can be easily fashioned from clay.
Pipes have been used for hundreds of years as a way to smoke tobacco. Pipes are made from many different materials, including wood, corn, clay and even ivory. Many costumes call for the use of a pipe, but real pipes can be expensive to purchase just for a prop. You can make a fake pipe from baked clay that will perfectly fit your prop needs. This saves the expense of purchasing a real pipe, and also doubles as a craft project for someone who loves to make things themselves.
Knead the clay until it is soft and pliable. Separate the clay into two sections. Work one section into a pipe bowl shape, with a depression in the middle to represent where the tobacco would go. Form the other piece into a long, narrow pipe stem. Don't worry about making a hole in the stem, because you will not be using the pipe for smoking. Flatten the tip of the stem where it will go into a person's mouth.
Use a piece of wire to carve decorations into the pipe bowl and stem.
Moisten a sponge and rub it over the end of the pipe stem. Moisten a small area on the pipe body and press the two pieces together. It may take several minutes before the bond is strong enough to hold permanently.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the pipe on the cookie sheet.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. When the oven is hot, place the cookie sheet with the pipe on it into the oven. Allow the clay to dry in the oven for 1 hour.
Remove the pipe from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 6 hours.
Pour some clay glaze or varnish into a paper plate. Dip a paintbrush into the varnish and paint over the surface of the pipe. Paint all areas, to prevent air from reaching the clay. Allow the varnish to dry for 24 hours. Your fake pipe is now complete.
A fake pipe makes a perfect addition to any costume that requires a pipe, such as Sherlock Holmes, English gentleman, miner, newspaper man and more.
Hold the pipe in the side of your mouth and practice talking. This will produce the kind of slurred vocabulary that is heard in many old television and radio programs. The pipe completes the old-fashioned sound and look.
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