Tampers and reamers may also be made as separate tools. The tamper is a blunt instrument, either a simple dowel or shaped like the top of a nail, with a flat end for tamping down the tobacco when the bowl is being packed, and for crushing the ash together to aid relighting.Ī pipe nail is a nail-shaped tool with a tamper at one end and a reamer at the other.The reamer is a flat instrument shaped like a dull pen-knife blade or a flattened spoon, used to scrape ash and unburned tobacco ( dottle) off the sides and bottom of a pipe.Because it is sharp it may scratch the bowl of a pipe, and so should not be used for scraping. The pick is a narrow rod or pin that can be used to clear the shank of debris, or to aerate tightly packed tobacco.JSTOR ( December 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ī pipe tool is any of a variety of small gadgets designed to aid in packing, smoking, and emptying tobacco pipes.Ī "Czech tool" or "three-in-one" pipe tool consists of a pick, a reamer, and a tamper:.Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Just use what you have)įollow the above directions to form the soil blocks.This article does not cite any sources. A dowel or chunk of old rake/broom handleĬut the piece of PVC pipe to size (ours is 2″ in diameter and around 6″ tall, but this is very flexible.A plug of wood (hubby used a holesaw to cut the circle of wood to fit inside).DIY Soil Block Maker #2 (hubby’s new-and-improved version) Or, as the seedlings grow, you could water them from the bottom as well. I plan on watering mine with a spray bottle, as I’m guessing pouring a bunch of water on top will cause them to disintegrate. Use your finger (or the eraser-end of a pencil) to make an indentation in the soil block, and place your seed in the soil. Use the plunger to push it out the bottom of the can.Ĭongratulations! You’ve make your first soil block. Use the plunger ( aka lid and stick) to firmly press the soil and compact it into a block.
Once you’ve arrived at the right combo of soil/water, fill the can 3/4 of the way full with the moist soil. This batch needs a bit more water before it’s ready Just play around with it until you get a consistency that works.
If it’s too wet, you’ll have a flood of water squirting out the bottom when you compress the soil. If it’s too dry, the block won’t hold together. You want the soil to be very moist and able to form a ball when you smoosh it together in your hand.
Mix the potting soil with the water– the amount of water you need depends on the soil, and it will take a bit of trial and error to get the right consistency. It’s a good idea to wear gloves when you are using this version of the soil block maker to avoid cutting yourself on the sharp edges. My one caution is to watch the sharp edges of the can/lid. We drilled a guide hole first, and then screwed it together. You’ll need to save one end, but you can toss the other one.Īttach the lid of the can to the dowel/stick with the screw.
The first one (the classy tin can model) was my project on Sunday afternoon. Insourcelife Tamper Homemade Tamping Tool DIY Writing a post about procuring free mulch and building frugality muscles with MulchFit, I recalled another recent DIY adventure that at least a couple of people out there might appreciate. So that’s what we are doing here today–and there are two different styles you can choose from. It has good reviews, and a lot of people seem to be having success with it, so it’s definitely an option.īut then the DIY-side of my brain kicked into gear and I started scheming about how I could make one of these oh-so-trendy soil block makers myself. My initial detective work led me to this soil block maker on Amazon for $30 ( affiliate link). I’ve been pretty loyal to my nifty little newspaper pots for a while now, but being the nosy curious homesteader that I am, I just had to check out these new pots on the block. …about these handy-dandy soil block thingies that people are using to start their seeds.