Homemade Earthen-Ware clay pipe- Pics feedback wanted

So with a harvest coming up in about 4 weeks time it occurred to me that i didnt have a piece to consume my future buds with, instead of getting some cheap china glass or an over priced lump of boro-silicate i decided to go DIY and make my own, but instead of a piece of fruit, or a bottle bong, or a can, I used earth clay, dug up right from the yard
the process starts off with finding earth with alot of silica in it (clay), dig down about 4" or so to clear any roots, reach down for a lump, if its sticky and forms a lump and feels like clay.... its clay!
Refining the clay from the sand/gravel/rocks/roots/earth is a process of mixing your mud into water until its chocolate milk, wait for the sediment to settle, dump off the water, repeat, scoop up your soupy clay into a pillow case / tshirts carefully, leaving all the unwantded sediment underneath, twist it up, leave it to dry walal, a lum,p of natural earth clay
TLDR: GOOGLE "HOW TO FIND CLAY"
now for pics
day 1
1: just done making it, set in a cupboard in the basement to slow dry

day 3 (yes 3);
hard leather stage, re-moistened to smooth surfaces

day 4:
almost bone dry

day 5:
in the fire

4 1/2 hours and a 6 pack later
pipe glowing, looks dark

5 hours, fire dying out

3 hours later piece retrieved from ashes

a piece blew off the side of the bowl, as did some pieces near the mouth piece, as well as some small splits along the the carb, not detrimental splitting though


RInsed out and Christened with its first bowl, it holds a cherry well and has plenty air flow, the addition of a brass or steel screen will eliminate sucking ashes through 100% as with all pipes
Be ready, it chokes like a chimney too!

thanks for lookin everyone!

 

Thanks for coming to take a look!

 

I had such a placebo high when i smoked the first bowl out of it, i just felt so "accomplished" that it survived to be used a working a piece
the chunks missing from the mouth piece may look sharp and jagged, but they are actually smooth, but its a rough kind of smooth,no sharp edges anywhere, i personally enjoy the feel against my lip to be textured instead of smooth

 

ive only fired this natural clay 3 times before, the best one that survived was a steam roller that only had a surface split, and then my roommate dropped it... The only way id ever be able to avoid splitting and cracking would be to invest in an actual kiln

 

or the good ol' tin can
but in the terms of some crinkled up tinfoil or a fully set and fired piece of earthenware that will last for hundreds of years and never decay unless its pulverized into dust ;
whats going to be the safer option that will last for years to come?
this was less about ease of access though and more about practicing with this natural earth medium

 

mostly because the last "Michael's" and "Hobby Lobby" within a reasonable distance from me shutdown
and why pay 30 bucks for a pound of of clay at the store when i can dig up and process 25 pounds in my yard for free