Deck screw tamper

[xrundog]

My cheap pipe tool went through the wash yesterday. I didn't think anything of it, stuffed it in my pocket. Today I'm prepping my refurbished Jobey Compact (nice little pipe) to smoke some Virginia Flake (nice tobacco, a little moist maybe). I drop some loose tobacco in and pull my tool out to start tamping. Damn! The flat end is gone! What am I going to do? I keep my pipe stuff in my workshop. My eyes roam the benches for a suitable substitute. Finally I spy a 3" deck screw. It worked perfectly! Sure, it lacks elegance. But for now it will do just fine. The flake smoked a tad wet. But I haven't had it long. I guess I'll try letting it sit out a bit before filling the pipe.