Loose stem

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Haven't smoked my pipes for a long while, Guess im a winter smoker. I was checking out all my pipes and noticed one had a real loose stem. Is this normal. I know it was nice and snug when I was smoking them often. Thanks In advance... Brian

[Alpedhuez55]

Rub a little beeswax on it. It works for both loose and tight stems.

[parris001]

Are there any other tricks that work? I see estate pipes at antique stores but once I discover a loose stem I move on. Wish I knew how to fix them......

[wharfrathoss]

a lot of times it'll tighten back up simply by smoking a few times-when it's not smoked for awhile, briar dries out & shrinks, the stem gets loose-when you smoke you create moisture, briar absorbs it, stem tightens up-beeswax also works as mentioned, but you have to apply it somewhat heavily-applied lightly it acts as a lubricant, great for tight stems but wouldn't help you here-nail polish also works, applied in very thin layers & left to dry overnite between layers

the other methods shouldn't be tried if you're not mechanically inclined or don't mind messing up a pipe the 1st few times-vulcanite stems have a "memory", when heated they'll go back towards their original form-if you hold the tenon in steaming hot water for a few minutes, it may swell back a little bit-since a stem's usually loose by a few 1000ths of a inch, that might be all that's needed-this won't work for lucite, perspex, or acrylic stems-the other way is to enlarge the tenon a little-if you heat it up, then insert something tapered like an ice pick or scratch awl just a little past snug, the tenon gets bigger-next dip the tenon in cold water to "set" it-PIMO sells a tenon tool that works on the same principle-doing it either of these ways you want to be careful that you don't make the tenon too big or you'll crack the shank, creating another problem that i don't know a "home remedy" for-good luck

[The Pirate]

I would smoke it a few times. Most of the time it solves the problem. Save the bees wax as a last resort. This is very normal for briar pipes that have een sitting for a while.
Ken

[parris001]

Originally Posted by wharfrathoss

a lot of times it'll tighten back up simply by smoking a few times-when it's not smoked for awhile, briar dries out & shrinks, the stem gets loose-when you smoke you create moisture, briar absorbs it, stem tightens up-beeswax also works as mentioned, but you have to apply it somewhat heavily-applied lightly it acts as a lubricant, great for tight stems but wouldn't help you here-nail polish also works, applied in very thin layers & left to dry overnite between layers

the other methods shouldn't be tried if you're not mechanically inclined or don't mind messing up a pipe the 1st few times-vulcanite stems have a "memory", when heated they'll go back towards their original form-if you hold the tenon in steaming hot water for a few minutes, it may swell back a little bit-since a stem's usually loose by a few 1000ths of a inch, that might be all that's needed-this won't work for lucite, perspex, or acrylic stems-the other way is to enlarge the tenon a little-if you heat it up, then insert something tapered like an ice pick or scratch awl just a little past snug, the tenon gets bigger-next dip the tenon in cold water to "set" it-PIMO sells a tenon tool that works on the same principle-doing it either of these ways you want to be careful that you don't make the tenon too big or you'll crack the shank, creating another problem that i don't know a "home remedy" for-good luck

Good information here. How can you tell what your stem is made out of? Are certain stem materials found more predominately in cheaper or more expensive pipes?

[EvanS]

I've never tried it but I have heard that a bit of non-permenant glue, like a finger nail polsh, works pretty well and will usually survive several stem romovals before needing to be reapplied

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by parris001

Good information here. How can you tell what your stem is made out of? Are certain stem materials found more predominately in cheaper or more expensive pipes?

It would be wrong to generalize, but allow me to generalize anyways ...

Most mouthpieces/bits/stems (call em what you will) are made of either Lucite, Vulcanite, or Acrylic.

Lucite is clear (or opaque) often amber colored, and usually found on meerschaum pipes. Some briars also have this, I think Nording has a high end line.

Vulcanite is black (rubber). Can be polished to a mirror finish, most mid and high end pipes have this.

Acrylic is plastic. Cracks easily, cheaper.

I'm sure there are other materials in use too, but these are the 3 types I have.

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Thanks gentleman, I was hopeing to hear that the briar was just dry and that smoking it will fix it.,,,...Brian

[parris001]

the other methods shouldn't be tried if you're not mechanically inclined or don't mind messing up a pipe the 1st few times-vulcanite stems have a "memory", when heated they'll go back towards their original form

This worked great for me although I didn't use the steaming method suggested. I used a small tapered punch and my trusty Nimrod pipe lighter. I rotated the stem above the flame with the punch inserted in the tenon. If you pay close attention you will see the vulcanite begin to swell when the combination of heat and gentle force with the punch has reached the perfect level. Dunk the stem in water to set the shape and allow it to cool. It may take a second heating if the stem is really loose but it's better to take small steps than big ones.