I broke my pipe stem!

[Dylan Cerling]

I'm a beginner, so I don't have a dedicated pipe area - I keep 'em on my desk. A day or so ago I knocked the pipe off and the lucite stem broke off right at the tenon where it meets the briar.

I haven't tried to take the little chunk of plastic out of the briar yet (actually, I'd never tried to take the stem out, period. I've always been able to clean the pipe without going that far). Is it possible to glue the stem back together while leaving it in the briar? Is that ok? If so, is there a specific type of glue I should use? And if not, what should I do? I think the hardest part would be to get the plastic bit out of the briar - it's stuck in there pretty well. I can post pics if that'll help.

Thanks a bunch! This is a great board and a great hobby!

[victory01]

I don't know much about repairs but you can contact pipemakers who can fabricate a new stem for you. Tim Thorpe is a great guy who made a pipe for me recently. Here is a review of his work from Pipefriends off youtube who had the same problem if you have to resort to this option.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfsvh...e=channel_page

Good luck.

[smokinmojo]

I'd send it out...

http://www.walkerbriarworks.com/

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Mark Tensky is the man. He takes care of all my pipe needs, and makes some great pipes also.
http://www.amsmoke.com/

Give him a holler. He's does repairs very quickly and gets them back to you. I highly recomend him.
Brian..

[Mister Moo]

Tennessee based: http://www.norwoodspiperepair.com/

Mr. Norwood does good work, reasonably priced. He'll make whatever you want to fit your pipe.

[Dylan Cerling]

Wow! Thanks for all the quick answers. Sounds like fixing it by myself isn't a great option. Oh well. I guess I'd rather spend $20 and have a smokable pipe than $5 and mess it up completely.

Just gotta wait for some money, now. . .

[lougorilla]

Originally Posted by Dylan Cerling

I'm a beginner, so I don't have a dedicated pipe area - I keep 'em on my desk. A day or so ago I knocked the pipe off and the lucite stem broke off right at the tenon where it meets the briar.

I haven't tried to take the little chunk of plastic out of the briar yet (actually, I'd never tried to take the stem out, period. I've always been able to clean the pipe without going that far). Is it possible to glue the stem back together while leaving it in the briar? Is that ok? If so, is there a specific type of glue I should use? And if not, what should I do? I think the hardest part would be to get the plastic bit out of the briar - it's stuck in there pretty well. I can post pics if that'll help.

Thanks a bunch! This is a great board and a great hobby!

Send it off and smoke a corncob while it's being fixed if you don't have a backup briar. I actually really like corncob pipes.

[wharfrathoss]

there's a list of repairmen in one of the stickies at the top of the page that lists the threads. i'd look for a repairman close to your location to get it back quicker. what you're going to want (IMHO) is a delrin tenon. they'll drill a hole in your stem & insert a delrin rod to act as a tenon. if you had the rod & the matching drill bit you could do it yourself. you might be able to save a little if you remove the old tenon from shank, i'd ask the repairman you choose. all it takes is a knitting needle or strong wire you can bend a barb on. just hook the barb on the tenon & work it around in a circle, moving the tenon out little by little. don't try to do it in 1 big tug. hope this helps.