Puff Cigar Discussion Forums

jrpvr6 · 11-05-2009, 11:19 PM

Before I get started...Rubber bit covers and a czech pipe tool is the best 3 bucks ive spent in years!!

Ok, so i bought my first estate pipe, this sav bulldog. When i got it, it appeared to be in remarkable condition with very light use. The stem fit fine it was not loose, but it was not super tight either. So I set the pipe aside in an old cigar box and didnt pick up for a good few days. In the mean time, I remember humidity levels were like 100 % it was crazy. Anyhow, the next time i picked up the pipe the damn stem was loose as a goose. It gets really loose when its pushed all the way into the shank. So does anybody have an idea of what might have happened here? Personally i think the humidity might of loosened up some kind of quick fix the seller was trying to cover up. Are loose stems repairable? If anybody could offer advice, I would appreciate it.

And I hope all you ebayers have better luck than me : /

IHT · 11-05-2009, 11:38 PM

temps play a factor as well. the colder the temps, the looser the stem. also one of the reasons people say not to remove the stem/bit until it cools down after smoking (it can be too tight and you could break it).

when you say, loose, how loose. does the bit fall out of the stem if you were to hold it by the bit and the bowl pointing down (like gravity pulling it off)?

the humidity levels were near 100% when it fit fine, is that what you're saying (it's not very clear in your description).

blueeyedbum · 11-05-2009, 11:55 PM

I had an experience the opposite of yours.

I bought a Theydon (GBD sub line) off Ebay. It looked like it hadn't been smoked for a long time.
After cleanup the stem was a loose. I thought it was going to be a problem. I've smoked it 4 times since I've got it. Now the stem is nice and snug. I thought maybe it was dried out and needed to be smoked to gain some moisture.

Have you smoked it yet?

jrpvr6 · 11-06-2009, 12:12 AM

Its not so loose that gravity can pull it out, it fits snug all the way until it meets up with the shank, then it gets loose. It was snug when the humidity was less. I have not smoked it yet, so maybe if i smoke it it will tighten back up ??

blueeyedbum · 11-06-2009, 12:47 AM

I'm far from an expert on pipes, but know a little about wood. Usually wood swells when it gets wet. It seems odd to me that it would shrink in high humidity.

I notice that when I smoke my pipes there is moisture created by the burning tobacco. I would think the humidity inside the pipe would be higher than normal humidity in a house. I assume this humidity inside the pipe, plus the heat causes the wood to swell and tighten around the stem.

If it can be smoked, I'd say smoke it and see what happens.

dmkerr · 11-06-2009, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrpvr6

Its not so loose that gravity can pull it out, it fits snug all the way until it meets up with the shank, then it gets loose. It was snug when the humidity was less. I have not smoked it yet, so maybe if i smoke it it will tighten back up ??

Yeah, maybe. But I have one that is VERY loose. The bowl almost separates from the stem when I hold it by the stem and point the bowl downward. Smoking it does not help. So I'm very interested in any responses to this myself!

Mitch · 11-06-2009, 09:23 AM

I don't want to thread jack, but what if the stem is too tight. I just bought a estate peterson. When I have the stem on the pipe, it is so hard to pull it off I am afraid I am going to break it. I have yet to smoke it. I didn't want to create a whole new thread on this.

RJpuffs · 11-06-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrpvr6

Its not so loose that gravity can pull it out, it fits snug all the way until it meets up with the shank, then it gets loose. It was snug when the humidity was less. I have not smoked it yet, so maybe if i smoke it it will tighten back up ??

It should tighten up in a bowl or two. If its smokable, by all means try the easy route. Alternately, try rubbing the tenon thingie (part that is loose) with a LITTLE beeswax. As long as it doesn't just drop out, you should be fine.

Mad Hatter · 11-06-2009, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Yeah, maybe. But I have one that is VERY loose. The bowl almost separates from the stem when I hold it by the stem and point the bowl downward. Smoking it does not help. So I'm very interested in any responses to this myself!

Dan you can coat the tenon or the mortise with something like a layer of laquer finish or something similar, or you can expand the tenon which they have a tool for doing that, or you can use wax on the tenon. That's all I know of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitch

I don't want to thread jack, but what if the stem is too tight. I just bought a estate peterson. When I have the stem on the pipe, it is so hard to pull it off I am afraid I am going to break it. I have yet to smoke it. I didn't want to create a whole new thread on this.

What I do in that case is remove the stem a couple of times during smoking

WWhermit · 11-06-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitch

I don't want to thread jack, but what if the stem is too tight. I just bought a estate peterson. When I have the stem on the pipe, it is so hard to pull it off I am afraid I am going to break it. I have yet to smoke it. I didn't want to create a whole new thread on this.

What you can do before smoking, just to get the stem off for repairs, is put the pipe in the freezer for an hour, then try to remove the stem. If it's still too tight, try another hour or two.

Once it's off, you can use some nose oil (the oil on the side of the nose, yes, it works) or a very thin layer of wax, just to lube the joint a bit.

WWhermit

MasonM · 11-08-2009, 10:41 AM

Any time I have had a pipe that has been unsmoked for a long time and the stem has loosened, smoking invariably tightens it back up. Sometimes it only takes a single bowl, sometimes several, but it has always worked for me.

Davetopay · 11-08-2009, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasonM

Any time I have had a pipe that has been unsmoked for a long time and the stem has loosened, smoking invariably tightens it back up. Sometimes it only takes a single bowl, sometimes several, but it has always worked for me.

Bingo.Same here. My bent Pete sometimes does this if I leave it unused for a long time. I just pull the bit out, rub a tiny bit of spit in the shank, and in minutes it is good as new.

jrpvr6 · 11-09-2009, 10:59 PM

I finally got around to smoking the pipe yesterday and the stem tightened back up 1/3 of the way into the bowl. The pipe smoked greats as well, so i was happy : ). The stem went from being loose to unnaturally tight, so i think some 'juices' might leak in between the stem and shank and make it a bit sticky.... hopefully i get it all straightened out.

Mister Moo · 11-10-2009, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrpvr6

... The stem went from being loose to unnaturally tight...

Tight is right - I don't know about "unnaturally" tight, though. Briar has considerable expansion and contraction properties as temps change. That's why cooling or freezing almost* always frees a stuck tenon and, conversely, why removing a pipestem from an uncooled pipe can snap a shank off in heartbeat.

*a tenon that has been coated with beeswax and then left to sit around for a long time (an uncleaned estate pipe, for example) can get well glued in. Freezing only makes wax harder to break free. When freezing fails a little gentle warming (hairdryer) can soften the bond enough to twist out a waxed-in stem.