Can this pipe stem be fixed?

InvictusManeo · Feb 24, 2011

I found a couple of Peterson pipes that I used to use in college while I was looking through boxes in the garage. I have a Peterson 306 that works fine but is gigantic (I gave it a go today for the first time in probably 8 years tobacco was probably just as old but it seemed to still be moist). I also have a smaller bulldog style pipe (Peterson Killarney 150) that I remember getting because it was smaller and wouldn't take so long to smoke, but shortly after I got it the stem stopped fitting snugly into the shank. I was wondering if anyone on here knows of a quick way to fix this without having to spend too much money or time.

Here are some pics of the pipes. I included two pics of the broken one so you could see what the stem and shank look like when they are together and apart.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Jim · Feb 24, 2011

Very handsome pipes Brian.

For a temporary fix, a few turns of Teflon tape should snug it up.

arghblech · Feb 24, 2011

I've heard tell that a bit of beeswax can tighten up a loose stem pretty nicely.

jwhite · Feb 24, 2011

Both of the above will work, if the stem is not too lose the bee's wax will offer a more permanent fix as the wax is absorbed into the wood. If your handy you can restore the shank permanently with a standard round drill bit and a torch, alcohol lamp, or gas stove burner. I'll attach a pic to show the bit I mean.

Take a bit that matches the diameter of the tenon of your pipe stem. Wet the interior of the shank. Hold the bit in some pliers or vice grips and heat the smooth round end of the bit, the part you would put in the drill's chuck, over the heat source. You want it about as hot as a clothes iron, not so hot that it would char anything. The heated bit will cause the wet wood of the shank to swell back to its original size.

Salty O'Rourke · Feb 24, 2011

I've heard the beeswax solution to this problem also. It's caused by breaking down the pipe for cleaning while it's still warm. If you have to pull the stem, let your pipe cool completely first.

Clem · Feb 24, 2011

i know this may sound stupid, but if the gap isn't too big (bowl sliding off when smoked), fill the bowl and smoke it. Set it aside over night and see if it snugs up. Sometimes this will help. If it doesn't, then go for the bees wax. Failing that, the repair needed is by no means an expensive one.

OldSaw · Feb 24, 2011

I have also read, but not tried, on one of the pipe sites that you can heat the tenon slightly and press it against a perpendicular surface. This causes it to shorten, ever so slightly, and of course the the diameter increases. A little Google searching should help you find the technique.

mparker762 · Feb 24, 2011

The Pete 306 is a good-sized pipe but it hangs well, so it's not cumbersome. Mine's an excellent smoker.

OldSaw said:
I have also read, but not tried, on one of the pipe sites that you can heat the tenon slightly and press it against a perpendicular surface. This causes it to shorten, ever so slightly, and of course the the diameter increases. A little Google searching should help you find the technique.

That's what I've always done, but I've always done it with vulcanite stems. AFAIK it works with plastic ones too though.

OP, the loosening is caused by disassembling the pipe too soon after smoking it. The plastic tenon expands from the heat, and the briar expands and softens from the moisture, and when you disassemble them like this it stretches the tenon (making it narrower) and compresses the briar in the mortice.

Notice the difference between how those two pipes handle the joint between the stem and briar? The big bent has a tapered stem that just jams into the briar, and a metal reinforcing collar - this is called a military mount, and it is specifically designed to allow the pipe to be disassembled right after the smoke. It was originally designed during WWI to allow soldiers to stow their pipes when the fighting started.

InvictusManeo · Feb 25, 2011

I'm going to try one of the heating methods this afternoon and hopefully that will do the trick. I read somewhere about heating the tenon with hot water so you can't overheat, I may try this if I don't have a drill bit that's the right size.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I remember taking this to a pipe shop after it happened and the fellow told me it couldn't be fixed. It seems like the shop should have been more than willing to charge me 10 bucks for what seems like a 5 minute fix. Little did I know I would get more constructive feedback from a shaving forum.

jwhite · Feb 25, 2011

If you go with the heated stem in water method be safe and run a cleaner through the stem to keep the airway from collapsing. That doesn't usually happen but it can if the stem gets too soft so better safe than sorry.

InvictusManeo · Feb 25, 2011

Well apparently I am unable to follow or remember instructions.

But it worked anyway.

I heated a drill bit like I remembered reading and then, firm in the resolve that after thirty years of life I would know where to put my bits, I inserted a 1/8 drill bit inside the tenon instead of the mortise like I was told... no joy. After neglecting to use my failure as an opportunity to reconsult this thread, I decided to forge ahead, full of the hubris that only a young man possesses. I heated a 9/16 bit and pushed it in. When I pulled it out, I gave the tenon a push onto a flat surface, just for good luck... too tight. At least that was easy to fix, a few twists on some 220 sandpaper I had laying around and presto: perfect fit.

My only worry now is that I may have altered the smoking characteristics slightly and may have created a bit more turbulent flow, but I didn't notice anything out of order when I smoked it, and I probably wouldn't be able to tell even if it was messed up. I'm not sure if it was the larger diameter of the bit that expanded the tenon or pressing on a hot tenon that did the job, probably both, but in the end it worked and that's all that matters I suppose.

I would really like to thank everyone who responded. When I posted the thread I did not actually expect to find a solution because some buffoon at a pipe shop told me it was unserviceable several years ago. So thank you all for helping me turn a handsome piece of rubbish into a functional pipe again.

Here's a pic that will be going in the pipe of the day thread as well.

GeauxLSU · Feb 25, 2011

OldSaw said:
I have also read, but not tried, on one of the pipe sites that you can heat the tenon slightly and press it against a perpendicular surface. This causes it to shorten, ever so slightly, and of course the the diameter increases. A little Google searching should help you find the technique.

Use a pan of water to heat only the tenon. Dress the tenon if need be with fine (600 wet or dry) for a snug fit.

Serves me right for not reading the entire thread... :blushing:

OldSaw · Feb 25, 2011

InvictusManeo said:
Well apparently I am unable to follow or remember instructions.

But it worked anyway.

I heated a drill bit like I remembered reading and then, firm in the resolve that after thirty years of life I would know where to put my bits, I inserted a 1/8 drill bit inside the tenon instead of the mortise like I was told... no joy. After neglecting to use my failure as an opportunity to reconsult this thread, I decided to forge ahead, full of the hubris that only a young man possesses. I heated a 9/16 bit and pushed it in. When I pulled it out, I gave the tenon a push onto a flat surface, just for good luck... too tight. At least that was easy to fix, a few twists on some 220 sandpaper I had laying around and presto: perfect fit.

My only worry now is that I may have altered the smoking characteristics slightly and may have created a bit more turbulent flow, but I didn't notice anything out of order when I smoked it, and I probably wouldn't be able to tell even if it was messed up. I'm not sure if it was the larger diameter of the bit that expanded the tenon or pressing on a hot tenon that did the job, probably both, but in the end it worked and that's all that matters I suppose.

I would really like to thank everyone who responded. When I posted the thread I did not actually expect to find a solution because some buffoon at a pipe shop told me it was unserviceable several years ago. So thank you all for helping me turn a handsome piece of rubbish into a functional pipe again.

Here's a pic that will be going in the pipe of the day thread as well.

Sounds like you did fine. Even though you may have done it differently, you still made it work.

jwhite · Feb 25, 2011

Actually there is a tool that does just what you did with the bit, I didn't mention it because it's a trickier fix without it but it looks like you made it work just fine.

77Plymouth · Feb 27, 2011

Great pipe!

I don't know what you're reading in that picture but it made my brain hurt.

DAN ARMSTRONG · Mar 9, 2011

One method I use is I put HARD AS NAILS on the tenon, thin coat, and after it dries...problem solved.

Captain Pete · Mar 9, 2011

First, try heating the tenon with a hair dryer to see if it goes back to its original size (wait until it cools completely before trying it). If this does not work, find a nail, or some other piece of metal (the shank of a drill bit will work) that just barely starts to fit into the hole. Heat the tenon with a hair dryer, and work the object into the hole very carefully to stretch it. Usually, simply heating it will work, as the hard rubber will want to return to its original size and shape.

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Can this pipe stem be fixed?

InvictusManeo

Jim

arghblech

jwhite

Salty O'Rourke

Clem

OldSaw

The wife's investment

mparker762

InvictusManeo

jwhite

InvictusManeo

GeauxLSU

OldSaw

The wife's investment

jwhite

77Plymouth

DAN ARMSTRONG

Captain Pete

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