Stuck Regal Dr. Grabow Adjustomatic

Shave Jacket · Sep 20, 2016

So I recently found the first pipe I ever purchased the other day. It is a Regal Dr. Grabow Adjustomatic and I purchased it approximately 13 years ago. I smoked it in college and did not know that it should be taken apart and cleaned after every smoke back then :blush:

. Well I know better now and would love to get my first pipe cleaned up and back in service. The problem is that I can not get it apart. I've googled this and tried several of the suggested methods with no luck. The methods I've tried are as follows, freeze and twist, pop and twist, put a little pressure on the stem and twist, add a small amount of heat to the metal band on the stem, I've even ran the pipe through several cycles of warm water in my ultrasonic cleaner in hopes of helping it clean up enough for it to turn free. None of these things have helped so far and the stem just keeps spinning around and around without actually coming out. Does anyone have any additional ideas on what i could do? If not is there somewhere I could potentially send this pipe off to, to get it back in working order? I know it's likely not worth what the pipe cost but like I said it was my first and I'd love to get it into my small pipe rotation.
Thanks for any input!

Price · Sep 20, 2016

I have had stuck stems before, and the freeze/twist method worked. You've got a different problem, though, if the stem is spinning but not coming free. Do you remember if it had a metal stinger at the end of the tenon? If so, it may be broken inside the shank. Otherwise, I'd be afraid that the tenon may be broken, but honestly I've never heard of this particular problem happening, so I can't give you a whole lot of advice.

You can send it off to be repaired - I've used Walker Pipe Repair in the past, and been pretty impressed with his work - but like you said the repair is likely going to cost at least as much as your Dr. Grabow did. You can't put a price on nostalgia, though. :001_cool:

doofus · Sep 20, 2016

Looks like the only fix on other boards was vise grips. They have a tendency to corrode together.

Commander Quan · Sep 20, 2016

If you can get the stem to line up straight I wouldn't worry about it. A Salt & Alcohol treatment and enough high proof booze & pipe cleaners will get you 97.5 of the way to a perfectly clean pipe.

alpster · Sep 20, 2016

You may have a threaded Delrin tennon. They are made to spin in the stummel so you can allign the stem after the threads seat. I would first try to un-screw it, as in, turn the stem counter clockwise (several revolutions) and see if it will screw out. If that fails I would try to just pull it straight out after about 15 minutes in the freezer, careful not to break it. If you want to send it to me, I will take a shot at getting it out for you.

Shave Jacket · Sep 21, 2016

Price said:
I have had stuck stems before, and the freeze/twist method worked. You've got a different problem, though, if the stem is spinning but not coming free. Do you remember if it had a metal stinger at the end of the tenon? If so, it may be broken inside the shank. Otherwise, I'd be afraid that the tenon may be broken, but honestly I've never heard of this particular problem happening, so I can't give you a whole lot of advice.

You can send it off to be repaired - I've used Walker Pipe Repair in the past, and been pretty impressed with his work - but like you said the repair is likely going to cost at least as much as your Dr. Grabow did. You can't put a price on nostalgia, though.

I never took the pipe apart when I first got it back in the day (I'm fairly sure I got it used from the bay) so I don't even know if there is a stinger in the pipe. I will look into Walker Pipe Repair if I can't get it free.
[MENTION=104903]doofus[/MENTION] I saw the vise grip suggestion but I wasn't 100% sure where I should put the vise grips at on it. Do I put them on the metal ring at the end of the shank and then twist the stem? I've never seen the inside of one of these pipes so I wasn't exactly sure where the best place to squeeze would be.

Shave Jacket · Sep 21, 2016

alpster said:
You may have a threaded Delrin tennon. They are made to spin in the stummel so you can allign the stem after the threads seat. I would first try to un-screw it, as in, turn the stem counter clockwise (several revolutions) and see if it will screw out. If that fails I would try to just pull it straight out after about 15 minutes in the freezer, careful not to break it. If you want to send it to me, I will take a shot at getting it out for you.

[MENTION=63927]alpster[/MENTION] I have tried just spinning the stem counter clockwise but it just spins (its not the easiest thing to turn) and never backs out any. I have not tried to pull it straight out but I will try that tonight when I get home from work and possibly the vise grip method if there are any suggestions on where to place the vice grip. if all of these fail I may take you up on your generous offer and send it to you.

Slickside · Sep 21, 2016

The stem should be backed out of the metal ring. The vise grip goes on the metal ring and you would twist the stem counterclockwise. Sounds like corrosion to me. If the metal shank ring is aluminum, then most likely its corroded. If you use the vise grip, wrap the ring in electrical tape or duct tape to protect it from scratching, and proceed very slooowly. Do not use too much pressure, as you don't want to snap the stem or screw tenon. Good luck.

Slickside · Sep 21, 2016

One other thing. If the stem spins and the metal ring doe not, then you need to pull the stem off the ring. Straight back. A little heat carefully applied from a lighter will soften any glue and the tenon should separate from the shaft.

Shave Jacket · Sep 22, 2016

Slickside said:
One other thing. If the stem spins and the metal ring doe not, then you need to pull the stem off the ring. Straight back. A little heat carefully applied from a lighter will soften any glue and the tenon should separate from the shaft.[/QUOTE

I got home late last night and only had a brief moment to look at the pipe. I did turn the stem though to verify that it was spinning and the metal ring was not. This is the case with my pipe ...stem spins metal ring does not. So if I understand your posts above correctly I don't need to apply pliers/vice (since the metal ring already is not turning) but instead slightly heat the metal ring and pull the stem straight back and off the shank. Does this mean the stem is not threaded or is everything just going to come out since it is all corroded together likely?

Thanks Again for all the help! You guys are great!

Slickside · Sep 22, 2016

Shave Jacket said:
Slickside said:

One other thing. If the stem spins and the metal ring doe not, then you need to pull the stem off the ring. Straight back. A little heat carefully applied from a lighter will soften any glue and the tenon should separate from the shaft.[/QUOTE

I got home late last night and only had a brief moment to look at the pipe. I did turn the stem though to verify that it was spinning and the metal ring was not. This is the case with my pipe ...stem spins metal ring does not. So if I understand your posts above correctly I don't need to apply pliers/vice (since the metal ring already is not turning) but instead slightly heat the metal ring and pull the stem straight back and off the shank. Does this mean the stem is not threaded or is everything just going to come out since it is all corroded together likely?

Thanks Again for all the help! You guys are great![/QUOTE
The ring or stem can be heated, although the stem may be nylon on that pipe, in which case I would NOT heat the stem. When you add the heat, you should be able to pull the stem straight back off the tenon insert. There is a fitting inside the stem that allows you to get the stem straight after it is tightened to the shank if you over clock it. The one thing I am thinking, is that the mechanism is now worn and spins too easily. You won't know that until you pull it apart. You may want to send this out for repair to Walker Briar or somewhere else if you are not comfortable doing this. I do know stems can be made to replace the one you have, so all would not be lost if you did damage the stem.

Let us know what you decide to do.

Click to expand...

Shave Jacket · Sep 22, 2016

[/QUOTE
The ring or stem can be heated, although the stem may be nylon on that pipe, in which case I would NOT heat the stem. When you add the heat, you should be able to pull the stem straight back off the tenon insert. There is a fitting inside the stem that allows you to get the stem straight after it is tightened to the shank if you over clock it. The one thing I am thinking, is that the mechanism is now worn and spins too easily. You won't know that until you pull it apart. You may want to send this out for repair to Walker Briar or somewhere else if you are not comfortable doing this. I do know stems can be made to replace the one you have, so all would not be lost if you did damage the stem.

Let us know what you decide to do.[/QUOTE]

A few things, I don't think it spins too easily as it is extremely difficult to turn. Once I add heat is the stem going to pull completely out or will it pull out some and then have to be turned to unscrew it? I will likely try this heat method tomorrow when I get back home and if this doesn't work I think I will just send it off to Walker Briar for repair.

Slickside · Sep 22, 2016

Shave Jacket said:
[/QUOTE
The ring or stem can be heated, although the stem may be nylon on that pipe, in which case I would NOT heat the stem. When you add the heat, you should be able to pull the stem straight back off the tenon insert. There is a fitting inside the stem that allows you to get the stem straight after it is tightened to the shank if you over clock it. The one thing I am thinking, is that the mechanism is now worn and spins too easily. You won't know that until you pull it apart. You may want to send this out for repair to Walker Briar or somewhere else if you are not comfortable doing this. I do know stems can be made to replace the one you have, so all would not be lost if you did damage the stem.

Let us know what you decide to do.

A few things, I don't think it spins too easily as it is extremely difficult to turn. Once I add heat is the stem going to pull completely out or will it pull out some and then have to be turned to unscrew it? I will likely try this heat method tomorrow when I get back home and if this doesn't work I think I will just send it off to Walker Briar for repair.[/QUOTE]
It is good that it doesn't spin easily. When you pull the stem off you will have what looks like a metal stud come out of the stem. That may be surrounded by a collar, but not sure how it'll come out. The stud should be able to come out of the ring by turning it counter clockwise. If it is corroded, you will have to use something like WD40 in a very small amount to break up the corrosion. It smells, so I would nit use much at all as it could contaminate the pipe. Better yet, first try Olive or Canola oil and see if that works. Good luck.

Shave Jacket · Sep 23, 2016

So no luck in getting the stem to come straight off. I will say that it appears to have moved back ever so slightly(less than half a mm) but im not positive it wasn't like that when I started. Would using a small screwdriver to pry the stem back be a bad idea? I'm gonna try again tomorrow and if nothing moves I guess I'll send it off.
Thanks for the help guys.

nortac · Sep 24, 2016

Sounds like you are getting into dangerous territory to me, re: small screw driver. Time to decide what the pipe is worth to you or if you will risk destroying it. Leave it be or send to a pro like Walkers is my suggestion.

Slickside · Sep 24, 2016

Shave Jacket said:
So no luck in getting the stem to come straight off. I will say that it appears to have moved back ever so slightly(less than half a mm) but im not positive it wasn't like that when I started. Would using a small screwdriver to pry the stem back be a bad idea? I'm gonna try again tomorrow and if nothing moves I guess I'll send it off.
Thanks for the help guys.

I agree with nortac that it's time to send it to a professional. Using a screwdriver might damage the metal shank ring, and then you'll have a real problem. If the pipe has sentimental value then it'll be worth having it fixed properly.

Shave Jacket · Sep 27, 2016

Well I contacted Walker Pipe Repair today in hopes of getting a price for repair, and Mike told me that there wasn't much he could do besides what I've tried (he also said he could cut the stem and shank and install a new shank extension and stem but I'm not sure all that work is worth a cheap pipe). His thoughts were that the aluminum threads had likely corroded/oxidized and were now stuck together. He did mention the possibility of some kind of penetrating oil to free these parts which I might try (I have some PB Blaster at the house). I'm thinking of spraying a little oil down into where the stem meets the metal part on the shank. My only question is will the penetrating oil spoil the pipe? Or will an alcohol/salt treatment as well as an ozone treatment get all the residual penetrating oil out?
Thanks again guys for all the advise!

CWX · Sep 27, 2016

Maybe try something like a food-grade mineral oil first to see if you can lubricate the threads before moving on to harsher oils.

Slickside · Sep 27, 2016

PB Blaster is some stinky stuff. it may also have something like gasoline in it. Spray it in a styrofoam cup and watch the bottom disappear. I like the idea of a food-grade oil being tried first.

Price · Sep 27, 2016

Slickside said:
PB Blaster is some stinky stuff. it may also have something like gasoline in it. Spray it in a styrofoam cup and watch the bottom disappear. I like the idea of a food-grade oil being tried first.

Agreed. I can't imagine ever being able to smoke that pipe again if you spray it with PB Blaster. Maybe you just stick with Derrick's suggestion and leave well enough alone...clean the hell out of it, intact, and it's probably smokeable.

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