@Corey562 Well I had this pipe in the bottom of a shoe box and, since I have no more pipes at the moment I decided to tackle it. This is the first pipe I have seen where the stem slips INSIDE the shank band. And I have no idea what's going on inside the shank and stem ( check pics).
KA9FFJ -- You are most welcome, sir, as always. My former occupation required mad research skills, and I'm pleased to help out when I can. Imagine how the world opened up when the internet sort of suddenly appeared to supplement brick and mortar libraries.....
Thanks @motie2@Woodsman. All you guys are the greatest. I trust you had a fulfilling Christmas day. My New Years wish for you?... May you never run out of your favorite tobacco...
@Corey562 Well, you may remember way back I showed a pic of a stummel (no stem) from a box full of pipes at an estate sale. I was asking around to find a long stem for a churchwarden look. I found a decent length stem on eBay (5 .5 inches) that might work. I made an offer and got the stem for $2.25. So now I'm preparing the stummel as far as I can until the stem gets here. I figure the stummel cost me about .75, so I 'll have about $3.00 invested plus my time. I started with an alcohol bath, and sanding has started. Not a very good piece of briar ( see pics) but I'll try to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear". I'll keep you updated...
@motie2 I can understand that buddy, and I appreciate your input., The problem is that there are a lot of imperfections that couldn't be seen by the pics. I was hoping to sand it down in an attempt to reduce, or better yet, to eliminate them. THEY ONLY GOT WORSE AND MORE APPEARED! Ergo the bad situation I now find myself in. You already know if there is grain to be saved in a pipe, I'm the first one to try and figure out how to do it, but this piece of briar is not looking very promising...
@Corey562@motie2 Well, I wound up rusticating the entire pipe. With all its flaws, it's one of the lightest pieces of briar I've ever had. I decided to go for a little different look so I flanged the top, rusticated, then stained it black (not much choice if I was going to hide the flaws). I then sanded the high points lightly around the bowl, leaving the bottom part of the bowl and shank black. Notice how the shank is flared out. I'm leaving it like that until the stem arrives and I will then try to blend the two together. I will now shelve it for a week or so until the stem gets here... Remember, this pic is raw... no buffing, polishing, etc. Updates later...
Looks like it will make a. Nice mini churchwarden you did say it was a 5 in stem right. When my new bits get made I am gonna make up some long stems I think if the bits and my lathe allow.
@Corey562 Yeah, the stem is 5.5 inches. I actually wanted a longer stem, but for the money I knew I couldn't go wrong. Besides, there's nothing that says I cannot have another longer stem later down the road. My inside mortise is approximately 9mm dia. The stem I was able to find is approximately 8mm. I am planning on building up the tenon with black Hyper Bond rubber adhesive (I use it to repair small holes in stems). Since the difference is so close, it shouldn't take but one application to make it larger than it needs to be. Once it has thoroughly set up, I will lightly sand until I get a "perfect" fit. Then I will blend the shank with the stem. This is the plan, whether it comes to fruition only time will tell...
@Corey562 Did a little hand buffing to see how the stummel will turn out. Was going for an old weathered-looking pipe that could easily be used in LOTR. I'm ok with the look, especially when I consider the shape of the pipe before I started... Now I wait on the stem...
@Woodsman Thanks. For now I'm going to try to custom fit a 5.5 inch vulcanite stem I purchased through eBay. Got it super cheap. I can always get a longer one down the road, but for now it will do. It's being shipped to me now so it will be a while before I can continue the project. Later I might hit @Corey562 for a lengthy stem with a 9mm tenon. For now, the shorter version will have to do...
@KA9FFJ, OMG dude, that looks absolutely amazing! You are a rock star my friend. So, I have a question...why are plastic stems so susceptible to dulling, getting that oxidation clouding and in some cases brittle? Other plastic items I own still shine, look good and clean up easy like my plastic piano keys, my monitor frame, alarm clock, toaster oven handle, my nine year old car has many shiney plastic parts that live in the elements and still look great...I just don't understand why pipe stems look like crap so quickly. Can someone please explain?
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This is the first pipe I have seen where the stem slips INSIDE the shank band. And I have no idea what's going on inside the shank and stem ( check pics).
My New Years wish for you?... May you never run out of your favorite tobacco...
I started with an alcohol bath, and sanding has started. Not a very good piece of briar ( see pics) but I'll try to make a "silk purse out of a sow's ear". I'll keep you updated...