Removing a tight stem.

tomatobodhi

I picked up an old Spaniola pipe the other day. I wanted one to remember old Paul Spaniola from Michigan, one of the oldest (in many ways) tobacconists in the country, who died a few years ago at the age of 100.

Anyway, the tenon was very tight and I was afraid I might break it while twisting and pulling it out of the shank. I used an old trick:

I put the pipe in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

The tenon can expand while the pipe is being smoked and is hot; this is why you should never remove your stem while smoking or while the pipe is still hot. The opposite is also true: when it is cold, the tenon can contract and become looser, allowing you to remove an overly tight stem without the same wear on the fit.

riobrusa

Different  materials expand and contracts at different rates. Wood contract less than vulcanite, that's why your process worked. But don't try do this with acrylic tenon, because it probably will brake. In this case, do the oppose, hot wood will expand more than acrylic.

JosiahWN

What a great trick. I'll have to try this out on a couple of my tighter pipes. Do you find that you have to cool the tenon again before reassembling the pipe?

tomatobodhi

I didn't have to, but if it is too tight to reassemble, only put the stem in the refrigerator for best results. Obviously, you can't do that if you are trying to *remove* the stem.

Woodsman

riobrusa; Old dog learns another good trick, Thank You.