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I wonder if a PSA sandpaper would work on one of those?

There are ways to face stems and shanks after the fact, but it is difficult, time consuming, and takes a lot of practice. Not recommended. Facing is not the problem I was referring to. I meant making the stem diameter match that of the shank--when the mortise is not centered in the shank-- as is th...

And here is the finished stem alongside the original. There are some quality and efficiency tricks to the final shaping and polishing of a stem, but this post is already obnoxiously long. Maybe at some future time. :) Would be very interested in those tricks as I have to spend a ton of time trying ...

I saw CA's Paul Perri tool somewhere and sent pics of it to a friend who is a better machinist than I. He made one for me and for himself. Works great! I've done quite a few stem replacements since getting it.

I wish I had had Dave's book back when I started doing refurbs. Would have saved many hours staring at this computer monitor and quite possibly a few old pipes that I screwed up along the way. If memory serves me,I believe Dave has made some revisions to the book in the last year or so. At 77 Dave's...

make a jig out of wood - just a v-notch on a flat block will work. I'd also add that I would leave just a LITTLE play in the delrin/stem glue-up, and possibly put the delrin in, wipe up any mess, and then assemble the pipe - this would assure you of the alignment. Thanks Sas. I'll give that a whirl...

This makes me wish I had some boars tusks! Nice tamper and a slick repair on the defect! I make a few tampers also and I may borrow (steal) a couple of your ideas!

I've replaced a couple of broken tenons with delrin in stems that were were mostly round. Held the stem in the vice between two pieces of wood drilled to the approx. diameter of the stem.
Any recommendations on how to hold a tapered oval stem in a vice for drilling?

I don't know much about Mulberry. It used to be used a lot,along with Osage Orange, for fence posts.Very rot resistant. Doesn't seem to be as hard as Hickory or Oak but has a tighter grain and will sand and buff to a nice shine without the use of varnish etc. Break in was no different (to me) than b...

I haven't made many pipes but two of them have been made of Mulberry. The wood came from a large Mulberry that had been cut and left where it fell for several years. I cut a section about 4' long-24" diameter, and hauled it home. I made the first pipe in 9-09 and have smoked it many times. Chea...

A friend in northern California sent me some small pieces of Madrona to use for tampers. What he sent didn't show much grain. He also sent me some Honey Locust. It is very hard and has some nice coloration. He makes rustic pipes from it (the Madrona as well). The Locust shines up nicely-as nice as b...

Ocelot55 wrote:I think the stummel looks great. Still trying to figure out why in the hell you put that stem in it though.

Yeah,me too!
PS-It's me Tim-- OS.

I've been using bleach with success. I'd rather prefer to get some residue than catch some bug from the stem. In one step you remove the oxidation and make dam sure that the stem is biologically clean. If using it pure than a bath of 15 or 30 minutes is enough, but it's better to mix it with the sa...

Although I have been a member here for a couple of years or so I have only posted a few times and just now got around to reading this thread! Like what I have just read and agree with pretty much all of it.Everything except the part about fishnets. I'm a pipe maker wannabe,a 61 year old retired cons...

While I don't make any stems(yet-I finally bought a lathe) I do a lot of stem work on stems of pipes that I am restoring/refinishing. Recently came across these at Micro-Mark. http://www.micromark.com/MICRO-SANDING-WAND-SET,7760.html They work fine for me when working in close to the button although...

I'm not opposed to carnuba, just exploring options. I like to experiment. Actually,if I ever get our farm sold and get moved I want to set up a small wood working shop and the first thing I want in it is a good buffer. Thanks for the tips on the frech polishing and shellac.

Just curious, have you tried Tung oil? Is it ok to use on pipes?

Thanks Guys, appreciate the welcome and the information. Think I'm gonna like it here. Ed.

Hi, I am new to this forum . After cruising around the site a few days have found much helpful information !! I have been smoking pipes for just over a year now-finally gave up the cigarettes after 40+ years .Enjoy the pipe much more!! Bought a bunch of pipes on Ebay,some of which are quite rough. T...