Stem Inlays

[RAlan]

I have a couple of questions about stems.
Thanks in advance for your help.

I want to add ring accents or inlays (not sure about correct terminology) to my stems.

Could you share your technique?

I have heard of buying pre-cut material of certain thickness, but what material do I buy and where do I get it?

Do I need something like a Taig lathe to do this type of work?
Right now I have a wood lathe and a Pimo tenon cutter.

Thanks,

Rick

[Tyler]

It is definitely easiest to do with a metal lathe of some version, and a Taig works great for this. The first thing I did when I got my Taig was stem inlays. Before the wood-lathe-only freaks jump in and say you can do it on a wood lathe let me add that you CAN do it on a wood lathe, but you can also drive a nail with a wrench.

Generic process:

Turn a long tenon on the stem
Drill a hole through the inlay material the diameter of the tenon
Face both sides of the inlay
Glue inlay material onto the tenon
Repeat with thin piece of vulcanite

Done

[Sasquatch]

I shall be contacting my lawyer immediately.


Tyler's right - all this generally amounts to is sliding a piece of material (briar, plastic, bone, whatever) over what amounts to a very long tenon. Glue it all together and cut it round on the lathe or sand it to whatever shape desired.



So this pipe has a stem with a very long tenon, a piece of briar with a hole cut in it, and another piece of stem material, with a hole cut in it, all slid along and glued up tight.

There's no reason to fool around and cut these pieces on ANY kind of lathe actually - things like a table saw will yield up wonderfully thin cuts of most material, which a guy can then drill a hole in. It's these imaginationless cretins masquerading as craftsmen who are unable to think outside the box, unable to step away from the single machine they have some acumen on, who require mutliple chucks, tooling changes, and an instruction sheet to bang in a nail with a hammer. Those of us who drive nails with wrenches are already on coffee break, having completed our task without fuss.

[The Smoking Yeti]

I did things Sas's way for a long time. Poor guy doesn't realize how nice a metal lathe is...

[Sasquatch]

You did things Sas's way for "a long time" huh? Tell you what, after you turn, like, let's say.... 21, then you can maybe make claims like having done anything (breathing) for a long time, okay you stupid furball?

My God. Perhaps there's a pipe making board for people with a slightly more artistic streak that I can join, where I don't have to put up with the insults from machinists while they stamp out identically lifeless pipes one after another.

[Tyler]

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite threads.

[jogilli]

Agreed



james

[d.huber]

Double agree.

[potholer]

way to go sas

for facing a surface plate or piece of plate glass and sand paper works well

wet the flat surface to make the sand paper stick then sand each side until the desired thickness is reached.

works for all materials

metal lathe not required

regards

dave

[Tyler]

way to go sas

for facing a surface plate or piece of plate glass and sand paper works well

wet the flat surface to make the sand paper stick then sand each side until the desired thickness is reached.

works for all materials

metal lathe not required

regards

dave

Wrench, nail, no hammer required.

[potholer]

Tyler

i always have adequate wrenches, hammers and nails near to hand

if the worst come to the worst i can always use my granite surface plate to hammer the nails in and knock the nut off the bolt

nix that


regards

dave

[RAlan]

Thanks for the replies.

You guys are entertaining.

It's the facing part that is tripping me up, well, along with the long tenon.

The Pimo cutter doesn't make tenon all that long.

I tried turning a long tenon with the wood lathe, but the face of the stem wasn't exactly right.
What are you guys cutting your tenon with?

Where is the best place to buy inlay material?

I have hear of folks buying material already faced to a certain thickness.
I think I remember a video by a fellow named Hackert that said something about using acrylic knife making layers for inlay material.
Anyone do this?

Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to learn.

-Rick

[Sasquatch]

Sure - the thing a guy has to get his head around here is that there's no such thing as a "pipe stem inlay" to be bought anywhere. You have to open your mind to the conversion of perfectly ordinary junk into pipey junk. I could make a neat inlay from a couple steel washers and the lid from my Gold Bond Medicated Powder (this stuff is the BOMB).

[Ocelot55]

What are you guys cutting your tenon with?

Switch to delrin and ditch the PIMO tool

[The Smoking Yeti]

Sure - the thing a guy has to get his head around here is that there's no such thing as a "pipe stem inlay" to be bought anywhere. You have to open your mind to the conversion of perfectly ordinary junk into pipey junk. I could make a neat inlay from a couple steel washers and the lid from my Gold Bond Medicated Powder (this stuff is the BOMB).

What Sas means to say is "I'm kinda like the guy who used his poo to make a painting. I'm an artist, not a machinist."

Naw, what he says is legit- without a lathe, more creativity is definitely required. There for a while I was cutting really thin strips of maples etc. Then, it's pretty easy to use a drill press to knock a hole in it, layer, glue.

In fact- given your current situation, that may be your best bet. Or you can give Sas's Neanderthal Toenail method a shot.

[potholer]

RAlan

forstner bit to face delrin for the tenon

stick with the wood lathe, listen to sas and you will develop a superior skill set

even some metal lathe users use delrin tenons

regards

dave

[d.huber]

stick with the wood lathe, listen to sas and you will develop a superior skill set

Not sure I agree with this. You will certainly develop a different skill set. Most of the stuff that's being discussed in this thread can and is achieved by some without the use of a metal lathe. However, it will take longer, can be less accurate, and can certainly be more frustrating as someone new to the task works to finesse that process. A metal lathe will get the job done quickly and precisely when experience is at the controls. Even a novice can achieve good results with less of a learning curve.

Ingenuity is an invaluable skill which should be nurtured and developed. It's really important to design and create your own tools to get the job done. This skill will always be useful, whether you use a metal lathe or a nail and hammer to achieve results. However, one way is not superior to the other. They are wholly different tried and adopted methods.

RAlan, if you don't have a metal lathe and have no plans to invest in one, then the nail and hammer approach is great and clearly works.

[RAlan]

Thanks again for the replies.

I would like to get a metal lathe, but it would need to be a good used deal to fit into the budget right now. I am looking.

Are most of the black and white, and sometimes colorful swirled ring inlays acrylic rod stock?
If a few of you pipe makers could let me know where you normally get these type of supplies, I would appreciate it.

-Rick

[Sasquatch]

check out pen-making suppliers - exoticblanks.com is one such. Not everything they sell works for pipes, or is easy to work with, be warned.

[potholer]

UberHuberMan

not wanting to be completely contrary

but i would concur and disagree with your first statement/paragraph, having long association with both types(since 15yo) but no expertise, both skill sets have differences and similarities.

I would say the initial learning curve on both types is approximately the same to get a reasonable result, mastery takes about twice as long for the wood lathe as it does for the metal lathe.

The wood lathe is all about your/muscle control and using/manipulating the various tools, gouges chisels and scrapers.
whereas the metal lathe is more an etch a sketch with sharp bits(my apologies to those that adapt theirs to manually turn wood)

Accuracy and finesse are not as hard on a wood lathe as most metal lathers would have you believe, it is repeatability that takes the time

+1 on the second statement/paragraph

apologies to RAlan for hijacking his thread

regards

dave