Lucite prefabs

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Ocelot55
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Lucite prefabs

Post by Ocelot55 »

I just finished replacing the stems on two pipes. One a Savinelli, the other a high grade Nording. The customer wanted Lucite so I picked up a couple prefabs and set to work. I got them done and they look great, but I learned one thing:

I HATE LUCITE!!!!!!

That stuff sucks. Turning tenons sucks, widening the draft hole sucks, and re-cutting the slot sucks, although it does polish up well enough. I had to pause every two seconds or so to clear the chips and squirt some water on it so it wouldn't start melting. It also seems to tear out if you're too aggressive. I think I'll stick with ebonite.
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Growley
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by Growley »

I've come to like lucite actually. I wouldn't say that it sucks to work with, I'd say that it wants to be worked with in a very particular way :wink: , slow and sharp. I used to try to drill mine in high speed in short bursts. Wayne told me to try going very slow and in short bursts and it works much better. You definitely can't let things heat up or your screwed. I actually use a high temp very technical lubricant (Pam cooking spray for grilling). It helps quite a bit. You certainly have to clear chips a lot too. You definitely want to "cut" it and not "melt" it. Put it on a lathe and you have to be even more careful. Go to quick or take too much and it will shatter. It wants a little heat to cut smooth, but not too much.

Wow, as I type this out I'm trying to remember why I like this finicky stuff.... Oh yea, it does polish great, it has endless color selections and it's almost maintenance free. So, before you give up on it, don't. There seem to be a lot of customers who actually prefer Lucite. I've had one tell me he had every last one of his pipes redone in Lucite.
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oklahoma red
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by oklahoma red »

Beeswax works good as a lube when drilling. Not as messy as PAM.
Chas.
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RadDavis
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by RadDavis »

Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
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oklahoma red
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by oklahoma red »

RadDavis wrote:
Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
Oh boy, there are going to be a bunch of very fine Italian pipe makers that are going to be roasting in pipe hell as that is the stem material of choice in Italia.
(damn stinking rubber anyway).
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wmolaw
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by wmolaw »

RadDavis wrote:
Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
Really? When I was just a pipe smoker I hated lucite stems because it seemed the draught holes were always too small, restricted flow and I despised that. But I find it is easy on the teeth, a remarkable array of colors and the rest, and now that I re-work any lucite bits to open them up, I kinda really like it as well.

But, then again, I'm a total newbie and have much, much to learn.
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d.huber
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by d.huber »

wmolaw wrote:
RadDavis wrote:
Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
Really? When I was just a pipe smoker I hated lucite stems because it seemed the draught holes were always too small, restricted flow and I despised that. But I find it is easy on the teeth, a remarkable array of colors and the rest, and now that I re-work any lucite bits to open them up, I kinda really like it as well.

But, then again, I'm a total newbie and have much, much to learn.
I'm going to agree with Rad here because I'm a total suck up and like to get a leg up whenever I get a chance.

Oh, and I hate the way lucite feels on my teeth.
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ToddJohnson
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by ToddJohnson »

RadDavis wrote:
Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
I refuse to use Lucite because it is an awful, heinous, atrocity of a material--unless you need molded plastic windows. I echo Rad's sentiment, as well as his crotchety, curmudgeonly, old-manness. Don't commit pipe war-crimes. That said, I can show you where to get very nicely machined Lucite stem blanks where only a robot was made to suffer the indignity of shaping this horrid material. All you will need to do is insert a Delrin tenon and polish it.

TJ
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Sasquatch
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by Sasquatch »

I don't mind it. Or rather, I think I don't mind it, then I work some, and hate it, and find ebonite ten times easier when I go back.

I have one guy who keeps sending me pipes to have them re-fitted with lucite at fairly high expense. So he obviously loves it.


But it isn't much fun to tool, that's for sure.

For lube, I use water with a lot of liquid dish soap in it. Keep a squeezy oiler bottle full of that.
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wmolaw
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by wmolaw »

ToddJohnson wrote:
RadDavis wrote:
Growley wrote:I've come to like lucite actually.
I'm sorry, Brian, but this is wrong. Lucite was not made to be a pipe stem material. Those who force it to be so are committing a sin against pipes.

Rad
I refuse to use Lucite because it is an awful, heinous, atrocity of a material--unless you need molded plastic windows. I echo Rad's sentiment, as well as his crotchety, curmudgeonly, old-manness. Don't commit pipe war-crimes. That said, I can show you where to get very nicely machined Lucite stem blanks where only a robot was made to suffer the indignity of shaping this horrid material. All you will need to do is insert a Delrin tenon and polish it.

TJ
PME?
The Smoking Yeti
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by The Smoking Yeti »

I once tried to drill a churchwarden stem made of lucite. My lathe wasn't bolted down... it was scary what followed.
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pipedreamer
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by pipedreamer »

I prefer stinky rubber to that acrylic which is used for making vibrators. :lol:
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PremalChheda
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by PremalChheda »

pipedreamer wrote:I prefer stinky rubber to that acrylic which is used for making vibrators. :lol:
I recall seeing a Big Ebonite dildo at Chicago a few years ago. I stayed clear...
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Re: Lucite prefabs

Post by LatakiaLover »

This thread is a year and a half old, but that's OK since the materials being discussed haven't changed in decades.

I'm not sure why, but I've never had any problems at all working with acrylic. I just slow things down by about a third from the speeds I use for vulcanite, and all is well. No preference for working with one over the other.

As for the finished result, what's not to like? It's visually indistinguishable from hard rubber, can be cut into the exact same shapes, is equally durable, never has inclusions, and never turns green or tastes nasty. The last two points make it technically superior in my mind. I usually choose it when re-stemming my own pipes, in fact.

That said, I use ONLY the German-made Machi (sp?) blanks and rods (either the formulation Tim West sells, or Mike Butera's proprietary one), never the Italian stuff. The latter is hopeless because of the absurdly tall guide slot and overly large airway through the bite zone, plus QC issues in general. Maybe people only having experience with it is what's at the bottom of all the acrylic hate?
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