Freehand Sweating at the joint...

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Sat May 23, 2009 6:52 pm

A couple of my freehands exhibit a bit of moisture from time to time when I am smoking. It shows up right where the stem goes into the shank. I assume it is just a bit of "pipe juice" wicking up along the tiny space between the wood and the stem.

Any thoughts?

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Sat May 23, 2009 9:54 pm

Sounds like you've got it figured out.

Rad

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Sat May 23, 2009 11:16 pm

Okay, let me put it this way: Do they all do this? Is there some way to stop it? Does it indicate that the tenon is too short, too loose?

I am gonna go smoke my old Jobey Dansk. The pipes I've noticed this on are both Stanwells.....

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Sun May 24, 2009 8:35 am

I don't have any pipes that do that.

What you surmised might be the culprit, could certainly be. However, if you're smoking very moist tobacco this could make it worse. It could also be that saliva is running down the stem and making things moist at the shank/stem junction - however if there's just a mild amount of moisture and no gurgling noises, then this might not be the case.

Sasquatch · Post by **Sasquatch** » Sun May 24, 2009 11:59 am

Hey I drool a bit, but not THAT bad!

I guess I'll just have to smoke that pipe a few more times and see what happens. What I won't do in the name of science.....

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Sun May 24, 2009 11:09 pm

Sasquatch wrote:Okay, let me put it this way: Do they all do this? Is there some way to stop it? Does it indicate that the tenon is too short, too loose?

I am gonna go smoke my old Jobey Dansk. The pipes I've noticed this on are both Stanwells.....

I don't think they all do this.

I have an old Nording freehand that does. When a pipe gurgles, it's usually due to moisture collecting on the end of the tenon. When that moisture breaks surface tension and falls off the tenon, capillary action draws it up between the tenon and mortise wall, where it rears its ugly head in the form of sweating around the tenon at the joint.

Try opening up (widening) the button end of the stem and see if that helps.

Rad