buttons on handcut stems

[jbacon]

loved all the input everyone gave on my stem work questions

what about making buttons on a hand cut stem, i know that this is a matter of personal perference, but what are some ways to make a button.
i have an idea but would love to hear how its (really) done. measurments,tips, everything.

on www.danishpipemakers.com under the index of pipemakers then go to tonni nielson and then hit about the pipemaker you can see tonni using a c-clamp that todd has shared w/us. in the brief test tonni says that the stem is 50 percent of the pipe.

best to all and thanks everyone for sharing. this forum has an unlimted amount of GREAT insights to making pipes and thanks to tyler for creating it.

jim

[ToddJohnson]

on www.danishpipemakers.com under the index of pipemakers then go to tonni nielson and then hit about the pipemaker you can see tonni using a c-clamp that todd has shared w/us. in the brief test tonni says that the stem is 50 percent of the pipe.

jim

Hey Jim,

That's a great close up of the thing I was trying to describe. It's actually Tom's. Those pics. of Tony were taken in Tom's new shop.

Todd

[TreverT]

There really isn't any "real" answer as far as measurements and so forth. Basically, make what's comfortable for you. The extent to which you go to nitpick your bit detailing will go far in determining how much you have to charge for your pipes. I generally try to shoot for about 4mm thickness, and a simple rule to remember is not to make the bit thicker in the "bite" area past the buttons than the buttons themselves are high (not an issue on saddle stems but often I see tapers where the stem quickly thickens to a degree that makes the bit thickness where you actually bite down equal to the buttons, which makes the pipe hard to hold - no 'catch' provided by the buttons). I personally prefer, and make, rounded buttons because I prefer them for comfort, but other folks like the look of a crisply-edged button.

[marks]

When I started hand cutting stems, I took the most comfortable stems on pipes I had bought and took measurements of the button height, button thickness, stem thickness just behind the button. I found that they were mostly within a hundredth or two of each other (and all from different makers). So, that is what I shoot for when making a stem.

Regarding pointy versus rounded, I agree with Trever. While crisp and pointed stem sides and button ends show the skill of the pipemaker, I make all mine slightly rounded. I have been known to take a piece of sandpaper and buffer to stems on pipes I have bought because they were not comfortable to me. Doesn't matter who made it, if it pokes my tounge or the corner of my mouth, I am going to work on it.

I also prefer a convex end on the stem, as opposed to a concave end, and I make mine slightly convex.

As Trever mentioned, you need the back of the button to provide a catch. I got a great tip from Brian Ruthenberg at the Richmond show on how to do this well. After preliminary shaping, file the stem and back of the button to get a nice 90 degree button back. It looks crisp and provides a great catch for the pipe smoker. I've been using this method on the pipes I've made since then, and it works like a charm. The button/stem transition on my pipes looks much crisper, and more professional. They also catch much better than before.

[NvilleDave]

When I started hand cutting stems, I took the most comfortable stems on pipes I had bought and took measurements of the button height, button thickness, stem thickness just behind the button. I found that they were mostly within a hundredth or two of each other (and all from different makers). So, that is what I shoot for when making a stem.

Marks,
Would you mind sharing the button measurements that you mentioned in this post?

Dave

[marks]

I'll try to remember to get them from my workshop and post later today or tomorrow.

[marks]

Here are the measurements to which I cut my stems, and these are very close to the measurements I made on pipes I owned. Pipes I measured included Ashton, Ardor, Jacono, Roush.

Stem thickness measured just behind the button .18 inches
Button height as measured from the base of the button where it intersects the stem .05 to .06 inches
Button depth (measured perpendicular to the line of the stem) .08 to .10 inches.

Some makers will make their stems thinner than I do. I've seen .16 mentioned a couple of times.

Hope this helps.

[NvilleDave]

HUGE help! :thumb: Thanks for the information.

Dave