pipemakersforum.com

I don't know if this topic fits here or not, but I'll post it and find out...

I noticed that Pimo carries a churchwarden stem, so I ordered a couple of them when I ordered the tenon turner and a selection of stems. The stem is (according to their site) 7/16 x 8.

I am going to try to make myself a small bowled, bent churchwarden using this stem, and I wonder if anyone has any comments on this stem, or churchwarden pipes in general.

Thanks!
john

I make, and sell piles whenever a LOTR movie hits the stores/theaters, churchwardens. I, personally, find them to be a very comfortable pipe to sit in the easy chair and smoke.

Making them, is a different story al together. They are not relaxing to make. They take three times longer than other shapes due to the need to sand that incredibly long stem from 220 on up to 600 grit and then buffing. They also take a *light* hand when fitting the stem. You need to use a 1/4" mortis/tenon, otherwise the shank is pretty close to paper thin and super fragile. You can cheat that by using different shapes that don't require a flush shank/stem joint though.

The ones from Pimo are going to be the same as the ones from anywhere else. There's apparently only one company making churchwarden stems these days and they're thinking about discontinuing them. Not much demand, apparently.

Acrylic is probably easier to work with in this length (over vulcanite) but I don't know for certain. Wood is also good for churchwarden stems, but you need a steamer and a bending jig in order to bend them.

Thanks for the good tips! That's the sort of info I was wondering about.

Regarding Ultem, I'm sure that it's strength would make it perfect for a churchwarden. I've cruised your web site, and am very impressed with your use of Ultem in your pipes!

However -- considering that I'm a total newbie, with my Pimo tool and stems on the way, and just getting ready to drill my first block (instead of using kits), I really don't think I'm ready for anything that complex at this point!

Thanks for the info though.

john

I'm still waiting for my first Pimo kit (yeah, STILL waiting, but it's not Pimo's fault) and the one I ordered was with a regular bent stem and a churchwarden stem machined to fit the kit, so I could switch them. Hope to work fine with the whole thing.

Most of my tools and gadgets are already purchased and maybe soon I'll post a pic of what I call "the travelling shop", you'll get it when you see it

I heard from a friend here in Brazil who worked with a couple of pipe kits from Pimo that their stems (no churchwarden mentioned) are more fragile than regular stems you may find in pipes on the market . What do you guys tell me about it?

I haven't found their stems (especially the ones in the kits) to be fragile at all. Just the opposite - they have a large tenon, and a lot of extra material in the stem.

I'm on my 4th Pimo kit, and if anything find their stems to be too bulky. Luckily that gives me plenty of room for additional tapering, sanding and filing so that I can make it into whatever I like.

john

Thank you for the information, John. I'm a lot more confident about it now.