FUBAR after heat and bend

[m.c.]

Hi, guys, I tried to heat and bend the stem today and got shameful resulst. I poured some alcohol in a cup, lit it, and run the stem across the flame while spinning this way and that, running to and fro. I ended up with a sharply "bent" (rather than "curved" stem) and a blistered thumb. Worse, The bit was scorched beyond all recognistion. For those who use an alcohol lamp, could you share some tricks of heating and bending? I shaped the pipe with reasonably good curves, but the bend really ruined it. This is the biggest frustration I've ever met in pipe making. Maybe the problem is just a frigging short of patience when heating, but that's what I'm made of. Any suggestions, buddies?

[Leus]

Just patience. You need to heat the stem slowly and not just in the middle point, but along the whole area that will be affected by the curve. If you are unsure of the results, you can put salt in a pan and heat it in the oven, stick the stem in it and wait for a couple of minutes, then bend.

[T3pipes]

I had this issue until I got a heat gun, but I did get a good feel for doing it by flame.

For starters, It sounds like you are using too much heat. Your flame should be about the same size as the flame off a zippo lighter. The stem should get no closer than 1 1/2 inches above the flame.

The pic below is your stem, and the blue lines are the area your curve will be in. Start heating the area in red, back and forth and spinning the stem, and move into the area shown by the arrows once the stem just starts to become pliable. The heat radiates out quickly, and stays hot, once it gets pliable, so you should not have to go back to the other area until you get to the end. If you do have to go back to the area near the stummel, it will heat quickly.

also, I use 12 inch long "pipe cleaners" that I got from a craft store. these give more control and you don't waste the good ones.

[Sasquatch]

Pouring alcohol in a cup is not a lamp.

[kbadkar]

A cheapo heat gun'll run ya 20 bucks.

[ToddJohnson]

Use an actual alcohol burner so that the flame is about an inch wide and perhaps two inches tall. Pass the stem back and forth through the flame at about the same speed the turn signal on your car runs. Do not "roll" it. Just move the stem back and forth through the flame along the entire length of the stem. After about 30-45 seconds, flip it over and do the same thing on the other side. The thicker the stem, the more time it will need to spend in the flame. Wear a glove so that you can take your time as you bend it. Keep checking for pliability as you're heating it, and once it's very easily malleable, it's time to start creating the bend.

Hold the pipe as if you were going to be smoking it and pull toward you as you apply downward pressure. You should be holding it with your thumb under the stem and your fingers on top, and your fingers should move along the stem from the shank end toward the button, squeezing and smoothing out the curve as you go. Once you have the bend you want, hold it in place as you blow through the stem. This will cool it rapidly and set the bend. Then look at it and make sure it's a smooth even arc. If not, heat it up again and start over. Or, if it just needs a little tweak, you can usually just heat the button end of the stem and give it a bit more of an arc. The same basic principles hold true with a heat gun, I just like to have a hard and fast visual reference of exactly where I am applying heat to the stem.

Good luck,

Todd

P.S. It helps to turn off any of your bright table lights so you can see the flame. It's usually almost clear.

[bscofield]

I basically follow Todd's exact process, minus the glove (that's way too smart for me to have thought of on my own).

I would only add that I moved away from the heat gun because the heat was too spread out and I wanted it in a more concentrated area. Not because I wanted my bend in 1 small area but because it just worked better with the way i did it. Of course I suppose that if your heat gun had an attachment to narrow down the air outlet that would take care of that (mine did not). Also, even though it puts some black junk on the stem, I just use a candle and then wipe it off with a paper towel when I'm done.

[stummel bum]

I would definitely second the heat gun. If you plan on making pipes (more than 1 or two for fun that is) it would be worth $20 in time and effort saved. You'd also be surprised what else it can be useful for.

[T3pipes]

I would definitely second the heat gun. If you plan on making pipes (more than 1 or two for fun that is) it would be worth $20 in time and effort saved. You'd also be surprised what else it can be useful for.

a safe method of indoor s'mores!!

[stummel bum]

Or a super fast way to blowdry your beard!

[KurtHuhn]

Real men air dry their beard.

[staffwalker]

I just use a bic lighter, usually use two or three since they tend to get rather hot. As one gets hot I put it down and pick up another. I heat it as Todd does with the lamp but using a lighter instead. It was a little difficult at first but is easy now and even in the beginning I never burnt a stem just sometimes had to do it twice. The only time I use the salt method is with a really thick stem. I cover it with table salt and stick in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 220 degrees. An example would be a stubby bulldog with a tapered stem, this would take too long to heat at the tenon end so in the salt. I always insert a fluffy pipe cleaner with either method. bob

[ckr]

Fat stems are doable with a heat gun but are a bit of a problem. Never tried one in the oven because I epoxy a delrin tenon on most and thought the heat would break the epoxy down. Are any using delrin or are these turned tenons?

[staffwalker]

I use delrin on most of my pipes, have never had a problem with heat but haven't done enough with delrin' to definitely state there will never be a problem.

[m.c.]

Wow, it's amazing to see so many replies after a tepid peiod (or just what my dour head thought of it) of reading this forum. Helluva thanks, men. Great illustration T3!

BTW, that day I came back home from the typical Chinese office bureaurocy "table business" with a spinning head filled with firewater no weaker than what was burning in my "lamp" And now I have just edited the *head and bend* title (what a Freudian slip ) You are right, patience is so important when exercising this procedure of pipe making which is definiately not suitalbe for a liquor filled head. (I swear I'm not an addict. Fukk them ) As for the "lamp", I will try candle next time. (I hate alcohol, you see. )

Specially thank you, Todd-The-Long-Time-No-See. Great description. I can downright picture you doing that from the words. One reason I choose flame is simply the image of an old-fashioned artisan rolling the workpiece in his hands above the flame. Classic! That's the appealing part of you as a pipemaker (Need I mention your grading nomenclacure? I'm simply jealous!)

The past couple of days I have been trying to save that stem by filing and sanding the exterior into a softer curve as far as possible. I will post the pic when the pipe is finished. Again, thank you!

[FredS]

Fat stems are doable with a heat gun but are a bit of a problem. Never tried one in the oven because I epoxy a delrin tenon on most and thought the heat would break the epoxy down. Are any using delrin or are these turned tenons?

Heat guns will also soften the epoxy holding your delrin tenon if you're not careful. I know.

[caskwith]

Expoy and heat definately dont mix. I have had quite a few dlerin tenons fall out. Usually if i am making a bent stem i will use superglue instead of epoxy as its hold up better when heating.

Word of caution on fat, especially short fat stems. To get the whole thing soft enough to bend you can often distort the face of the stem and thus give your self a gap with the shank face. This happened to me when i created my bent nosewarmer a while back. You have to hold the parto fhte stem at the shank juntion very tight and be very careful. If possible i just try and avoid making short fat bent stems altogether because of this reason. Or i use acrylic as it requires less force to bend than ebonite.

[m.c.]

I unbent the stem a little and filed down much meat to rectify the shape. Here is it finished.

(Currently I haven't figured out a way to bend the "calabash" in the background )

[ToddJohnson]

I would definitely second the heat gun. If you plan on making pipes (more than 1 or two for fun that is) it would be worth $20 in time and effort saved.

I'm not really sure you're saving any "time" or "effort," but yes, it's been well worth the $20 to use it as a bellows or my wood stove. You can't make pipes with frozen fingers, really.

TJ

[kbadkar]

I would definitely second the heat gun. If you plan on making pipes (more than 1 or two for fun that is) it would be worth $20 in time and effort saved.

I'm not really sure you're saving any "time" or "effort," but yes, it's been well worth the $20 to use it as a bellows or my wood stove. You can't make pipes with frozen fingers, really.

TJ

Is an alcohol burner that much better?

It's a simple enough procedure with a heat gun and reducer attachment, though it may take a minute longer to heat up to pliable.