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Hey guys,

I was cutting the slot in another stem today and started to worry about something I have just been ignoring up until now.

I drill the airway with a tapered drill bit and then come in from the bit end and drill the last 1/2" or so with a 1mm drill. I then cut the slot with a dremel and widen and shape it with the 1mm drill and files. However, as shown in my diagram there are always some marks left on the top and bottom of the slot from the tapered drill bit.

Does anyone somehow eliminate these marks to get a totally fluid airway (and if so, how? I can't get to that area with needle files or anything), or do you just ignore them? I don't imagine it would have much of an effect.

If this doesn't make any sense please tell me and I'll try to explain better.

Thanks!

You don't need to worry about those. Leave them. As long as your stem doesn't sound like a bosun's whistle, you'll be fine.

KurtHuhn wrote:You don't need to worry about those. Leave them. As long as your stem doesn't sound like a bosun's whistle, you'll be fine.

Kurt, can you make a diagram to emulate the sound of a bosuns whistle? I don't understand.

Does this cover it?

Perfect! Now I understand perfectly.

I smooth it all out to the point where the taper drill was a true 5/32", which is quite deep into the stem actually, perhaps over 1-1/2" deep. I use "wax detailing" broaches (which only cut on the pull stroke), a modified jigsaw scroll blade in a handle, and needle files.

If you were to drill to maybe an inch from the end, with the tapered bit, and then go in from the button side, you would never be able to see any of what you are talking about. The shape inside the stem is moving from round to flat and rectangular, so that's pretty hard to do without SOME kind of overlap of the shapes.

Sasquatch wrote:If you were to drill to maybe an inch from the end, with the tapered bit, and then go in from the button side, you would never be able to see any of what you are talking about. The shape inside the stem is moving from round to flat and rectangular, so that's pretty hard to do without SOME kind of overlap of the shapes.

You'd be surprised how nice of a transition you can get if you have the patience. It's not about "seeing" the transition, I honestly believe the long "quasi-transitionless" funnel improves smoking functionality, at least in my experimental experiences.

Agreed - in theory it can be done. I haven't noticed much of a difference between a filed out pre-form and a smooth-tube hand cut to be honest, the very pinnacle of tubiness being my wiley, which is tube right to the button, more or less. I don't prefer that, but I don't find that the other shapes hinder or help a noticeable amount as long as you have a large enough cross section.

There is an artistic satisfaction from the perfect airway, but I'm less confident about the actual parameters of the transition, in terms of it making a noticeable difference in the smoking experience. But then, my idea of a good meal is a few beetle grubs and some berries, so perhaps I should leave these judgments to more refined folk.

Sasquatch wrote: There is an artistic satisfaction from the perfect airway, but I'm less confident about the actual parameters of the transition, in terms of it making a noticeable difference in the smoking experience. But then, my idea of a good meal is a few beetle grubs and some berries, so perhaps I should leave these judgments to more refined folk.

The difference is probably psychosomatilogical, but satisfying. I sprinkle white truffle shavings on my beetle grubs.

GROSS!