Tooth mark / dent removal from stems

BriarBlues · Post by **BriarBlues** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:46 pm

Good day group.

I have been trying a number of techniques for removing tooth marks in Vulcanite stems and finding no one technique that works well. Of course shaving the stem is an option but this alters the stem shape and may have some long term strength reduction issues. As pipe carvers you deal with rod etc and I wonder if any of you might offer any ideas that I may not have tried as yet.

Regards
Michael J. Glukler

StephenDownie · Post by **StephenDownie** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 4:28 pm

Hi Mike,

Nice to see you here. Personally I haven't come a cross a method of removing tooth marks without having to use sandpaper and, as you say, reduce the strength of the bit. Vulcanite bondo sounds like what you need and if you ever come across any let me know.

JHowell · Post by **JHowell** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 12:19 am

If the vulcanite is worn, if material has been removed by grinding teeth, further material removal is the only option. If the material has been dented, if material has not been removed by abrasion but only displaces by pressure, that dent can be removed to a great degree with heat, which allows the material to relax into its original shape.

Unfortunately most of the stems of tooth-marked pipes fall into the former category. The most common recommendation -- and I would guess this is no news to you, Michael -- is to shorten the stem and form a new button.

There's a story about a clarinetist who accidentally struck the tip of his prized Kaspar mouthpiece (made of vulcanite, as almost all are today) against his teeth, and put dent in the tip that made it unplayable. He took the mouthpiece to NYC repairman Hans Moennig, who looked at it for a moment, lit his alcohol lamp, and stuck the tip of the mouthpiece into the flame. The clarinetist nearly fainted, but a moment later he had his mouthpiece back, good as new.