cool idea for bending stems

[bscofield]

For those of you who have access to a heat gun I just came up with this new way to bend stems. It's providin me with all sorts of precision that I did not have before... FYI, this could be just what *I* needed and seem simplistic and not worth it for everyone else (tho it only took 2 minutes for me to figure out what I was doing).

So first you have to also have a vice with the long flat ends where the vice clamps. I have a like a table top vice that has a long flat surface sort of like this one (only with a flat floor over the round guide bars):



Next I just cut a dow rod into 3 pieces each about 4 inches long (the length is of little importance, as you'll see). I placed two up against one wall and the one remaining one up against the opposite wall. I placed the stem in the middle. The part of the stem facing the 2 dow rods will obviously be the top part of the arch. So I clamped down and held the stem in place with my finger until a) the clamp was tight and b) the single dow rod was where I wanted the curve to be on the bottom. The stem will want to slip out on the thick side because of the slope but if you hold it with your finger where you want it while tightening it will stick.

Then I cranked up the heat gun and heated up the stem while checking every once in a while to see how hard the stem was. Once it was nice and flimsy I tightened the vice until it was the shape I wanted. Then I walked away and let cool while it was in it's clamp.

Anyone try this before? What do you think? It made stems a lot easier for me because I used to boil them and bend by hand. This is slower (bending) and MUCH more precise...

Thoughts?

EDIT: (I guess the vice of this sort could be substituted by a normal vice and 2 pieces of wood that the dow rods are glued onto sideways and then you could clamp that...)

[jeff]

That's quite a process, Ben. Have you ever tried without the vice? Typically, I leave the stem in the pipe (to know whether the bend flows with the lines of the stummel), heat the stem with a heat gun or alcohol burner, and bend it with my hand. If it gets hot I use a wash cloth to hold it. When I find the right shape I dunk it in water and it hardens in a few seconds. The whole process takes about a minute and yields good results.

Jeff

[kbosi]

Well I do use a heat gun, but when ready I just bend it over a pipe.

[bscofield]

well technicaly I could do all of this with the stem IN the pipe... I don't usually do the bending with it in the pipe cause I've had such trouble bending that I have to get a heck of a grip on it and didn't want to do something nasty to the pipe.

[jeff]

Maybe you're not heating it enough...or I'm heating it too much. I never have a problem bending. It becomes *very* flexible and I could literally bend it with one finger. So, I've never really dealt with problems like that, I just heat until it bends very easily and of course w/o melting the vulcanite.

Jeff

[KurtHuhn]

My fingers aren't very sensitive to heat, so I just hold the stem in my hands and blow on it until it cools down enough to release. Your mileage may vary, by a considerable margin.

[bscofield]

well geeze... I just need to keep using the heat gun regardless then...!

How many of you have ever boiled it and felt like you were going to snap the thing in two trying to bend it was still so tough (after 5 minutes of sitting boiling water)?

[jeff]

I've never boiled it before. I've only heated it over a flame or with a heat gun. The heat gun has by far been the easiest, most efficient method that I've attempted.

Kurt, my fingers are heat sensitive (it's this damn student lifestyle--it just doesn't build callouses!) so I have to use some kind of heat sink or heat barrier to prevent my precious digits from being scorched.

Good luck with future bending!

Jeff

[KurtHuhn]

How many of you have ever boiled it and felt like you were going to snap the thing in two trying to bend it was still so tough (after 5 minutes of sitting boiling water)?

Boiling water, if I recall my physics courses, doesn't get hot enough to bring vulcanite up to temp. You *can* bend thinner stems (like churchwardens and such) but the thicker ones are near impossible to do right.

A toaster oven is a good idea (one I learned from John Hamilton McGrath) but it has drawbacks as well - like softening the tenon which can make it change size. A flame will work, but you need to be careful not since the stem. A heat gun is probably best for most folks, since the danger of singing the stem is low, and you can direct the heat so that you don't soften the tenon.

[KurtHuhn]

Kurt, my fingers are heat sensitive (it's this damn student lifestyle--it just doesn't build callouses!) so I have to use some kind of heat sink or heat barrier to prevent my precious digits from being scorched.

My fingers resemble gnarled little German sausages from years of abuse. My latest insult to my hands is only now beginning to look not so scary. I wouldn't surprised to find that my hands are mostly callous, and that's why they almost never bleed when injured. 8O

[Leus]

As I don't have a heatgun, I've used a bowl with salt, put it in the oven for several minutes, then putting the stem inside it for about two to three minutes. I cannot say I've mastered the bending technique yet, but it has give some good results.

[stdly]

Candle. I use a candle. It's worked for at least a dozen stems. Haven't ruined one yet. I'll stick with that.

R.

This is my method as well. I do use a GLP tobacco tin or such to make the form or by hand.

Also my stems have been hot enough that they will bend with gravity at times and it has not caused any brake down of the material. So hot is good but even is better I think and it can be achieved with a simple candle and a lot of patience.

Ben,
If that is what you like make a small jig with permanent dowels and an interchangeable center for different radiuses.

[bscofield]

I obviously have a LOT more playing to do... This was my first time ever using a heat gun and did not use my hands on it last night at all. So I don't know how I would have liked it under other conditions... back to workshop...

[RadDavis]

I use a heat gun.

Get the stem soft, dip my bending fingers in water, give the stem a very quick dip, just enough to cool the very outside, and then bend. When the bend is right, dunk it in water while holding it position till it cools.

I think an important aspect while bending is to not only see the bend from the side, but also from behind, looking over the button at the stummel. I have had times when I've put a slight twist in the stem as I'm bending.

Having the button at a slight angle off the horizontal is not very attractive looking in a finished pipe.

Rad

[RadDavis]

I use a heat gun.

Get the stem soft, dip my bending fingers in water, give the stem a very quick dip, just enough to cool the very outside, and then bend. When the bend is right, dunk it in water while holding it position till it cools.

I think an important aspect while bending is to not only see the bend from the side, but also from behind, looking over the button at the stummel. I have had times when I've put a slight twist in the stem as I'm bending.

Having the button at a slight angle off the horizontal is not very attractive looking in a finished pipe.

Rad

[Paul_Tatum]

How many of you have ever boiled it and felt like you were going to snap the thing in two trying to bend it was still so tough (after 5 minutes of sitting boiling water)?

Boiling water, if I recall my physics courses, doesn't get hot enough to bring vulcanite up to temp.

Yep, it's not a matter of time as it is temperature. I'm not sure of the exact temp for vulcanite, but you'll never get any more heat out of the water once it reaches boiling, and depending on your elevation that will be somewhere around 100 C. If you want more heat out of boiling water you'd need to increase the pressure over the water, like in a pressure cooker.

Paul

[bluesmk]

Like Rad, I to use a heat gun. A wagner with settings 1 thru 9.
It stands on it's own. I use a # 6 setting, and much the same proceedure as Rad, with great results on both vucanite and acrylic.
Dan
Gabrieli Pipes