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I have been making My stems at just under 5mm behind the buttons. I know a lot of people say they should be 4mm but with acrylic stems held to a bright light they look very fragile at that spot. The slot is cut with the dremel saw blade then with filing and sanding I don't think there is much material left. Are We just assuming that no one will bite the stem directly behind the button? I know this has been discussed a lot but I am thinking get it under 5mm and call it good. Is My thinking flawed? I should add that I am taking My button height to under 1/4", thanks, Norm.

Pay no attention to the light shining through. Go with 4 mm. If you've cut the slot properly, no one will bite through.

5 mm is way too thick to be comfortable between the teeth, unless you're Sasquatch.

Mouth/tooth comfort is key. No one picks up the most uncomfortable pipe in their collection to smoke, no matter how pretty it is. If it don't feel good between the teeth, it don't get smoked. Then it don't get raved about.

Rad

IAWR even if he did call me a Sasquatch.

As long as your slot is centered, you won't sand through. Keep track of where the center of your slot is when shaping behind he button and let it become translucent. You can get it down to 3mm safely with a good slot, though 3.5-4mm is safer.

As much as I would like to be able, I don't speak in metric. I shoot for 0.15" give or take.

For the translationally illiterate, .15" = 3.8 mm. Thanks to Tyler Beard for that number crunch.

wdteipen wrote:As much as I would like to be able, I don't speak in metric. I shoot for 0.15" give or take.

Geez, Wayne, Google "inch to mm" and a conversion calculator shows right up. Then type in .150 and it shows 3.81 mm.

Rad

RadDavis wrote:

wdteipen wrote:As much as I would like to be able, I don't speak in metric. I shoot for 0.15" give or take.

Geez, Wayne, Google "inch to mm" and a conversion calculator shows right up. Then type in .150 and it shows 3.81 mm.

Rad

I can't believe an old fart like Rad even knows what google is.

notow1 wrote:I have been making My stems at just under 5mm behind the buttons. I know a lot of people say they should be 4mm but with acrylic stems held to a bright light they look very fragile at that spot. The slot is cut with the dremel saw blade then with filing and sanding I don't think there is much material left. Are We just assuming that no one will bite the stem directly behind the button? I know this has been discussed a lot but I am thinking get it under 5mm and call it good. Is My thinking flawed? I should add that I am taking My button height to under 1/4", thanks, Norm.

If your slot is 1/16" or smaller, you will be safe with .135+ for your bite. If you are larger on the slot then go a little larger on the bite. You can push the limits, but if you are too far on one side or another, you will run the risk of a bite through.

OK, I had an old shop pipe with a too thick stem and decided to practice on it. You are all correct, it seems just fine at just a tad under 4mm. It is spooky to Me but I think I'll get over that. I prefer My personal pipes to have a thickness behind the button between 4-5mm but if I made them all like that I guess I would have to buy them all too. Thanks for the good advice, Norm.

RadDavis wrote:

wdteipen wrote:As much as I would like to be able, I don't speak in metric. I shoot for 0.15" give or take.

Geez, Wayne, Google "inch to mm" and a conversion calculator shows right up. Then type in .150 and it shows 3.81 mm.

Rad

Waaaay too much work, Rad. You trying to give me carpal tunnel or something?

wdteipen wrote:

RadDavis wrote:

wdteipen wrote:As much as I would like to be able, I don't speak in metric. I shoot for 0.15" give or take.

Geez, Wayne, Google "inch to mm" and a conversion calculator shows right up. Then type in .150 and it shows 3.81 mm.

Rad

Waaaay too much work, Rad. You trying to give me carpal tunnel or something?

Well, there is that.

Rad

3.5 is nice and thin, 3.7 is good, 3.9 is a maximum thickness that I would allow on a very big pipe.

Jeremiah, once again on the board you mention a bit thickness of 3.0mm. I honestly doubt that you can safely go down to 3mm and not cause the stem to fail after a couple of years and one or two re-polishings. But maybe I'm wrong.

W.Pastuch wrote:3.5 is nice and thin, 3.7 is good, 3.9 is a maximum thickness that I would allow on a very big pipe.

Jeremiah, once again on the board you mention a bit thickness of 3.0mm. I honestly doubt that you can safely go down to 3mm and not cause the stem to fail after a couple of years and one or two re-polishings. But maybe I'm wrong.

I don't do 3mm on production pipes, but I love it for my own. 3.3 is as thin as I would sell to a customer. And for exactly the reason you stated.

Normally I shoot for 3.7mm, but 3.5-3.9 should be OK. No more, no less.

Howdy lady and gents,
I'd like to pick this thread back up if we could, as I'm in the middle of cutting my first stem.

A few questions: is the just one 4mm after sanding and polishing? I assume so, so where is a good place to stop with the files? 4.2 ish? give or take?

also, about how far out from the button do I want to maintain this 'just shy of 4'? in other words is the bite zone consistently 4mm or should I have 4mm right behind the button then start tapering towards the shank diameter right away?

I imagine the answer is "stick it in your mouth and see if it's comfortable yet", eh?

Thanks in advance, and PS, it's a lovely sunny breezy afternoon in Portland, filing out in the backyard.....


Jeremy.

seamonster wrote:Howdy lady and gents,
I'd like to pick this thread back up if we could, as I'm in the middle of cutting my first stem.

A few questions: is the just one 4mm after sanding and polishing? I assume so, so where is a good place to stop with the files? 4.2 ish? give or take?

also, about how far out from the button do I want to maintain this 'just shy of 4'? in other words is the bite zone consistently 4mm or should I have 4mm right behind the button then start tapering towards the shank diameter right away?

I imagine the answer is "stick it in your mouth and see if it's comfortable yet", eh?

Thanks in advance, and PS, it's a lovely sunny breezy afternoon in Portland, filing out in the backyard.....


Jeremy.

A little taper is good because as you approach the hole, you will have less material on top and bottom. I find it still comfortable when it is sloped.

Thanks Premal.

seamonster wrote:
I imagine the answer is "stick it in your mouth and see if it's comfortable yet", eh?

Yes!

Tom Eltang told me at my first Chicago Show, "Make your taper much more gradual. Stick it in your mouth. If it's not comfortable for you, it won't be comfortable for someone else."

Rad

Thanks Rad (and Tom)!
I'm trying to find a balance between a taper that looks mostly straight to the stummel joint and one that had a bit of a concave curve swooping down then flattening out a bit in the bite zone..... this shit is tricky....

I like the pattern in the shaping process, in the stummel too, take a lot of relatively quickly then slow slow slow, look, turn, look, take a little more off, carry it around for a while, hold it, feel it, file some more.....

thanks guys