Mortise Ring Question

[sshawl]

I apologize if this has already been asked. I have seen some pipes that utilize a brass/silver/copper mortise ring and wondered if this was strictly for athestics? Does anyone out there use these and if so can you offer any tips on material and techniques for making the slot?

Thanks!
Steve

Here is a mouth watering Bo Nautilus that is currently on ebay and shows a mortise ring. Enjoy!

[KurtHuhn]

One way to do it is to take the metal tube that you want to use as the ring, and basically make it into a hole saw. Cut some teeth on the end, leaving it long enough to be chucked into a drill press or whatever, and after you've drilled the mortis, chuck the metal tube in and use it to cut the ring mortis. When you've gone deep enough, cut it off and epoxy it in. Grind it flush, and finish as normal.

You could find a tube made of steel that you could use as a permanent hole saw instead of cutting teeth on brass or nickel every time, but it would have to be the same nominal measurements as your decorative material.

[sshawl]

Thanks Kurt! Makes sense. Have you used these in any of your pipes?

Steve

[kkendall]

One way to do it is to take the metal tube that you want to use as the ring, and basically make it into a hole saw. Cut some teeth on the end, leaving it long enough to be chucked into a drill press or whatever, and after you've drilled the mortis, chuck the metal tube in and use it to cut the ring mortis. When you've gone deep enough, cut it off and epoxy it in. Grind it flush, and finish as normal.

I'll add one more thing to this... When you've gone deep enough (doesn't have to be much), stop the machine with the tube still embeded in the stummel... THEN cut it off.

[TreverT]

What Kurt said.

The reason these are used is durability for military mount stems. Military-style stems will eventually crack their briar shank without some sort of metal banding (think Peterson). Shapes like snails don't allow for the usual shank bands, however, so metal ring inserts serve the same purpose - They provide an uncrackable band around the mortise entry so you can shove the stem in as hard as you like. They aren't needed on straight tenon mortises, only on military-style.

Someday I must make a military-mount stem, but I've never bothered due to worry about getting the angles right.

[KurtHuhn]

Thanks Kurt! Makes sense. Have you used these in any of your pipes?

On a few, yes. However, like Trever, I've never done it because the pipe has a military mount stem - I currently don't have the tools for that. I've only used it for decorative purposes.