Pipe stem sizes

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Pipe stem sizes

Post by Bloodhound »

Most stems are hand fitted, I know some makers prefer a certain bore for the stem to fit into the stumal, but to order a #4 stem for a Comoy Billiard isn't a thing. Makers will make a stem according to what you like as far as material, shape and such and then fit it to the pipe. Last year I had 2 stems repaired and 3 stems replaced, I had the carver use vulcanite on one and leucite on the other 2.
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Pipe stem sizes

Post by Jocose »

I need a stem for one of my Peterson St Patrick's day pipes. Who did you use?
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Pipe stem sizes

Post by Bloodhound »

Jocose wrote: 18 Oct 2022, 22:09 I need a stem for one of my Peterson St Patrick's day pipes. Who did you use?
I sent 3 to to https://briarville.com/ He was in New Mexico, but he moved mid repair, and ended up doing my pipes and sending them back to me from Durango, CO...but then he moved again and now he is in Georgia. I was pleased with the 2 repairs and the one replacement he did...his prices were about the same as Walker Pipes had posted.

I know lots of folks who used Walker Pipes...but I had heard that he was retiring...but then sweet&sour contacted him and he was still taking work, so he must have changed his mind...he did some beautiful work on sweet&sour's pipe...and now I see on the web site that Mike at Walker Pipes IS hanging it up...as of July he is no longer taking any work...s&s snuck his pipe repair under the wire.....
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Pipe stem sizes

Post by Jocose »

TNX man
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Pipe stem sizes

Post by SlowToke »

5/16" is the most common stem mortise/tenon size although there are variances. For makers that use Delrin rod stock, they have to find the perfect drill bit to match their Delrin rod (or drill bit and reamer combo.) For those of us who turn our own tenons out of the stem material, we just turn the tenon to the perfect fit for whatever 5/16" drill bit we have. There's a real art to it actually and it's probably the hardest part of making a pipe. One hundredth of a mm off and the stem won't fit. Take a smidge too much off and you have to start over. Not to mention, you have to let the material cool off before test fitting it because it expands when you cut it and it heats up. To make it a bit more tricky, you have to leave it a smidge big when turning in order to polish it since that takes a bit more material off. The trick is knowing when to stop taking off material. You get the hang of it after screwing up a hundred or so. :lol: I also do 1/4" and 3/8" but don't use them too often. Unfortunately, the slight tolerances make it so a stem from one maker may or may not fit a pipe from another.
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