Falcon Bowl woes

[MorseCodePiper]

Hi everyone.I have been having trouble recently with my Falcon Bowls.I have owned my Falcons from new and they are only 7 months old,I have 5 bowls and two stems,the problem is with 4 out of the 5 bowls and that problem is the bowl not tightening properly.
When screwing the bowl onto the stem,as it starts to get tight,the bowl spins around in the threads.I am not over tightening the bowls,just using a gentle force.I thought it may have been my stem so I bought another and it's the same thing,the bowls are freely spinning around inside the stem

Now,if I take the sealing ring off these bowls they tighten perfectly but obviously it isn't air tight so I've been using Plumbers PTFE tape to make the seal,but it really is a pain in the neck.

The bowls were bought from 3 different retailers.

Has Falcons quality control diminished in recent times?

I'm now afraid to buy more bowls in case the same thing happens.

I'm a wet smoker so all Briar pipes gurgle for me,when the bowls fit the stem I love the smoke I get from My Falcons,flavourful dry smoking and I love it.I've considered the Peterson system pipes but my B&M retailer informed me that the smoke would not be as dry as with the Falcon.

Can anyone shed light on this matter or suggest another avenue for a slabbering piper?

If you're a Falcon hater I don't need you to tell me that,or if you tried a Falcon once and could taste metal I don't need to hear about it either,and I'm not here to bad mouth Falcon,surely you all want to see a fellow piper enjoying his smokes,for me the most enjoyable smoke is with my Falcons.

Thanks!!

 

[Scottmi]

I have not experienced that. I only have early US made falcon stems. Do you use the dry rings, too? I enjoy the falcons, but find I need to clean them every time--briars and meers can give me dry smokes, especially briars when a cake has been established (with new briars a pipe cleaner zipped in and out works great). My peterson system pipes are dry..especially as my personal technique has improved.

 

[anotherbob]

Hi everyone.I have been having trouble recently with my Falcon Bowls.I have owned my Falcons from new and they are only 7 months old,I have 5 bowls and two stems,the problem is with 4 out of the 5 bowls and that problem is the bowl not tightening properly.
When screwing the bowl onto the stem,as it starts to get tight,the bowl spins around in the threads.I am not over tightening the bowls,just using a gentle force.I thought it may have been my stem so I bought another and it's the same thing,the bowls are freely spinning around inside the stem

Now,if I take the sealing ring off these bowls they tighten perfectly but obviously it isn't air tight so I've been using Plumbers PTFE tape to make the seal,but it really is a pain in the neck.

The bowls were bought from 3 different retailers.

Has Falcons quality control diminished in recent times?

I'm now afraid to buy more bowls in case the same thing happens.

I'm a wet smoker so all Briar pipes gurgle for me,when the bowls fit the stem I love the smoke I get from My Falcons,flavourful dry smoking and I love it.I've considered the Peterson system pipes but my B&M retailer informed me that the smoke would not be as dry as with the Falcon.

Can anyone shed light on this matter or suggest another avenue for a slabbering piper?

If you're a Falcon hater I don't need you to tell me that,or if you tried a Falcon once and could taste metal I don't need to hear about it either,and I'm not here to bad mouth Falcon,surely you all want to see a fellow piper enjoying his smokes,for me the most enjoyable smoke is with my Falcons.

Thanks!!

clean the threads dude! I used a tooth pick to get the junk out. I had the same issue now I wipe the threads off after each smoke.

 

[MorseCodePiper]

I have not experienced that. I only have early US made falcon stems. Do you use the dry rings, too? I enjoy the falcons, but find I need to clean them every time--briars and meers can give me dry smokes, especially briars when a cake has been established (with new briars a pipe cleaner zipped in and out works great). My peterson system pipes are dry..especially as my personal technique has improved.

Yes I always use a dry ring,home made from pipe cleaners.

 

[MorseCodePiper]

clean the threads dude!

They're as clean as a whistle dude

 

[anotherbob]

They're as clean as a whistle dude

weird. But gunk can get in them deeper then seems possible and kind of blends in until you get a sliver of hard tar out of it. If you haven't tried that give it a go takes a second.
Also if you smoke wet Peterson makes a system pipe that takes a filter. Which I imagine would be drier then a falcon but I do agree with the B.M. and also think both Peterson System and Falcons are awesome.

 

[MorseCodePiper]

weird. But gunk can get in them deeper then seems possible and kind of blends in until you get a sliver of hard tar out of it. If you haven't tried that give it a go takes a second.
Also if you smoke wet Peterson makes a system pipe that takes a filter. Which I imagine would be drier then a falcon but I do agree with the B.M. and also think both Peterson System and Falcons are awesome.

I've cleaned both the threads on the bowls and stems with alcohol and a toothbrush,there doesnt seem to be any build up in the threads,a toothpick doesn't lift any gunk

 

[MattRVA]

I haven’t encountered this issue before but I sure hope you figure it out because I’m definitely curious. My one Falcon with three bowls isn’t a large sample but they all tighten flawlessly.

 

[sardonicus87]

I don't own a falcon, but I am mechanically inclined and have built machines before.

When it free spins, can you hear or feel a slight "pop" or bump? That would be caused by the threads jumping, similar to say if you put a cap on a soda bottle and it was fully unscrewed, but you keep unscrewing it, you can see it slowly rise then pop back down over and over.

What it sounds like to me is if it won't tighten down and is free spinning with that ring, but will without it, is that the threads aren't catching to begin with and are at least partially stripped, that would be the first thing I would look at is the threading on all pieces.

I would also double check that there's nothing on the bottom side of the bowls that could be contacting the sealing ring, preventing them from going on deep enough to start threading.

The last thing I would look at is stretch. Make sure the threaded areas on all parts haven't become tapered, preventing it from getting any purchase at the start until you get it deep enough (without sealing ring) to be tight enough to catch the threads.

 

[anotherbob]

I've cleaned both the threads on the bowls and stems with alcohol and a toothbrush,there doesnt seem to be any build up in the threads,a toothpick doesn't lift any gunk

that's odd. That's the only thing that's caused such an issue for me. Though if there are humidity and temperature fluxs that can do weird things to wood. I hear that's why you should leave the stem in the pipe.

 

[sardonicus87]

From pics I saw on some threads on a Google search, it looks like falcons don't have many threads to begin with. Seems like the threads just aren't engaging for some reason. If not stripped, and if nothing stretched, it could be you have to push down a little to crush the gasket enough for the threads to reach enough to bite.

Is this your first go at falcons? I can see if they maybe hadn't cooled down enough before separating, the disparate material expansion could have caused stretching and deformation maybe?

Anyway, these two threads may be of help to you:
• Falcon bowl doesn't screw on properly - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/falcon-bowl-doesnt-screw-on-properly.11333/
• Stripped Falcon Bowl - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/stripped-falcon-bowl.9351/

 

[VDL_Piper]

@MorseCodePiper have you recently changed the O rings? If not I would suggest you do as they may have stretched/enlarged and are now not letting the bowl seat into position. You may not be able to see any visible changes in the diameter of the O ring unless you have verniers.
Also the fact that you have one bowl left that works suggests that the threads in the alloy section are ok. The variable seems to be in the bowl thread and the only moving part on the bowls is the O ring.

 

[upnorth1]

I have 6 Falcons and many bowls. They all function perfectly, and I’ve never used the dry rings. If I had to guess I’d say over tightening them in the beginning has eventually stripped the threads. Have you tried tightening them only until they are just short of jumping and smoking them that way? I hope you find a way to smoke them because they are really good pipes.

 

[edger]

I’ve been smoking Falcons for fifty years and I love them. In the past, the gaskets were flat and harder, and were tight to the briar. I never had a problem with these. In recent times the gaskets are floppy and somewhat loose. The first time I attempted to screw on the new bowl, I had the problem you described. My solution was to press down firmly as I screwed down. This method has worked for all my newer bowls Standard and Bantam notwithstanding. BTW, I don’t baby these pipes. The threads are robust and can withstand anything I have subjected them to. My oldest bowl is a sandblasted billiard bought in 1972 and it is still going strong! I have 11 bowls, new and old, and they all work well. Enjoy your Falcons!

 

[upnorth1]

I’m going to add here that none of my bowls have sealing rings. They all fit well without one and truthfully, I didn’t know that some bowls had them.

 

[upnorth1]

I checked my bowls and there are no rings. I thought maybe I’d find an old hard ring compressed to the bowl but there weren’t any. I might add here that all of my Falcons are pre 1975. Maybe newer production methods are the culprit?

 

[40 Years A Noob]

Your experience closely parallels mine. From some talks with old Falcon guys and Peddling Piper vids on YouTube, i'd say quality is definitely down from the past, both the bowls and stems. Around 2021, my bowl with about ten smokes stripped out. I don't smoke much, so it was too late to return. Got another bowl; this one burned out in fewer than ten smokes. (fun fact: back in olden days Falcon ads guaranteed the bowl would not burn out for at least five years). Contacted the factory in England, was asked to send pics of the damaged bowls. I did so; never heard back. I was ready to throw the stem away when I ran across an odd old bowl on e-bay. No description from seller. $7 bucks, why not? Though sold as used, it was brand new. No markings whatsoever on the bowl. It needed double gaskets I'd saved from the two burned-out bowls to seal properly, but fit the late-model Falcon stem and smoked great. No new Falcon products for me. You might want to check on e-bay for vintage Falcons. Also, I think well-regarded American pipemaker Don Warren occasionally offers bowls on e-bay for Falcons (check first).

 

[MorseCodePiper]

I don't own a falcon, but I am mechanically inclined and have built machines before.

When it free spins, can you hear or feel a slight "pop" or bump? That would be caused by the threads jumping, similar to say if you put a cap on a soda bottle and it was fully unscrewed, but you keep unscrewing it, you can see it slowly rise then pop back down over and over.

What it sounds like to me is if it won't tighten down and is free spinning with that ring, but will without it, is that the threads aren't catching to begin with and are at least partially stripped, that would be the first thing I would look at is the threading on all pieces.

I would also double check that there's nothing on the bottom side of the bowls that could be contacting the sealing ring, preventing them from going on deep enough to start threading.

The last thing I would look at is stretch. Make sure the threaded areas on all parts haven't become tapered, preventing it from getting any purchase at the start until you get it deep enough (without sealing ring) to be tight enough to catch the threads.

Thanks for your reply,yes the threads are not catching,

From pics I saw on some threads on a Google search, it looks like falcons don't have many threads to begin with. Seems like the threads just aren't engaging for some reason. If not stripped, and if nothing stretched, it could be you have to push down a little to crush the gasket enough for the threads to reach enough to bite.

Is this your first go at falcons? I can see if they maybe hadn't cooled down enough before separating, the disparate material expansion could have caused stretching and deformation maybe?

Anyway, these two threads may be of help to you:
• Falcon bowl doesn't screw on properly - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/falcon-bowl-doesnt-screw-on-properly.11333/
• Stripped Falcon Bowl - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/stripped-falcon-bowl.9351/

 

[MorseCodePiper]

Thanks to all for your replies,upon visiting the links that sardonicus posted and seeing some photos of a guys hyperbole threads,I compared the threads on my 4 faulty bowls with the one billiard bowl thats OK and there is a noticeable difference in thread depth,I hadn't thought to check this,so I'll contact Falcon and see what they say.I'll post here again if I find out anything more,again,thanks guys for your help and the food for thought,regards!

 

[40 Years A Noob]

As a final thought, if you like metal pipes you might want to try a used Kirsten. I say used because even good used ones are expensive, and you might not like the concept. Some of the ones on e-bay are junk, frozen solid with tobacco juice due to careless owners. I found a top-rated seller offering a very lightly smoked pipe. His pics showed the mouthpiece assembly and valve removed, and the bowl interior. I got a large bowl because Kirsten's sizing is usually one under (medium is actually small). Bowls have a V-shaped chamber, but I can keep cake down without Kirsten's specialized reamer. When the pipe arrived, the o-rings (get one with o-rings on each end) were worn out from age (mid-80's pipe). I got some 011/#06 Viton O-rings instead of the silicone ones Kirsten sells; they grip better. I protect the mouthpiece with a Long's softy because of my vampire bite. I know this sounds like an expensive hassle and is, but once sorted this inherently sturdy pipe will be trouble-free. No more worries about stripped and burned out bowls.