meerschaum help!

[terrigar]

Just had a really nice old meer given to me by a friend

Problem is it has an amber stem that is very loose. It joins to the shank using a metal threaded screw that seems to screw into the meerschaum.

The meerschaum has worn so that the screw no longer has anything to screw into.

I'd be very grateful for any advice, guys.

 

[Perique]

I'm no expert, but isn't Meerschaum a very delicate material? I'm surprised at a design that was meant to have metal screwed directly into Meerschaum threads. Was there at one point a threaded metal mortise insert designed to hold the tenon?

 

[terrigar]

Cheers, Sothron.

I think there must have been, nothing else makes sense. I reckon I will have to source a new male & female part and see if I can pick up some info on what to do next!

 

[numbersix]

I fixed my loose stem by melting a little beeswax over the tenon, letting the wax cool a little, and then inserting.
It's not a long-term solution, but will make the pipe serviceable. If you decide the pipe is worth repair, I would send it out to a reputable repair shop, Floyd Norwood or Walker's Briar works.