Replacing stem to existing pipe

[saltydog7]

Howdy Folks!
This is for future reference after I have gotten into the pipe hobby and out of curiosity.
There are a ton of different pipes out there and thousands of styles, some are quite beautiful to feast the eyes on. So, I thought it would be rather entertaining and rewarding to make my own pipe. With that said, I searched on eBay for pipe making kits and came across a series of products that gave you a pre-drilled briar block along with an attached stem. I am very excited about doing this, but there is one issue.....I don't like the stem that comes with it. I tried to do a google search on replacement stems; the only useful thing I got was that new stems had to be fitted to the pipe. So, that brings me to my question....does anyone know how to fit and replace a pipe stem to an already existing pipe?
Thanks in advance. Saltydog7

 

[phred]

Try expanding your search a little beyond Ebay. There are several vendors out there that sell the kits you mention, and one of those might have a stem more to your liking. There are also vendors that sell stems and stem-making materials (ebonite/vulcanite rods, acrylic, etc.), as well as books on what to do with said materials... Which pretty much sums up my own n00b knowledge. Good luck!

 

[saltydog7]

Thanks guys! I'll definitely look into them. But just out of curiosity, what if I wanted to be a bit more independent in my pipe making and decided on a solid briar block. Would I just fit the block to an existing stem, or would there have to be work done on a blank stem?