I received an estate Willmer bent dublin this week from Smokingpipes and discovered that I cannot pass a pipe cleaner through it with the stem in place. I noticed that the draught hole is drilled too high in the mortise and doesn't line up with the hole in the tenon. I emailed customer support last night asking if something can be done to fix what I assumed is a flaw. However, in the reply I received this morning the cs person stated this:
"This is not uncommon for this style of pipe. So there is not a flaw in the pipe it is the way that these pipes are made to support the curve in the stem."
I know very little about pipe design, so I figured I should ask the experienced folks here if this is, in fact, true. It sounds odd to me that a pipe maker would design a pipe in such a way that a pipe cleaner cannot pass through the stem and shank, and would require the stem to be removed for cleaning.
This is a beautiful pipe and I really like it. It seems to smoke very well, and I'd be more than happy to keep it and live with what I think is a flaw. But I would sure like to know if it really is a flaw or if the customer service person is correct about the design of a bent dublin pipe.
"This is not uncommon for this style of pipe. So there is not a flaw in the pipe it is the way that these pipes are made to support the curve in the stem."
I know very little about pipe design, so I figured I should ask the experienced folks here if this is, in fact, true. It sounds odd to me that a pipe maker would design a pipe in such a way that a pipe cleaner cannot pass through the stem and shank, and would require the stem to be removed for cleaning.
This is a beautiful pipe and I really like it. It seems to smoke very well, and I'd be more than happy to keep it and live with what I think is a flaw. But I would sure like to know if it really is a flaw or if the customer service person is correct about the design of a bent dublin pipe.