Why did Screw Stems Fall From Favor?
- Thread starter Briar Lee
- Start date
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My guess would be a declining market, and the added overhead of manufacturing that type of interface.
FWIW, I haven't had any problems re-clocking the mounts on any of my older Kaywoodies when they needed it. And I'm fairly certain that if it would have required back in the day, anyidiot reputable shop could have accomplished it.
Ah, then we have the miraculous Lee...
By not having the added flange on the rear of the mount, as was the case in the Kaywoodie pipes, there would have been less machining involved. More of a cost saving/throughput measure as opposed to an improvement...
FWIW, I haven't had any problems re-clocking the mounts on any of my older Kaywoodies when they needed it. And I'm fairly certain that if it would have required back in the day, any
Ah, then we have the miraculous Lee...
By not having the added flange on the rear of the mount, as was the case in the Kaywoodie pipes, there would have been less machining involved. More of a cost saving/throughput measure as opposed to an improvement...
I can only say with the one pipe I own that is a screw in, an estate Dr. Grabow dated from 1967-1969, Commodore 65 Zulu with a vulcanite stem, metal screw-in tenon, with no stinger, this has been a great pipe.
When I first received it, the stem was off, so I had to twist it, and I was really paranoid about breaking it.
The screw inside the vulcanite is extremely still tight fighting after all these years. I ended up turning it three times before getting it lined up nicely.
Of course now when I screw it on, it’s just with the lightest of pressure until it stops, and it’s been amazing ever since.
I can certainly ponder all the Cons here, but as I own one now, I can certainly see that if properly built and maintained it’s still a good working smoking/design.
I was extremely fortunate to find this pipe, it is an absolutely amazing pipe!
I would assume, that they ended up not being the fashionable new thing to do, more trouble than worth, and people were looking for something new, as this was the old.
It’s like anything older, even though good, man wants to still try at something new.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it? Hmm ? LOL ?
When I first received it, the stem was off, so I had to twist it, and I was really paranoid about breaking it.
The screw inside the vulcanite is extremely still tight fighting after all these years. I ended up turning it three times before getting it lined up nicely.
Of course now when I screw it on, it’s just with the lightest of pressure until it stops, and it’s been amazing ever since.
I can certainly ponder all the Cons here, but as I own one now, I can certainly see that if properly built and maintained it’s still a good working smoking/design.
I was extremely fortunate to find this pipe, it is an absolutely amazing pipe!
I would assume, that they ended up not being the fashionable new thing to do, more trouble than worth, and people were looking for something new, as this was the old.
It’s like anything older, even though good, man wants to still try at something new.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it? Hmm ? LOL ?
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yet any metal /aluminum insert in the mortise /shank will collect moisture and thus may lead to gurgling issues
It's always about the dollar. A well adjusted screw in stem works great. I have lots of them and love them. But manufacturing them correctly takes more time than their straight counterparts. Both systems are adequate and one probably costs substantially less to manufacture.
That's a nice Grabow.I can only say with the one pipe I own that is a screw in, an estate Dr. Grabow dated from 1967-1969, Commodore 65 Zulu with a vulcanite stem, metal screw-in tenon, with no stinger, this has been a great pipe.
When I first received it, the stem was off, so I had to twist it, and I was really paranoid about breaking it.
The screw inside the vulcanite is extremely still tight fighting after all these years. I ended up turning it three times before getting it lined up nicely.
Of course now when I screw it on, it’s just with the lightest of pressure until it stops, and it’s been amazing ever since.
I can certainly ponder all the Cons here, but as I own one now, I can certainly see that if properly built and maintained it’s still a good working smoking/design.
I was extremely fortunate to find this pipe, it is an absolutely amazing pipe!
I would assume, that they ended up not being the fashionable new thing to do, more trouble than worth, and people were looking for something new, as this was the old.
It’s like anything older, even though good, man wants to still try at something new.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it? Hmm ? LOL ?
View attachment 118189
Not a huge fan of the screw-in stems. The only pipes I own that have screw in stems are Kaywoodies that I inherited from my grandpa Mac. I still smoke them. I have cut off the end of the stinger to alleviate problems with cleaning and better airflow. I probably would buy a really nice old pipe with a stinger but I would modify it.
Kaywoodie sold a gizmo to repair shops to handle the clocking problem, making it easy even for idiots to do a seamless job in a couple of minutes.
Because people stopped using screw cap fountain pen. Was on an extended hike with younger scout leaders. One of them asked for a pen. Handed my fountain pen. He couldn't figure out how to unscrew the cap off.
That's where you're Wrong. Dr.Grabow introduced the adjustomatic stem back in 2018, I know because I bought 2 of them. Call the Company and see for yourself.
336-372-5521 or
info@drgrabow.net
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For me the beauty of the screw in stem on my kaywoodie is that it allows me to clean the inside of the shank (with a folded pipe cleaner)while the pipe is still warm, which seems to me the best time to clean it. And the ease—and necessity—of removing the stem to clean the pipe helps me to keep that pipe cleaner. I have other problems with that kaywoodie, but the screw in stem I like
Years ago I smoked a lot of Kaywoodies with the stinger and for me they always smoked wet.
To unscrew it and run a pipe cleaner for me was a pain in the neck. I tried cleaning without unscrewing and that never worked for me as well.
Maybe it was improper technique in my early days but I wouldn't own one now to find out!
I still have a few of the old ones if anyone want em!! LOL
To unscrew it and run a pipe cleaner for me was a pain in the neck. I tried cleaning without unscrewing and that never worked for me as well.
Maybe it was improper technique in my early days but I wouldn't own one now to find out!
I still have a few of the old ones if anyone want em!! LOL
H
HRPufnstuf
Guest
Without having read the other reply, I'll say with some confidence that they fell out of favor because they were more difficult and, thus, more expensive to make. Plus, over time, the registration would change, so the degrees of rotation needed to seat the stem would change, throwing off the orientation of the stem to the stummel. In the early- to mid-20th Century, manufacturers like Kaywoodie developed designs using metal, rather than bone, which eliminated the registration issue, but unfortunately, they were inevitably paired with stingers which fell out of favor in the marketplace.