CA/Charcoal Long-Term Durability Question

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ericthered

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 29, 2014
511
2
Suffolk, VA
I've been flirting with estate pipe repairs for some time, doing far more research than any actual work. Recently a couple tremendous "how-tos" have been presented concerning patching vulcanite stems with CA glue (CA is so much easier to spell than cyanoacrylate) and activated charcoal - one from our own danielplainview aka Dave G: How To Fix Tooth Holes In Stems and the other provided by Andrew Selking here: Dave's Four Dot Sasieni.
These are invaluable guides and are giving me hope for some of the mangled stems in my "to be repaired" pile. They get me thinking, however, about how these repairs stand up over time. And so, my question(s):
Have any of you repaired a stem in this manner and then smoked it for a long time? Has the repair stood up to the rigors of regular use?
Thanks!

 
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smoothsailing

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 7, 2013
271
8
Perth N.Y. (Adirondack area )
This is one of the first stems I repaired

Using using CA mixed with whats leftover from a stem I sanded .

It's been in my rotation going on 5 year's and still holding strong.

(I do use a softie bit)

I have used CA and Activated Charcoal too but none in my weekly rotation so I can't say one way or another.

 
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Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
I just started using this repair technique about 6 months ago. I clench my repaired stems and fingers crossed, so far so good.
The repairman I learned it from said he has stems he patched up with this over 2 years old and they're still holding up.
I think it also depends on the size of the repair. If it's just a small patch it should do just fine. If you're rebuilding an entire button, who knows.

I rebuilt an entire button about 2 months ago and have smoked the pipe 5 or 6 times. It's withstood the clenching so far.

 
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georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,919
There are too many variables involved with patches for them to be reliable enough to offer commercially, in my experience.
CA patching makes a great DIY kitchen table project, though, because there's no downside. The worst than can happen is you go straight to a new stem instead of using the old one a while longer.

 
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rcstan

Lifer
Mar 7, 2012
1,466
8
Sunset Beach NC
+1 georged
I've unsuccessfully attempted this sort of cobble a few times with negative results, up to and including having the damn stem glued to my hands. Had some trashed stems laying about. I find the procedure akin to trying to weld a broken pillar on a car frame.
That being said, I've encountered a few patched stems on some of the estates we restore, and most did not hold up to Oxyclean, alcohol soak or a trip to the buffer.

 
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Jan 4, 2015
1,858
11
Massachusetts
George has it right, it's a home remedy. I've done several and they work fine. How long will they last? Who knows but it can't be any worst than a bit that's unusable. IMHO, if you have a bit in need of repair do it. The effort required will be more than justified by the improved utilization you'll get. If on the other hand, I were restoring a high end pipe, a replacement stem by George is a better solution.

 

ejames

Lifer
Oct 6, 2009
3,916
22
I'd have to agree that it is probably a "home" repair,although I do it in my shop- not at the kitchen table. If you have problems buffing a CA repair you might do what I do. Wet sand to 800 or 1000,then work it to a nice shine with Micro Mesh. Then all you need is a light buffing with some white diamond or red jewelers rouge which is what I use.

I have done this repair to one Dunhill. It was gifted to me and I wanted to keep it original. It ain't going anywhere.

 
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xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
I use black, amber and clear super glue for stem repairs. I've been really happy with it over the years. The only times I've had problems was when the material at the bit was really thin. This allows the stem to flex. So when the stem flexes but the fill doesn't, the fill chips, cracks or pops out. I've had two or three stems do that out of many, many stems.

On acrylic or Bakelite, the fill almost disappears. The black glue on a rubber stem can usually be seen. But if you do a nice job of blending and polishing it isn't very noticeable.
I've also built up chipped bits and low buttons with very good results. The stuff is tough.

Get some accelerator to improve the hardness and get a faster set.

 
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