Have Today's Vulcanite Stems Improved?

crazyhog · May 5, 2019

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9) - Bob

Hi,
I'm looking at some new Petersons. Particularly, the Sherlock Holmes series. I'm seeing that they all come with vulcanite stems. I read in another forum that the vulcanite being used today is more durable and less prone to oxidation then those of the past. All of my pipes have acrylic stems. Is there any truth to this?
Thanks

sablebrush52 · May 5, 2019

I have pipes with vulcanite stems that are jet black and very glossy that are 90 years old. These pipes were well cared for by their previous owners. There were, and still are, different grades of vulcanite. It comes down to the quality of vulcanite used by the pipe maker.

cachimbero · May 5, 2019

The enemy of vulcanite is UV light, if you can preserve the mouthpiece from it, it will stay in very good condition for a long time, keep them on their boxes or pouches when not smoking (after they have dried sufficiently) or find a well uv protected cabinet.

woodsroad · May 5, 2019

Vulcanite, Ebonite, Cumberland, etc are all forms of hard rubber. They have to be dyed to make them black (or whatever other color(s) they may be). Making these materials has not always been under strict QC, nor has there always been exact, proven formulas that were universally adopted. So, over the decades, there has been some very good hard rubber material made, and some not-so-good material made. FWIW, I have some hard rubber developing tanks made by Kodak in the 1940's that are as black as the day they were made. Kodak always had their science down pat.
Today's hard rubber stem materials are made in modern facilities using formulas that were developed my materials scientists. They contain UV blockers and additives to resist oxidation. I'm sure that someone out there is still making seat-of-the-pants hard rubber (China comes to mind), but the stuff that most pipe makers buy is top-notch.
FWIW, I have taken badly discolored stems, cleaned them thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol, and immersed them in Fiebing's Black Dye for 24 hours. Let them dry for another 24 hours, buff, and you have a jet-black stem again.

mso489 · May 5, 2019

Vulcanite and similar stems need some extra maintenance and care, and no prolonged sun exposure, but mostly will (as earlier posts state) last for generations. I've run into a stem that needed re-polishing every smoke and oxidized into a deep gritty gray. It was attached to a lovely piece of briar on a Thompson Cigar house pipe, so I just replaced it with acrylic, but most Vulcanite is elegant stuff, easy on the teeth and warmer to the touch. I'm happy with either in most cases.

ssjones · May 5, 2019

I can't speak for modern Peterson vulcanite stems (I'm definitely a fan of vintage vulcanite Pete's).

The ebonite used by modern makers seems to hold up better. By my experience with Asteriou, Kyriazanos, George D, Ryan Alden etc, their stems seem to require less care than the stems on older classic makers.

sablebrush52 · May 5, 2019

Of course there's this guy:

Looking good at 145 years of age. This picture, BTW, was taken before I sent it off to George Dibos for a restoration. That's what it looked like in its case.

woodsroad · May 6, 2019

To restore...what? That looks fantastic!

craiginthecorn · May 8, 2019

Premolded stems, which are common on most factory pipes, are inherently more prone to oxidation. This is one of several reasons that handmade stems cut from quality vulcanite rod are superior.

PaulTheScandinavian · May 8, 2019

Depending on the value of pipe,Whenever inn the future I may need (and I will)a new ebonite stem made for my pipes,I definitively will seriously think on having handmade stems made from quality German vulcanite despite the cost which is twice the price of a standard offering,and yes ebonite from modern makers seem to hold better apart from lower and mid price Petersons which a have had a few, some of those started showing light oxidation right after half a year of use,regrdeless where I kept them(mineral oil was applied after each use then)

bullet08 · May 8, 2019

have first pete sherlock holmes series, minus professor. went for milverton instead. no issue so far, and i only smoke outdoor.

mau1 · May 8, 2019

Woods, that's an interesting approach to having a jet-black stem again. Some questions come to mind though.
Just to confirm, you removed the oxidation with a magic eraser or another method before applying the stain, correct?
Did any of the stain eventually come off on your hands when smoking the pipe?
Did the staining help slow down the oxidation process? Did the pipe stay black noticeably longer?
Thanks

cigrmaster · May 8, 2019

All of the vulcanite stems on my artisan made pipes are made with the high quality German stuff. I have no issues with them oxidizing. I do have a couple of older sulfur laden stems that oxidize badly, I rarely smoke them.

I do use Obidisian stem oil on all my vulcanite stems and it works very nicely.

woodsroad · May 8, 2019

Mau, I have just begun experimenting with dying discolored stems with Fiebing's Dye. My process so far:
Sand the stem with a medium MicroMesh to remove as much oxidation as reasonably possible.

Clean the stem with alcohol to remove any remaining oil, wax, etc.

Immerse in the dye for 24 hours.

Remove from the dye. I run a wire or pipe cleaner through the stem to make it easier/less messy to remove.

Let it dry for at least 24 hours.

Buff with white compound. I use Brownell's 555 white with a hard felt, then stitched muslin, on an old Foredom flex-shaft machine.
Some dye comes off in the buffing process, but I have not had any dye come off on my hands. It seems to set up quite permanently. I haven't been doing this long enough to say how long the stems will remain black.

mau1 · May 8, 2019

Thanks for that. You'll have to give us an update in the future. I'll be really interested to know if you've hit upon a new process that will make stem restoration easier.

bent1 · Feb 25, 2020

sablebrush52 said:
Of course there's this guy:

Looking good at 145 years of age. This picture, BTW, was taken before I sent it off to George Dibos for a restoration. That's what it looked like in its case.

Researching ebonite stem repair and this thread appeared. Just commenting on the beauty of this pipe. Would you have any pictures post restoration?

sablebrush52 · Feb 25, 2020

bent1 said:
Researching ebonite stem repair and this thread appeared. Just commenting on the beauty of this pipe. Would you have any pictures post restoration?

I haven't photographed it, but to tell you the truth, it looks pretty much the same. It was in a remarkable condition to begin with.

Have Today's Vulcanite Stems Improved?

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