Horn Stems
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I have two custom made Nuttens and a Ropp with horn stems. I love them. They are less maintenace than vulcanite, but not as hard on my teeth as acrylic. The buttons leave much to be desired, but that may just be the carver’s aesthetic and not the material. If you are a chewer or grinder, it could be a problem, as the material will just grind away. But, as a clencher that doesn’t chew the stem, mine are all as good as new after a few years of use.
I have several from different makers, Ropp, S&J pipes, Paulo Becker, Trever Talbert and others. I don’t clench and simply wipe it down when I’m done smoking and clean it later once everything has cooled down, I personally like the mouth feel, reminds me of old rubber stems from the teens and twenties.
banjo
banjo
I like the horn stem on my Ropp 347T so much, I'd like to make some replacements for other pipes. My Ropp got a longitudinal crack, but it seems solid. I smoke it every other day, and it is marked up. Seems like it won't last forever, but it's my favorite stem to clench. I did have to do some drilling and filing to get it to pass a cleaner smoothly, but my standards are high and I do that to a lot of pipes.
Any idea what type of horn make good stems? All the cattle horns I've seen are really a hard shell over soft tissue, so they are thick enough in the hard areas. Elk and deer are solid, but they seem totally different. Anyone make their own horn stem?
Any idea what type of horn make good stems? All the cattle horns I've seen are really a hard shell over soft tissue, so they are thick enough in the hard areas. Elk and deer are solid, but they seem totally different. Anyone make their own horn stem?
I had many preconceived notions about horn mouthpieces, including their being brittle, uncomfortable, hard, and that they mostly all had the old orific style button and no slot to speak of. I took a gamble on a Ropp Vintage Stout bulldog and have since been proven wrong on most of those assumptions.
The material is comfortable to clench, with similar percived hardness to high quality Ebonite, yet it doesn’t oxidize. While the Ropp’s mouthpiece is relatively thick at the button, that’s largely due to the shape dictated by the style of the pipe. I have since acquired horn-stemmed pipes by Peter Heeschen and Chris Askwith, both of which are thin and comfortable and wih modern drilling, slots, and buttons. The horn wasn’t a problem for them. Finally, I have a very old GBD lovat with a horn stem and bone screw-in tenon. It is in absolutely perfect condition and is probably 100+ years old.
The Heeschen was an estate and has a tiny triangular cavity in the upper surface next to the button which is believed to be from a sharp tooth, so it’s soft enough to damage. That particular pipe has a signature Heeschen saddle bit, so it is very, very thin and supremely comfortable.
So, horn isn’t perfect, but it’s become something I like in a pipe. Comfortable and handsome, yet practical.
BTW, the Ropp is an absolutely terrific smoker and extremely lightweight.
The material is comfortable to clench, with similar percived hardness to high quality Ebonite, yet it doesn’t oxidize. While the Ropp’s mouthpiece is relatively thick at the button, that’s largely due to the shape dictated by the style of the pipe. I have since acquired horn-stemmed pipes by Peter Heeschen and Chris Askwith, both of which are thin and comfortable and wih modern drilling, slots, and buttons. The horn wasn’t a problem for them. Finally, I have a very old GBD lovat with a horn stem and bone screw-in tenon. It is in absolutely perfect condition and is probably 100+ years old.
The Heeschen was an estate and has a tiny triangular cavity in the upper surface next to the button which is believed to be from a sharp tooth, so it’s soft enough to damage. That particular pipe has a signature Heeschen saddle bit, so it is very, very thin and supremely comfortable.
So, horn isn’t perfect, but it’s become something I like in a pipe. Comfortable and handsome, yet practical.
BTW, the Ropp is an absolutely terrific smoker and extremely lightweight.
M
Marindas
Guest
Thanks for the info on the Ropp horn stems. I've had my eye on them, but was concerned about the material.
My Ropp is a 347T and weighs 0.7 oz. It's super light, and still is a 2-hr flake pipe. I love mine!
The horn stem on my Ropp seems super durable. Not overly soft, but not quite as slippery and hard as acrylic stems. That particular stem isn’t meant for clenching, it’d hurt like a son of a bitch. But that’s probably not indicative of all horn stems. The Ropp’s seem to have very small and right-angled buttons. But horn as a general stem material... seems pretty darn good to me. I’d happily buy another. Especially if it was hand-carved and comfortable.
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