Pipe Restoration for My Dad

So I am planning to gift this pipe I recently picked up to my Dad for Father's Day after deep contemplation. He remarked just how much he liked it the other day when I showed it to him. So I've been steadily cleaning it up to take it from this:


To this over the past week:


I cleaned it up using liberal amounts of Murphy oil soap, a little water and a tooth brush on the outside. Then I ran hot water through it for a long time and used probably the equivalent of about 30 pipe cleaners, reaming the bowl with one doubled up many, many times. Then I passed a pipe cleaner through and through it using some alcohol and then ran more cleaners through until it was clean.
Then I set to work with some 220 grit sandpaper to remove the imprfections in the stem and I plan to get some micromesh sanding pads this week to sand it down a little finer. I discovered that after the hot water treatment, some brown patches began to appear and I recognized it instantly as oxidation. I did some searching and discovered that Mr. Clean Magic Erasers can do a pretty fantastic job at removing the oxidized patches so I set to work removing all of them that I could see. I didn't have any obsidian oil on hand, but I did have some butcher's block conditioner that contains mineral oil, vitamin E, carnauba wax and beeswax. I slathered the entire bowl with it in a good thick coat, and applied some to the stem, then wrapped it in a cloth to let it sit for a bit.
After a second coat, letting it sit, then buffing it to death, I noticed that the stem has an actual crack in it starting at the button and then going down the stem a short way. This stem screws into the shank, so my theory is that it got tight and some fella decided to use a little bit too much force and it cracked at the tip...

I can't get the best picture of it, but it's in the area on the stem where you can tell a small "chunk" is missing. The crack is on both sides of the opening and slightly slanted so I think someone turned it too hard and it cracked. Is there something I can do about it, or is that pretty much it for the stem?
Also, I noticed the vulcanite has a pretty good smell to it when it's sanded and some of that smell is still lingering in the pipe and you can taste it a bit when you try to draw on it. Is there a way to eliminate that? I'm trying to not have to get a new stem, but if I have to, I have to.

@cwarmouth Outstanding! Alright, well I have the better than average looks down, quite a few expensive tools, a fairly high IQ, but I'm unsure of whether God likes me or not, so mine might not turn out quite like yours....
I like the idea and I might could make it work, but I don't know if I can repair an actual crack in the pipe stem though. The crack is on both the top and bottom and runs roughly about an inch or so down the stem. The only way to do it, I reckon would be to apply the JB Weld and the super glue in a layer on top of the crack, build it up a little bit and then smooth it back out after it dries. My only concern would be how long it would hold up.
The other issue is that it free spins when you tighten it to the shank. I don't think it's supposed to do that, and I have absolutely no clue how I'd stop it from doing so. I love doing repairs myself and would love to try, but if I screw it up I reckon I'll just have to send it out for repair. I've already been searching for a repair company to fix me up with a new stem, just in case. I found Briarville online and they have some pretty nifty looking replacement colors I might could go with if I fail miserably at the repair. I wonder where one finds this graphite powder? I know I could search online, but if I want this thing ready by Father's Day I'm going to need to locate some at a B&M.

Well, I haven't really smoked enough to build that yet, and even then, I do a rinse and dry with water and a paper towel after smoking, so I don't get a lot of soot, but sanding a pencil lead is quite a good idea. I did just see this and it is available at my local Lowe's and Home Depot might carry it, but it doesn't say so on their site:

As far as nail polish goes, I'm sure the wife won't mind if I snag her bottle for a little repair work :twisted:

Alright, well awesome! I'm going to stop by and pick up the JB Weld and some of that graphite powder and give it a shot. I still have to order the micromesh sanding pads, but they should be here by the time I have the repair made and it's had a chance to set up. Awesome, thank you for the tips and advice! I really appreciate it!

@Chasingembers That could work if it was a straight stem mortise to tenon push in type, but mine screws in:

Once it's snugged up, you can continue to spin the stem around and around in the tightening direction as whatever secures the tenon into the stem free-spins around on the inside of the stem....if that makes sense...So basically, the hardware will tighten/snug up, but one side or the other continues to spin. It'll twist back off fine, but I think it's supposed to be locked into a specific position once snug. I'm going to try the clear nail polish as mentioned above by Mike and Cwarmouth and hop it does the trick.
@Mike I'll take a look and see if it comes in black, but to my recollection, it's usually a gray-ish color, I think. If it does come in black, I'll just buy that and not have to deal with the graphite, but if I do, at least I know what to do!