Small Crack in Shank Face

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now

Oct 25, 2015

953

804

Southeast US

• Nov 20, 2018

• #1

I'm really careful with my pipes. But here's one I bought with a small crack mark in the shank face. It doesn't seem to continue into the shank. I probably should have returned it. Now I discovered I have the same kind of mark on a Radice I bought new maybe a year ago. I never take one apart warm, I usually let it cool down for hours. Do these tend to get worse? And is there a repair like adding a band? The photo is a pretty nice Mastro de Paja - and the Radice is a fantastic pipe.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings

Jun 15, 2013

19,773

45,358

Southern Oregon

jrs457.wixsite.com

• Nov 20, 2018

• #2

It happens. These splits never get better, only worse. A qualified repairman can glue the crack to stabilize it and reinforce the join with a band.

 

ashdigger

Lifer

Jul 30, 2016

11,383

70,079

60

Vegas Baby!!!

• Nov 20, 2018

• #3

Definitely band it. Sooner than later.

 

npod

Lifer

Jun 11, 2017

2,942

1,024

• Nov 20, 2018

• #4

^^^+1^^^

Keep calm and smoke on. You now have a great pipe with patina. One that you can take outside and in the wind. Enjoy that crack. Sure, try and band it or repair it, whatever is needed. Personally, I would smoke it and smile.

 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now

Oct 25, 2015

953

804

Southeast US

• Nov 20, 2018

• #5

Probably will smoke it more and worry less. I lube the tenons with graphite and am very gentle with them. I don't really see why they should grow as long as they're never handled hot. So let me know if that's fantasyland. That's what I really need to know.
I have repaired a few estates with a cyanoacrylate. Right now there's not an open crack to fill.

 

sasquatch

Lifer

Jul 16, 2012

1,689

2,885

• Nov 21, 2018

• #6

Super Glue would wick right into that crack and stabilize it - one of the many things it is very very good it is penetrating tiny crevices. So I'd put a drop on the crack, let it wick in, and give the shank face a wipe.
The wood is moving, all wood does with humidity changes. That's why they cracks will probably worsen, as the pipe moves around the tenon (which is more stable) it puts various pressures on the wood.

 

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now

Oct 25, 2015

953

804

Southeast US

• Nov 21, 2018

• #7

I'll try it, I've done it on worse pipe cracks where I could see a line. I'll drop in from the shank face. I can't see a line on the inside or the outside.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Nov 21, 2018

• #8

Good advice all around. I'm having a nomenclature problem. That looks like the brim of the bowl. The shank is the narrow part of the briar that reaches out near the bottom of the bowl and goes to the stem. Are we on the same page? Confucius say, to achieve proper order first agree on the meanings of words.

 

sasquatch

Lifer

Jul 16, 2012

1,689

2,885

• Nov 21, 2018

• #9

It's the shank, you can tell from the "keyhole" indent left from drilling. There's a bevel hiding it, as there is on most good pipes (that bevel also allows the stem to seat a little better, usually there is some "shoulder" left on the tenon from tooling - if you make that cut dead on perfect 90 it is pretty snappy, a fail point on the stem).

 

crashthegrey

Lifer

Dec 18, 2015

3,818

3,612

41

Cobleskill, NY

www.greywoodie.com

• Nov 21, 2018

• #10

And if I'm not mistaken, it looks like that shank is ready to crack again. I'd definitely look into banding it if you like having that pipe around.

 

PaulTheScandinavian

Lifer

Jul 28, 2016

7,633

36,765

Finland-Scandinavia-EU

• Nov 21, 2018

• #11

I have had worse than this seen in the pic.I managed to get that fixed using the superglue, nonetheless afterward the stem itself lose that snug and sound fitting, perhaps banding all around would have given better, more secure results.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Nov 21, 2018

• #12

Okay, I seem to be a bit slow on this, but this is the part of the bowl, the "face" where the shank joins the bowl. Hope I have that right. Bear with me. Does the fissure go to or come from the shank, or just appear in that part of the brim on the bowl? Any idea on what causes this? A flaw in the briar or dropping a pipe, or unknown?

 

sasquatch

Lifer

Jul 16, 2012

1,689

2,885

• Nov 21, 2018

• #13

MSO, we are not looking at the bowl, period. This is a blown-up picture of the end of the shank, featuring the mortise, where the stem goes in. That's all there is to it.
Occassionally briar will be pre-cracked with a microscopic fissure that is all but undetectable. I've seen a couple in... 500 pieces. But ordinarily, stress on the shank from moisture issues (drying out completely and getting too tight on the tenon for example) will do this, or again, due to heat and moisture, the stem gets tight when you smoke, so if you yank on it... can break the stem or the shank.
The times I've seen bowls crack... well, again I'm not sure - they are almost inevitably pipes that look like they've been smoked 1000 times a year for 50 years and never seen a cleaning. I've seen it claimed that too thick a cake will break a briar, but I doubt this myself, and put it down simply to over-heating the pipe.

 

mso489

Lifer

Feb 21, 2013

41,210

60,459

• Nov 21, 2018

• #14

Thanks sas'. Now I get the picture. Must be having a bad day.