Stuck Stem

bdstansel · Jul 22, 2013

OK, so this will sound like a rookie question but I am just curious.
Is removing the stem to clean a pipe a requirement?
I'm no rookie, been smoking pipes on and off since the mid-80s, but I am curious to other's thoughts on this.
I always remove the stem during the cleaning process, until I got this Pete Irish Harp 999 w/Cumberland stem. It is a great looking pipe, probably my 2nd fav Pete. The first smoke was fine, I was able to remove the stem during cleaning. The second smoke, however, this stem is stuck! It creaks horribly and I can only twist it maybe 1/8th of a turn either direction. I know from the sound this isn't good. I've tried putting it in the refrigerator for a few hours, no help, then in the freezer overnight, no help either. I am afraid it is stuck. I can, with a slight bend on the end, pass a pipe cleaner all the way through the stem to the bowl.
So what would you do? Smoke it and just run the pipe cleaners to clean? Inquiring minds want to know.
Thanks,

Bruce

teufelhund · Jul 22, 2013

Put it in the freezer.

brewshooter · Jul 22, 2013

I generally don't remove the stem unless I can't get a pipe cleaner to pass when cleaning. This is during routine cleaning though. If I was going to do a really thorough cleaning, doesn't happen too often, I'd probably want to remove the stem. I'm surprised it didn't loosen up in the freezer though.

captainsousie · Jul 22, 2013

I take my stems off regularly as I've cleaned too many estates to ever let my mortise get too gunky. I would agree that it might have been too long in the freezer and about an hour should do it. Otherwise, no idea. You could try leaving it in a dry area for a week or two and see if thoroughly drying out helps. You could always send it to me as I live in a desert. After you get the stem off, rub the tenon with a pencil lead as the graphite tends to let stems and wood slide easier.

cortezattic · Jul 22, 2013

I was just reading about this in Ehwa's book, The Book of Pipes and Tobacco!

Moisture in the wood of the mortise has probably caused the wood to swell and seize the tenon. He recommended letting the pipe dry out thoroughly -- like for a month or so, I gather. Some sort of de-humidification device might work.

Or maybe the dashboard of a pick-up truck on a sunny day for a few hours? (Ummm, better think about that plan.)

(I always heard about the freezer thing too. I wonder why it didn't work.)
:lol: Now, I ain't sayin' he's a blowhard, but I hear tell the Old Cajun can plug up a bowl and blow a pipe apart!
BTW, I only remove the stem for periodic cleaning. I don't disassemble the pipe otherwise.

tbradsim1 · Jul 22, 2013

I"ve blown in a mules nostrils when he went down plowing and straightened out his tail and got 5 more acres of plowing. :rofl:

boudreaux · Jul 22, 2013

When I read that the freezer concept did not work, and now that I read that moisture may be involved, I offer the possibility that if there was moisture inside the mortise, freezing the pipe may have cause the moisture to expand (since water increases by 11% in volume as it freezes. That might make the tenon impossible to remove, so that would lend credence to Cortez's idea to dry out the pipe, according to the book he cited.
Maybe heating the shank a bit with a hair dryer?

boudreaux · Jul 22, 2013

Making notes on mules in case I get one... :P

captainsousie · Jul 22, 2013

Glad Cortez posted drying. I never would have thought of it.

:nana:

captainsousie · Jul 22, 2013

I've had some luck with using graphite on pipes where the stem is too snug. However, that doesn't always work, especially if the stem is just too damn tight -- that's when the sandpaper and/or file comes out.

Agreed.

plateauguy · Jul 22, 2013

"I've tried putting it in the refrigerator for a few hours"
I would think that the refrigerator wouldn't be as effective as the freezer, but this post was part of the learning curve for me. The Harp 999 is on my wish list - Congratulations!
Damn Bradley, I always wanted mules!

bdstansel · Jul 23, 2013

Thanks for all the input here. I am leaning towards the moisture causing this. Unfortunately, we live on the coast and it's always humid here. Another contributing factor on this particular pipe is that it has a pretty stout Sterling silver band at the point where the stem fits. Thinking of the wood swelling with moisture and this thick silver band surrounding it, the only way for it to go is IN, pressing on the stem. That is the theory I'm going with. I will let it sit, out of rotation, and see if just drying helps.
Thanks Again All!

cortezattic · Jul 23, 2013

What about using a silica gel pack in a baggy, or better, in a kitchen vacuum sealer bag?

bdstansel · Jul 23, 2013

Brilliant idea, right there! Thanks, I wouldn't even thought of that one. Now I just gotta find some silica, pretty sure I ate it all, it is very crunchy but a little dry

professorwheezy · Jul 27, 2013

Its the opposite of freezing it but it has worked for me on a stuck screw in stem - metal on metal. I used a retort. Not sure why heating it up would do any better but maybe the combination of heating loosened some grime and allowed it to unscrew.

wayneteipen · Jul 27, 2013

It sounds like moisture has caused the mortise to swell to me, too. Let us know if letting it dry works. FWIW, like Brewshooter, I don't take my stems apart hardly ever except to thoroughly clean and that doesn't happen very often.

nachman · Jul 28, 2013

I know this is the opposite of all professional recommendations, but I have found if a stem is stuck because of tars, it can sometimes be removed by smoking the pipe and while it is still warm gently turning it clockwise, never counterclockwise. Regular removal of the stem and cleaning the shank will help prevent future seize ups.

Stuck Stem

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