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Vulcanite Or Lucite/Acrylic Stems?

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mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
Like most Forums members over a certain age, I started with Vulcanite as the primo and best stem material. Everything else was stop-gap. Over the years, I have come to accept the good grade Lucite and Acrylic stems (is there a difference in those plastics?). They don't trouble my teeth in medium sized pipes, and they seem to wear better with fewer tooth marks and easier cleaning, and no staining. I still enjoy buying Vulcanite stems, considering them a sort of old time luxury, but I don't disdain Lucite at all, and see it is now used by even the high end artisans. Do you hold out for Vulcanite, or prefer Lucite, or split the difference?

 
markus

markus

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
770
489
Bloomfield, IN
I don't clench my pipes very often, so I am fine with the lucite stems, in fact, several of my favorite pipes have lucite stems. If I were a clencher, I might prefer the vulcanite though, due to it being a little softer. I do think that the lucite wears better, and (I could be wrong about this) they don't seem to oxidize like the vulcanite.

 
xrundog

xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
If I like the pipe I'll take whatever it comes with. I can deal with all the various stem types.

But my favorites are the old style Bakelite and the new style polyester stems. The old Bakelite is very hard. It can be marked but really requires heavy chewing to do so. Polyester feels like vulcanite but is more durable and easy to clean.

 
brass

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
Lucite is a trademark for a company that makes acrylic materials.
Engineering almost always comes in pluses and minuses. Stability at cost of maneuverability, size/wight versus energy efficiency, etc. I like the choice of colors, ease of maintenance and durability of acrylic. However, I think vulcanize is lighter and more comfortable.
If I'm picking a pipe, I'll sometimes choose the acrylic because it is an integral part of the look of the pipe. Otherwise, I'll stick with vulcanite. Until it turns green. Then I wish I had went with acrylic.
The Polyester pipe stems sound interesting. Do they come in the colors of acrylic?
Pax

 
allan

allan

Lifer
Dec 5, 2012
2,429
7
Bronx, NY
Very simple for me--
Acrylic--no
Vulcanite--YES!
Modern Vulcanite does not suffer the issues of the past material containing a lot of sulfur.
For me, acrylic is like biting on glass.
UGH!
Really too bad, I would have liked to try a JT Cooke pipe.

 
derfatdutchman

derfatdutchman

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,134
1
My pipes are pretty evenly split between the Vulcanite and Acrylic stems. If I have to choose I'd give the edge to Acrylic stems, but if I like a pipe it won't matter what material the stem is made of.

 
maxx

maxx

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 10, 2015
709
6
I seem to recall from when I was a lurker that olive oil is good for cleaning Vulcanite stems. Is it? Or is something better?
I've got a Poker on the way that's got an Acrylic stem. My first of both, I think. What does my new Huck Finn Cob have? It feels the same as my Vulcanite pipes.

 
cigrmaster

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Jet black acrylic is always the better choice. And that's not just my opinion, it's a fact.
Click to expand...
I am sorry but that statement is not a fact. As with all things pipes and tobacco, personal choice is what counts. What works for one person may not work for someone else. I hate acrylic stems and do not buy pipes with them. I buy pipes that have the highest grade German Vulcanite which needs very little care. It is not hard to wipe some Obidisian Stem Oil on once in a while to keep them nice.
Maxx, I would never recommend to someone to use Olive Oil on their stems, it will eventually turn rancid and taste lousy. Obidisian is the way to go. A bottle will last a couple of years and it is only like 9 bucks.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
I'm intrigued that my favorite pipe carver, Jerry Perry, who only sells at events, the N.C. State Fair and the TAPS pipe show, and is not online at all, uses only lucite stems, so I've gone with those, in briar pipes and several done in Mountain Laurel, and they have held up perfectly. Jerry did an apprenticeship in pipe making but has evolved over the years. His work is both sophisticated and folksy, with interesting use of color and wise variations on traditional shapes that he claims in his own way. His use of lucite stems authenticated them for me. Nothing new fangled in a Perry pipe, but he never seems in a rut. (Jerry is online as a pipe repairman, I hasten to add, but doesn't sell his pipes there.)

 
maxx

maxx

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 10, 2015
709
6
Obsidian Stem Oil it is,then. Thanks.
Just located it at smokingpipes and put it in my favorites and wish list.

 
cigrmaster

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Maxx, let me know what you think about the Obidisian after using it. I will warn you that even Obidisian will only make the old sulpher laden vulcanite look good for only one smoke at a time. That stuff still needs buffing on a regular basis to keep looking decent. I dumped all my pipes that had that crap except one Upshall that I just can't force myself to get rid of. It smokes so damn good and it is a pretty old one so I smoke it rarely.

 
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