Where to replace mouthpiece

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dajibash

Lurker
Nov 3, 2011
49
0
I have a habit to bite the pipe in the mouth. So there are some tiny cracks on the mouthpiece. Where can I buy the replaced one? My pipe is Peterson and Savinelli. Thanks in advance.

 

cajunguy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 22, 2012
756
1
Metairie, LA
Here is a site that sells replacement Peterson stems: Pipe Makers' Emporium. Depending on the extent of damage, you may need to replace the entire stem.
I'm not sure what to tell you about the Savinelli. I have no links towards Savinelli replacement stems.
Some pictures of the damage would be helpful, if you can provide them. If the cracks are minor, I can look at the photos and offer some advice on how possibly to fix them. Are they through-and-through breaks, or just bite marks/indentations that appear as cracks? Also, do you know if the stems are vulcanite or acrylic (lucite)?

 

dajibash

Lurker
Nov 3, 2011
49
0
Just bite marks / indentations. No through-and -through breaks.
Thanks so much!
BTW, Most of them are acrylic.

 

cajunguy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 22, 2012
756
1
Metairie, LA
I've had success with lifting bite marks from both acrylic and vulcanite stems using heat. Both materials have "memory" - That is, when heated, they will attempt to resume the last known shape.
The process is simple:

1) Pick a heat source: candle, heat gun, alcohol lamp, etc.

2) Move the damaged piece back and forth over the flame. Keep a good distance between the stem and the flame! Also, keep the stem moving. Do not let it sit over the flame at one spot for too long a duration! Yes, it will take longer to heat and thus longer to raise the dents, but acrylic has a very quirky melting point. Too cold, and you get nothing. Too hot, and you have a pile of mush. This requires time and patience. Err on the side of caution.

3) Once the dent is raised to your satisfaction, submerge the stem in cold water. This will "seal" the material into its new form.
If you still have a bite mark, or this process doesn't work period (sometimes it does not), you can try sanding. Lucite/acrylic tend to be more colorful than vulcanite, so I do not use heavy grit sand paper on acrylic under any circumstance. The lowest I would go is 800 grit and move towards 2000. Here's my process:
1) Lightly sand at the bite mark. If the bite mark is on the stem, move in a long-ways direction along the pipe (tenon to mouthpiece motion). If it's on the lip of the mouthpiece itself, go in a direction that allows you to maintain the shape of the lip. Use the 800 grit. Be careful not to sand to hard or too deep. You might sand through to the air hole or make the stem more fragile than it should be, in which case you've made a lot more work for yourself.

2) Once the area is to your liking, using the same piece of sandpaper, wet it down and go over it again;

3) Move on to 1000 grit. Feel the area. It should be getting smoother to the touch. Now, wet that piece of sandpaper down and go over the area again.

4) Repeat step 3 with 2000 grit or higher, including the wet sanding. Why the wet sanding? It helps minimize potential fine scratch marks. When I'm done restoring a stem, there are no scratch marks...not even under a high intensity light examination.

5) Start polishing. If you have a buffer, use stick carnuba with the buffer. If not, you can use Halcyon II, Paragon, or a good liquid carnuba auto wax.
Note: Auto wax contains extra chemicals, so if you go this route, be sure to sanitize your pipe with some good 90% isopropyl alcohol. Put the alcohol on a clean cloth and wipe your stem down (avoid the tenon). Why polish? To bring the gloss back to your stem. I've found in many cases that after a good polish with wax, the alcohol wipe actually intensifies shine
The process sounds a lot more difficult than it is, but it's really not hard to do. Just go light and be careful. Don't try to do too much too quickly. If you have any doubts about the explanation, or want visuals, do a Youtube search. There are tons of videos on pipe making and pipe restoration.
Hope this helps

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
5
Dallas
Get yourself some softy bits or heat shrink tubing and put it on the bits of your pipes. It helped me big time, because I'm a grinder and a chewer.

 

rock

Lurker
Nov 14, 2011
41
1
I had Walkers make a new one for one of my pipes. He did a fantastic job. http://www.walkerbriarworks.com/index.html

 

echopipe

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 7, 2011
209
0
Question. When you buy a stem and it still has the mold lines on the sides (as seen in a couple of those photos) how doyou sand them off exactly. And can it be done by hand?

Thank you

 
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