A Bit About Bits

[jaytex1969]

Acrylic, Vulcanite, Ebonite, reeds, bone, wood....
Can we start sort of a primer here?
Pros and cons of each material?
Proper care?
Facts and opinions welcome.
Thanks.

 

[ashdigger]

In order.... Too hard but low maintenance; perfect, require maintenance; Ditto; Wear out; Bone?, do you mean horn? It's okay, hard though; wood wears out.

 

[sablebrush52]

Acrylic:
Pros:

durable, can be made in a wide variety of colors and finishes
Cons:

many find it hard and unyielding, but there are grades that can be as soft as vulcanite, doesn't play well with alcohol, exposure to which causes minute stress fractures.
Vulcanite or Ebonite:
Pros:

cheap, durable, easily carved, slightly soft and yielding, great chew toy
Cons:

Needs maintenance, exposure to light causes discoloration and oxidation, comes in basic black or cumberland, lower grades will develop a sulfur stench and have a gritty texture, great chew toy
Reeds:
Pros:

Great for that pile of tobacco leaves you and the members of your tribe have set ablaze prior to sacrificing the only virgin within 100 miles. Cheap and disposable.
Cons:

Not durable
Bone:
Pros:

Is not used for stems
Horn:

Pros:

soft, workable, attractive look
Cons:

Not as durable as other materials. Pissed off that bull from whom you tried to harvest that horn moments before you died.

 

[jaytex1969]

So, how do us noobs tell the difference between acrylic and Ebonite by looking?
Ebonite and Vulcanite are the same?

 

[fishnbanjo]

Since I do not clench my pipes I'm not hard on any of those materials, about the only con I can find on any material is they can be made too chunky, the angle on shorter stems abruptly comes to the button making it nearly difficult to allow the pipe to hang, or clench, if that is what you do.

banjo

 

[Chasing Embers]

So, how do us noobs tell the difference between acrylic and Ebonite by looking?
Ebonite and Vulcanite are the same?

Rub on the stem with your thumb until slightly warm. Ebonite/vulcanite/brindle/Cumberland stems will smell like burned rubber. You can also tap the stem on your finger nails. Acrylic will make a sharp clicking noise while vulcanite will be a dull click. And yes, ebonite and vulcanite are the same.

 

[Chasing Embers]

There are also ivory and amber stems.

 

[sablebrush52]

Ebonite and Vulcanite are the same?

At one time there was a distinction, mostly having to do with the quality of the rubber. Ebonite was higher quality with lower sulfur content. I've come across listings in old catalogs where the ebonite stem is offered for a slightly higher price than the vulcanite.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Don't forget bakelite!

 

[dmcmtk]

Not as durable as other materials. Pissed off that bull from whom you tried to harvest that horn moments before you died.

:rofl:

 

[warren]

I clench and I like the reference points, teeth marks. My meers have "hard" bits of materials mentioned above. I only smoke them in my home when at rest, the pipes simply resting between my teeth and not really clenched, just balanced. I've been known to chew a bit now and then when working also. So, softer bits are the usual.
Rarely do I damage a rubber bit enough to require replacement. I have an Ebonite which has a chip, bit right through it I did, but a "softie" has kept the pipe useful. It really should be replaced... one of these days... I suppose.

 

[nevadablue]

Thanks for starting this thread. I am studying materials and availability now. I have a pile of 'bitless' estate pipes I want to restore. I did buy some acrylic rod, but need to find sources for stems that are already stems. Oh, I just saw 'mottled brown' vulcanite rod for sale on ebay, from Greece. It comes in 31" pieces.

 

[craiginthecorn]

There's been lots of good input on pros and cons, so I won't attempt to add to that. I'll just say that as a non-clencher (except briefly, if I run out of hands), I prefer almost any non-oxidizing material that can be fashioned into a comfortable shape. New, I like vulcanite the best, but sadly, I have some gorgeous and expensive pipes with vulcanite stems that I choose not to display in order to keep them in the dark, so as to prevent oxidizing. So all that said, I vote for acrylic.

 

[mso489]

Not much to add to the good synopses here. I have always liked Vulcanite because it feels slightly pliable and a little warmer to the touch that acrylic, but I've come to like acrylic for its ease of cleaning and its not oxidizing. Reed stems are nice to latch onto, and not cold to the touch, but do get chewed up. I had one of those gritty oxidized stems on an otherwise great estate pipe freehand; I gladly replaced the Vulcanite with acrylic, and it was a whole new pipe, a really great smoke. I find most of the stock stems on MM cobs chew up too easily over time, so I have replaced most of mine with Forever acrylic stems, and it improves the experience. The one MM with an original stem, I use a softie bit with it.