A Curiously Made Cumberland Stem

[Briar Lee]

I must admit I’d not heard of a Cumberland stem until I joined this forum, and after I read about them I surely did want one.

Imagine my delight at winning a no name, unsmoked French Dublin for only $29 delivered, with a Cumberland stem. Now I can hold my head up high, when other folks on this forum show off their Cumberland stem pipes because I can rightfully say I have one, too.

But although I think the Cumberland part of the stem is not acrylic, but genuine Cumberland vulcanite, there’s a black vulcanite insert for the tenon.

Why dey do dat?

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

That tenon is probably delrin. Nice pipe.

 

[telescopes]

My first Cumberland stem came from my 1984 Dunhill Prince. I recall thinking how interesting it looked compared to black vulcanite.

I would smoke that pipe often, wondering about and waiting for that “best” smoke that was sure to come given that I was smoking a Dunhill. I was in college back then and still believed in childish things, such as a Dunhill was certain to smoke better than my lower grade pipes.

That “best“ smoke never came. Oh, it smoked well, but the sky never opened up and lightening bolts didn’t fly from the bowl.

 

[OverMountain]

I like Cumberland, matched with the right briar they are practical works of art.

 

[sasquatch]

"Why they do that" is that delrin and/or teflon inserts like that are available at specific sizes, manufactured to exactly .250" or whatever size you want (5/16" is real common). Means you never have to cut a tenon, never have to set something "just so". You drill a 5/16" hole carefully, and the insert fits. AND it's slippery stuff, doesn't lock up like an acrylic or even ebonite tenon can. AND it makes the stem very repairable if you do manage to break it. Which you won't, because it's stronger.

 

[Briar Lee]

"Why they do that" is that delrin and/or teflon inserts like that are available at specific sizes, manufactured to exactly .250" or whatever size you want (5/16" is real common). Means you never have to cut a tenon, never have to set something "just so". You drill a 5/16" hole carefully, and the insert fits. AND it's slippery stuff, doesn't lock up like an acrylic or even ebonite tenon can. AND it makes the stem very repairable if you do manage to break it. Which you won't, because it's stronger.

Thank you for the explanation.

A French maker had to order Cumberland rod, insert a premade tenon, fabricate a stem, make a very nicely grained, fill free, medium Dublin pipe, and then finish out the final product.

Since he went to all that trouble, you’d think he’d have stamped a brand on it.

The only explanation I can think of why not, is this was an inducement to a merchant to fetch an order for a prestigious brand name French pipe.

It wasn’t made by drunken Frenchmen under a bridge, whoever made it.

 

[burleybreath]

Since he went to all that trouble, you’d think he’d have stamped a brand on it.

The only explanation I can think of why not, is this was an inducement to a merchant to fetch an order for a prestigious brand name French pipe.

Production over-runs, or simply factory stock that didn't get stamped with some tobacconist's name as a house brand, would be my guess. Some of my best pipes are no-names. Generally I can't find anything at all wrong with them. Grain is great. And you can still "steal" them, more or less, on ebay. That looks like a good one, at a great price.

 

[PipeIT]

My Bay Denmark Apple is my first Cumberland stem pipe. I’m afraid to nick it up LOL, so I don’t clench it, but I can feel that it’s nice.

Because it’s so tiny, Mike put a carbon fiber tenon on it.





@Briar Lee are you familiar with Eldritch? A lot of carvers are using it, has a lot of nice colors and swirl/patterns in it. I’ve been told it’s just as comfortable and doesn’t oxidize.

Eldritch Products - RawKrafted

rawkrafted.com