A Question About Acrylic vs Vulcanite

[mrmotoyoshi]

This is something I’ve wondered about for a long time as well. In my own made up history it had something to do with the relations of Germany and Italy post WWII (I have no proof of this mind you). It’s interesting while most of the world’s pipe makers use vulcanite, the Italian school for the most part sticks to acrylic. I do appreciate the work of Italians that work in ebonite/vulcanite predominantly; Il Duca, Gabriele, Becker etc.
My collection leans heavily towards the Italian school of pipe making so acrylic is a preference at this point. Although I don’t have anything against pipe makers that prefer the allure of using highly polished dark ebonite.
I disagree when people say lucite is inferior and unable to be crafted for comfort; there’s an early Ser Jacopo billiard in my collection that has the most comfortable stem I’ve ever come across. A high grade acrylic can still be very comfortable. The stem on my Old School Pipes/Cardinal House lovat is superb.

 

[philobeddoe]

Kola, just curious as to why you call acrylic = plastic and yet you don’t call vulcanite or ebonite = rubber, as that is what they are, hard rubber?

 

[menuhin]

...why you call acrylic = plastic...?

I feel really intrigued by this question, because I know what polymer, acrylic, urethane, nylon, natural rubber, silicone, ... etc. are, but I don't think I have a definition of "plastic" readily in my head. For example, are all plastic polymer? Is being a polymer a necessary condition to have a material defined as "plastic"?
I looked up the notoriously inaccurate and usually not up-to-date Wikipedia and found that perhaps Toffee and thick Caramel can also be defined as "plastic" in terms of etymology:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#Etymology

 

[danish]

This is a link where acryl is called plastic.
"The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys".
Pipes=toys
Acrylic=plastic
Pipes with acrylic stems= Plastic toys
Just for fun. I do have pipes with acrylic stems that I appreciate, but would have preferred they had 'rubber' stems .

 

[menuhin]

..."The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys"...

It sounds like the teens of the billionaires can skip puberty. ::
And I wonder what stem materials does the old and the new aristocracy prefer, if they smoke(d) a pipe?

 

[kola]

I have no issues calling ebonite aka vulcanite aka cumberland "hard rubber." I like calling plastic stems "plastic" because it makes them sound cheaper and junky. And IMO, they are "cheap junk". It's my personal way of taking a jab at plastic stems as I dislike them terribly. It's just me spouting a personal opinion and nothing more. There's humor somewhere hidden in my tone of typed words.

 

[olkofri]

Guess one of the advantages of being a tyro is that I can't really tell or feel much difference betwixt acrylic and vulcanite. I've one Brigham with a vulcanite stem and I can't say it's better, as far as I'm concerned, than my Vauens' acrylic stems.
I wouldn't call acrylic 'plastic'. For plastic, as in cheap, it's what you find on MM's cobs. Now THAT is cheap plastic!

 

[kola]

Tis' a good point,olkofri.
And far too often I find a great looking pipe that I'm interested in only to find out it has a plastic stem. It's a huge deal breaker for me. And as I mentioned earlier I have some high end pipes I bought with plastic stems (thinking I'd adjust or grow into them) and they just sit there on the rack. Thus my thoughts of having a carver fit them with hard rubber cumberland.

 

[menuhin]

...For plastic, as in cheap, it's what you find on MM's cobs. Now THAT is cheap...

I think if a stem is produced by the process of injection moulding and if it is not thoroughly polished to remove the rough injection moulding marks, it will feel "cheap".
It actually feels quite good to bite onto a stem BPA-free nylon stem - a bit chewy but leaving no bite mark. However, while most nylon is stable till above 200°C, it may slowly degrade over time; and materials that are soft and elastic such as silicone probably cannot be turned and shaped in a lathe. There has to be some better solution with the advancement of material science, just hope that by the time someone invented it, the culture of pipe smoking and pipe tobaccos still exist.

 

[npod]

Harris, I thought more about this post. Here is an exception. It dawned on me that the Italian full bent pipes with acrylic stems are fantastic and do not hurt the teeth at all. For example, the Castello (or other brand) Oom Paul (Hungarian) is one of my favorite pipes for when I'm in the garage using my hands or tying flies (fly fishing). I can keep them in the jaw all day if need be with no pain. Same with the bent billiard. If my house was burning down these would get serious attention for first out the door.
Example


Example


And to make it more interesting, I actually dislike my two artisan full bent pipes with ebonite stems. They are flimsy and attract teeth marks easily. I have to "baby" them and that takes away from the enjoyment of smoking hands free. I'm actually thinking of selling these two moderate smokers.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I must be in the minority, I prefer acrylic stems. The vulcanite stems feel a bit rough on my tongue. I do hate the thick acrylic stems, i refuse to own a pipe with one. As long as it fits comfortably between my teeth and is drilled correctly, I'm comfortable with either.

 

[sablebrush52]

I just don't care if a stem is acrylic or vulcanite. I only care if it's comfortable.

 

[blendtobac]

To get back to the original question, I think it has to do with the quality of the vulcanite that Italian factories used to use. I have a number of Savinellis from the seventies that had vulcanite stems that oxidize pretty badly. In talking to some pipe makers, I was told that they used Italian vulcanite that had a higher sulfur content, while the German version has less and resists oxidation better. Savinelli probably got tired of the negative comments and decided to go to acrylic - just conjecture on my part.
Russ

 

[cigrmaster]

npod, great looking Castello's. My lone Castello is not a full bend like yours and is not comfortable. I might have to try one with a full bend like yours.
All of my artisan made pipes have the high quality German vulcanite and stand up to my clenching very well. They also don't oxidize anything like the old Savinelli's that Russ is speaking about. I had an old Autograph that oxidized badly. I also have an older James Upshall that oxidizes as badly as the Sav I used to own.
I have known about the older sulfur laden stems for a while now and have avoided them for the most part. All of my Pre Transition Barlings have stems that don't oxidize at the drop of a hat. They definitely used a higher quality vulcanite back in the day as compared to Upshall and Savinelli. Also my Willmers and my lone Lane Era Charatan have vulcanite like my Barlings.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Yes,based on my older older Savinellis their vulcanite stems tend to oxidize pretty badly,yet I'm encountering similar experience to happen with few English makers,particularly,with Peterson and Blakemar,

 

[mikefu]

My pipes are about 50/50 acrylic vs. vulcanite. It’s pretty simple for me- I smoke vulcanite stems for hands free (yardwork, driving, etc) and acrylic when I’m relaxing. Or mostly at least. The acrylic, while not hurting, per se, is just way less comfortable to clench. I usually buy based on aesthetics and feel, them divvy up on use based on stem comfort. That being said, I prefer the added maintenance of vulcanite when weighted for comfort.

 

[perdurabo]

Does cleaning an Acrylic stem with Everclear really damage the stem? Any ideas from the experts?

 

[sasquatch]

I cut some thin chips of a rod and soaked them in methyl alcohol - no effect after 24 hours. I can't see how ethyl alcohol would be any worse. Acetone or lacquer thinner I can see damaging plastic, but I have no evidence that alcohol damages acrylic. I know it is supposed to make it "craze".

 

[thomasw]

I just don't care if a stem is acrylic or vulcanite. I only care if it's comfortable.

Exactly, Sablebrush! Both are equally uncomfortable depending on the form.

 

[seacaptain]

Do pipe smokers in general stay away from vulcanite because of ease of care?

This is true for me. I like low maintenance acrylic, and I love Savinelli pipes, so I get the best of both worlds.